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From Pence Park to Lair o’ the Bear

Bear Creek Trail
Fees: Free
Website: http://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/
Elevation: 7,600-6,800 feet (we walked downhill)
Distance: 6.5 miles
Hours: daylight

Our weekly hike this Thursday was a one way trek from Pence Park to Lair o’ the Bear Park. I recommend not relying on Google Maps to get to the parking lot of Pence Park. It did lead us on a lovely scenic drive with fabulous views to a private driveway though. After our small detour, we returned to Kittredge and turned on Myer Gulch Road to reach Pence Park.

I thought it was unique that the map posted at the parking lot at Pence Park didn’t include any trails in Pence Park. It included all the trails for O’Fallon Park, Corwina Park and Lair o’ the Bear Park. We followed the multi-use Bear Creek Trail through all the parks for approximately 6.5 miles.

The trail started following close to the road which we didn’t find too exciting, but soon we entered the evergreen forest in O’Fallon Park and got away from the noise. I was expecting a nice, sunny day, but it started out somewhat cloudy and cold. Occasionally, we felt a drop of rain. That was discouraging. Luckily, however, the sun came out. We stripped off our layers and were down to our T-shirts within the first hour of our hike!

While we started at 7,600 feet and ended at 6,800, it seemed like we hiked up and down an undulating trail past lovely views in Corwina Park. More and more wildflowers have been popping up over the month…we even spotted a cactus in bloom! The trail was very popular for mountain bikers. We found ourselves stepping aside somewhat frequently for a Thursday. I can’t imagine what a Saturday would be like. Fortunately, the bikers we courteous, and we all enjoyed the trail!

Upon reaching Lair o’ the Bear Park, we followed a flat path along Bear Creek. Much to our surprise, on the other side of the creek stood a giant castle. This, of course, intrigued us all, so I had to google it today. Dunafon Castle is a residential property that opens for the summer and fall for charity events along with weddings.

The castle was completed in 1941 and was the home of Marcus Wright. It is claimed to be the most complete electrical home ever built as its electricity is generated by its own hydro-electric plant. The 14 room, 4 bath structure constructed of steel reinforced concrete is fire proof too! The light fixtures, made of metal, were specifically created for the home and are considered masterpieces. Its grounds include stocked trout ponds and a fruit and wine cave. This place sounds so interesting that I might have to take a tour! http://www.dunafoncastle.com/index.php

Anyway, the hike, close to Denver in the Jeffco Open Space (http://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/) offered a nice variety, and we had another fun Thursday. ETB

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photographic note card, windmill in Texas — WINDMILL

Roaming Around Castlewood Canyon State Park

Castlewood Canyon State Park
Fees: $7/day $70/Annual Pass
Website: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CastlewoodCanyon
Elevation: 6,200-6,600 feet
Distance: 6+ miles
Hours: 8am-9pm

So our regular group of five ladies on our Thursday hikes dwindled down to two folks this week, but that is ok. We had an excellent adventure. The adventure started with just getting to the park south of Franktown. Diana was sick and I had a migraine so following directions proved to be difficult with our foggy heads, though it didn’t help with the road being closed by police for a short while either. We passed right by the entrance of the park that appeared more like a driveway into a ranch.

After we organized ourselves at the visitor’s center, we moved over to the parking lot by the Bridge Canyon Overlook. We walked out to the overlook which provided a lovely view of the canyon and the bridge that spanned it. We thought from the overlook that we would continue on to the East Canyon Trail, but we were wrong. Lost, we turned back toward the parking lot and noticed we had passed right by the trailhead despite the large sign!

We started down the non-descript trail. At first, it just appeared like we were walking through a grass-less field. Soon we realized, we’d be following cairns on the entire four mile loop in order to find our way. Without the cairns, we would have taken more wrong turns! After crossing through the gravel area, we soon turned down a section with a defined dirt trail with surrounding brush. As we rounded the bend while descending toward the canyon floor, a group of hikers on the ridge above hollered, “Ladies, there is a bear in front of you!”

Surprised, we stopped in our tracks, looked 30 yards down the trail, and spotted a black bear. The undulating terrain kept us from having a good view, and the bear promptly disappeared from our sight. Diana, with wide eyes, turned to me and questioned, “What do we do?”

The curiosity and photographer in me wanted to race up on to the hill to snap a photo, but logic prevailed and we stayed put a while longer. I knew we were supposed to remain calm and back away slowly if need be, but boy did I have to contain myself from scrambling forward. Soon, the hikers above gave us an all clear signal.

Without a bear photo in hand, we continued on, though I began to wonder what other obstacles we might have to overcome as we seemed to have such a hard time just getting to the trail! Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d see a bear in this park. The rocky terrain, scrub brush and grassy prairies seemed far more suited to antelope, deer, coyotes, and mountain lions. Little did I know that the park is part of Colorado’s Black Forest region and sustains seven eco-systems.

Our hike along the lollipop loop took us through a variety of terrain. We descended beneath the bridge, followed a dirt path through the trees, admired a few wildflowers and a lovely view of Pikes Peak, enjoyed walking along the creek, and took careful steps over all the rocks. This trail, we thought, could definitely be an ankle twister.

The East Canyon Trail is only open seasonally, so we were happy to be able to hike through the preservation area that doesn’t allow dogs. Upon finishing up these four miles, we decided we wanted to add on a few more miles, so we walked to the other side of the parking lot and followed the Canyon View Nature Trail which was a paved sidewalk. Fortunately, the pavement didn’t last too long as we connected the path to Inner Canyon Trail and later Lake Gulch Trail.

These trails led us in and out of the canyon as well as along the river. Though all rated easy to moderate, there were places we had to climb over rocks and even jump from one spot to the next. While the low altitude is nice, some of the trails didn’t seem like the best for an inexperienced visitor. As we were discussing this, we came upon some rangers who were helping a woman who had sprained or broken her ankle.

This is the second time I have visited this park. The first time, I entered the west side and enjoyed hiking by all the historic buildings. This time, we enjoyed a variety of terrain. This park really has a lot to offer. There are several places to picnic and cookout too. We enjoyed it. ETB

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Dawdling Along Doudy Draw Trail

Doudy Draw Trail to Spring Brook Loop North
Fees: $5/day
Website: https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/doudy-draw-trailhead
Elevation: 5,600-7,300 feet
Distance: 5.4 miles
Hours: Daylight

With a few time constraints facing us, Tanya, Diana, Ann, Belinda and I carpooled to Doudy Draw located a few miles west of Highway 93 on El Dorado Springs Dr. Having driven by the area in the past, I didn’t expect the hike to be terribly exciting as from the parking lot it appeared we’d be walking along the prairie.

Much to my surprise, I found the scenery rather enjoyable for a hike within an hour drive of Denver. We followed the red dirt path past a small picnic area and bathroom which was once a historic Indian homesite. Soon we crossed a creek and spotted ducks on the small pond. To the west, the dark rocky flatirons towered over the rolling hills that were particularly green from the wet spring.

Most of the path was dry, though occasionally we side stepped a few muddy areas from the snow melt of a recent storm. 70-80 million years ago this sticky clay soil used to be 600 feet under the ocean. Now, we were heading into an evergreen forest. We stopped here for a short lunch beneath the shade as the birds chirped on this 80 degree day. It was nice to pass by a handful of wild flowers along the way…finally a sign that summer might be coming.

Stiff dog regulations kept us from following the loop trail, but the out and back trail was approximately the same distance and we wanted Molli and Deacon with us! They had fun trotting along the easy path. Upon our return to the parking area, we even spotted a deer! I just love seeing the wildlife. The five mile hike that only gained about 700 feet was an enjoyable stroll on weekday with few mountain bikers to dodge. I’m anxious to get to higher elevation soon! ETB

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photographic note card, cowboy boots on fence — BOOTS

A Snowy Hike to Carpenter Peak

Roxbourgh State Park (Carpenter Peak Trail)
Fees: $7/day $70/Annual Pass
Website: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Roxborough
Elevation: 5,937-7,160 feet
Distance: 6.4 miles
Hours: Daylight

So now that summer is on its way, I am getting into the hiking mindset. My girlfriends and I are hoping to hike every Thursday, weather permitting. We have planned to stick with the Front Range during the school year to accommodate some time constraints as well as to avoid the snow as much as possible, but this summer we will be headed to the mountains.

With this plan in mind, we chose to hike Carpenter Peak at Roxborough State Park. The hike to Carpenter Peak, the highest point in the park, is 6.4 miles round-trip. We set out around 8am, carpooling from Tanya’s house at 8:30am . Belinda was kind enough to drive us 20 miles south of Denver as she had a state parks pass which saved us the $7 admission.

By 9:45am, we were following the damp path through the leafless bushes overshadowed by red rock. The exposed sandstone formations are red from the oxidation of iron minerals. As we climbed the lightly graded path that turned from damp to mud to snow, we wondered if it was a mistake to leave our snowshoes behind. So much for the plan of avoiding snow. It hadn’t snowed for four days, and with the warm temperatures, I thought most of the snow would have melted as it had in our yard. Perhaps I should have read the alert on the website!

The higher we climbed, obviously, the more snow we encountered. At the first open ridge, one hiker who was returning to the parking area said no one had broken trail up to Carpenter Peak and he had turned around at Elk Valley. With that news, we continued. I thought to myself, despite the snowy conditions, we will summit the 7,160 foot peak with Diana, the ironwoman, leading. I knew she had all the determination necessary.

As we entered the forest, Diana trounced through the shin deep snow. With each step, she exclaimed how fun this was as she had never hiked in conditions like this. I should have titled this blog “Diana’s Adventure to Carpenter Peak”. I followed, sometimes in her footsteps and sometimes pressing down more snow, as I worried that my tennis partners may never want to join me on a hike again!

A group of twenty year olds were catching up to us, so we stopped to have a snack and enjoy the view in effort to let them break trail for a while. They bounded along, all in their leader’s footsteps, who had a huge stride. We could hardly keep up with their stride, so ended up breaking trail anyway (or should I say Diana did)…not to mention the youngsters took a break, so we passed them by in the untouched snow. So much for that plan…I was 0 for 2!

By now as we passed by a few budding flowers, most of us had soggy feet as melting snow soaked our shoes and socks. Upon reaching the rocky summit, I stripped off my wet shoes and socks to warm my feet in the sun. We enjoyed lunch at the top with a lovely panoramic view…snowcapped mountains to the west and city views to the north and east.

With Army copters overhead, we retraced our steps on our descent, now in even wetter conditions as the sun melted the displaced snow. Anyone who didn’t have a wet foot did now. We started to vote on who would dump the most water out of their shoes at the car, but then we realized that would be Belinda who didn’t even have boots covering her ankles much less tall socks. She was a definite trooper!

I was the only one with hiking poles and two of us had spikes for our shoes. For some reason, we decided not to strap on the spikes which was likely a bad idea. Coming or going, I think three of the five us slipped in the snow or mud. Diana and Tanya had an easier time downhill as they cruised down the trail like mountain goats immune to the slippery conditions. On the other hand, I wiped out. I can’t say there was any grace about it either…just a splat in the mud! Ann and Belinda, who were standing right behind me, were kind enough not to laugh. I guess maybe falling in the mud was better that falling in the small streams of melting snow runoff? Or perhaps I’m just trying to make myself feel better :-).

Regardless of the soggy conditions, we all had fun on this warm, spring day and everyone has already signed up to hike next week. Hopefully our shoes will be dry by then! ETB

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photographic note card, sunflowers — SUNFLOWERS

A Perfect Birthday!

I had the greatest birthday! I started the day with a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Tanya and Diana met me at my house, and we carpooled to Lumpy Ridge Trailhead where we arrived to the parking area around 10am. While I think all of us have a park pass, this area isn’t near the main entrance of the park doesn’t actually require one. Since it was April and Thursday, the trail wasn’t too busy either. Another added bonus, a week after a massive snow storm the south facing slope was snow free, so we actually got to hike rather than snowshoe.

We started gaining a decent amount of elevation as we climbed a stairstep trail surrounded by large granite boulders and unique rock formations. Being the beginning of the hiking season, we took a few opportunities to catch our breath while enjoying the view. We worked up a sweat quickly and shed layers down to short sleeves in the sunny fifty degree weather before we even reached Gem Lake, located 1.8 miles into our 7.8 mile roundtrip.

lumpy ridge trailhead

gem lake

After admiring the lake tucked beneath the cliffs, we carried on to the trail junction where we turned left. The trail leveled off as we crossed over the ridge and walked through some open space before entering the forest. The trail narrowed as we descended through the pines. Occasionally, we had to walk carefully through some snowy areas or take short detour, but for the most part we stayed on the undulating path.

Eventually we reached another ridge and expected to see “Balanced Rock” at the top which we didn’t immediately spot. We descended again, and there it was on the right side of the trail. It was a lovely spot for lunch slightly out of the wind. As we snacked on fruit, nuts, sandwiches and some birthday bundt cake, the clouds hid the sun and we were soon in our puffy jackets that once again we stripped off as we climbed back up the ridge!

balanced rock

It was nice to see a few wildflowers and just listen to the chirps of chipmunks and birds with spring on its way. We even spotted a bunny at the very end! We finished up our 7.8 miles around 2pm, and I got home just a few hours before our family went for dinner. We tried Bones, an asian fusion restaurant, that was very nice. David spoiled me with a chocolate cake and wonderful gifts before we headed out to meet friends for drinks.

Charlie Brown’s knows how the treat people right on their birthday…$30 of drinks on the house! Chris, Ashley, Kelly, Vela, and Bridget all joined us, and we ended the night singing along with the piano player! FUN DAY…ETB

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photographic note card, mountain goat in colorado — MOUNTAIN GOAT

Enjoying the Sun in South Valley Park

South Valley Park
Fees: None
Website: http://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/south-valley-park/
Elevation: Around 6,000-6,200 feet
Distance: 7.4 miles of trails, My hike 3.4 miles
Hours: Daylight

I enjoyed a blue sky day at South Valley Park this morning. Part of JeffCo Open Space this park is open to hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The trails are of fine sand and meander through rocky spires and craggy outcroppings. While a few of the trails require some climbing most of the trails are relatively flat making this park nice for an easy day.

South Valley Park is part of the Dakota Formation. 100 million years ago as the Dakota Formation developed, dinosaurs roamed seaside beaches lined by dense forest. Now visitors to the park see the layers of rock that formed beneath Denver and were uplifted by the Golden Fault.

I started out in the smaller of the two parking lots at the Coyote Song Trailhead. The trail climbs to a junction at 0.8 miles where I followed Lyon Back Trail 0.2 to a lookout just outside the park boundaries. This trail connects to other trails in the Ken-Caryl Metropolitan District that I believe is private. After admiring the first wildflower blooms of the season, I turned around here, met the Coyote Song Trail and continued northwest until it crossed South Valley Road.

On the other side of the road, much to my dismay I followed the paved Valley View Trail for 1.2 miles. I was a little disappointed to be on asphalt, but it offered a nice view down the road which thankfully wasn’t busy. Valley View Trail intersected with Grazing Elk Trail back on the other side of the road. I followed it a short distance before connecting back to Coyote Song Trail to complete a 3.4 mile loop.

It was rather a short hike, though peaceful as the geese honked in the distance. The JeffCo Open-Spaces are a nice places to hike in April. While it is still snowy in the mountains, snow down near the Front Range is generally melted. The one thing that would make it better is if the trees would have leaves…soon I suppose! ETB

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photographic note card, blue spring in missouri — BLUE SPRING

Easter Sunday at Pawnee National Grasslands

Pawnee Buttes Trail
Location: Pawnee National Grasslands
Fees: None
Website: Pawnee National Grasslands
Elevation: 5,230 feet
Distance: 4-5 miles roundtrip
Hours: Always open

For Easter, we had a three day weekend and lots of snow in the mountains…up to four feet in four days. This snowy event was very exciting to skiers and snowboarders who have suffered through a rather warm March (which I loved). So, for two of three days, David took advantage of the fresh powder, while I locked myself in the house and waited for sun.

Staying home on a three day weekend is almost unheard of in this family, so on Easter with a sunny day on hand, we opted for a short road trip. Tired of the snow, I picked Pawnee National Grassland in Northeast, Colorado. It is about a 2 hour drive from Denver. Within about one hour, we were out of civilization. The Google Maps route took by ranches, dairy farms, and several oil and gas wells. We passed one small town, Briggsdale with a post office and gas station (the only one to be found in the next 60 miles), but otherwise we were surrounded by fields. The last 30 minutes of our drive were on dirt roads which we shared with several speeding gas tankers.

Given the flatlands, we thought we would have seen the two buttes that rise 300 feet above the ground, but they didn’t come into view until we reached the parking lot. We were the only car in the lot with the nice covered picnic tables and bathroom facilities nearby, when within minutes two other cars arrived. Given how far we drove, we found it funny that the only other people at the Pawnee Buttes Trail the entire time we were there arrived at the same time we did!

We actually drove for longer than we hiked, so I can’t say this hike would be for everyone, but it was a bit unique and rather peaceful. From the trailhead, the buttes don’t look that far away and they looked relatively close together. The hike, however, was two miles to the westerly butte and another half mile to the butte to the east.

We followed the trail along the highlands and then down into some badlands around Lips Bluff where raptors nest. From March-June visitors are not allowed to hike into this bluff as to protect the birds. I had hope to see some of the hawks, eagles and falcons for which the grasslands are known, but I suppose they were all protecting their young. We did spot one pronghorn and a few prairie dogs along our drive. It’s always a treat to see wildlife. The grasslands are also known for its fossils, but we didn’t find any (not that we were looking too hard). We were more entertained by Molli who is a very well-minded dog we have been caring for over Spring Break.

After two miles, we reached the first butte. Its base of crumbling sandstone is capped with limestone. It is what is left of the eroded, windswept plains. We followed the footpath another half mile to the second butte. This path had a little snow remaining from our big storm a few days and Molli loved it. She ran back and forth on the snow while trying to eat it at the same time!

Somewhat high on the second butte, is a small narrow path which circles it. We climbed up and enjoyed a lovely view as we strolled around the butte before heading back to the car. It was a nice leisurely day beneath sunny skies with a cool breeze. I don’t think we hiked enough to keep the pounds off from our Easter dinner feast at Linger with some friends that came in town from Canada, but we loved it. It was a perfect way to cap off the evening. ETB

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A Lovely Snowshoe at Lost Lake Trail

Lost Lake Trail
Location: Near Eldora
Fees: None
Website: http://www.backpacker.com/trips/colorado/denver/boulder-co-lost-lake-winter-route/
Elevation: 9,009-9,786 feet
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset daily

Today we snowshoed Lost Lake Trail. I have to say, this may have been the best snowshoe I have ever completed. For starters, the snow was perfect! At the beginning of the hike where we followed Hessie Road, there was a nice snowpack. Many times when we start a trail, there isn’t enough snow for snowshoes and spikes are hardly warranted. Today, we probably could have just donned spikes, but the snow was soft and deep enough to where snowshoes worked as well, and we didn’t have to take them off and on throughout the hike!

Sometimes, without a GPS, it has been quite hard to determine which ski tracks follow the trail. Not so today. We followed the signs on the well-marked trail and trekked along the well-used path right to Lost Lake. It was nice to reach our final destination as at times, we have had to turn around.

The path led us through a snow-covered evergreens on a low-grade climb. The five-mile roundtrip which was both easy and fun provided fantastic views of the valley below as well as the Eldora Ski Mountain.

Even better, was the blue-bird sky. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day. ETB

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photographic note card, elk in rocky mountain national park — ELK

Loved Eldorado Canyon State Park

Rattlesnake Gulch Trail
Location: Eldorado Canyon State Park
Fees: Day Use = $8, Annual = $70
Website: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/eldoradocanyon
Elevation: 6,000-7,200 feet
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset daily

Today I joined a meetup group for a hike in Eldorado Canyon State Park. I just had to get out as I don’t think I have enjoyed such glorious weather on an early March day in Colorado. The temperature was nearing 70 degrees beneath bluebird skies!

What added to the lovely weather was this spectacular park. I was pleasantly surprised by the landscape surrounding Rattlesnake Gulch Trail. We followed the 1.4 mile trail up to the ruins of Crags Hotel which burned in 1912 after operating for only four years. It’s hard to imagine this park used to be a resort, but in the early 1900’s visitors arrived by train from Denver to enjoy the hotel which even had an incline railway to transport guests in and out of the canyon.

From the hotel ruins, we turned toward the left and continued our climb along the loop that leads up to the railroad tracks. The tracks pass through two tunnels on the ridge owned by Union Pacific Railroad and continues through the Moffat Tunnel beneath the Continental Divide. Technically, we were not supposed to hike all the way to the tracks, but they were easy to reach. We were just mindful of train traffic…none to speak of while we were there.

We circled the loop and detoured off the path in a few places to admire the snow-covered continental divide before we headed back down to the parking lot. The creek that ran along the road to the parking area was also lovely. I really liked this park…so much so, that two days later, David and I took Toby for hike in another area nearby the park. ETB

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/EldoradoCanyon/Documents/EldoradoAreaBrochure.pdf

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Wigwam Trail in Lost Creek Wilderness

Wigwam Trail
Location: Lost Creek Wilderness
Fees: Free
Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recarea/?recid=13004, http://www.fomelc.org/lost-creek-trails
Elevation: 8,160-10,170 feet
Distance: 22.6 miles roundtrip
Hours: Best for Spring, Summer, Fall

We were caring for a young German Short-hair Pointer this weekend, so to help him expend some of his energy, we decided to go to a trail that seemed a little less traveled than others in the area. Originally used to drive cattle from Webster Park to Lost Park, the Wigwam Trail heads northwest along Wigwam Creek.

The trail isn’t terribly accessible in the winter months without a high-clearance vehicle. We followed the dirt road sporadically covered in snow in my 4-wheel drive sedan, but it was a little dicey, and we were thankful that it hadn’t snowed for a while. My bumper didn’t fare too well.

Our hike on the trail turned out to be shorter than we had hoped. The granite path crossed the frozen creek a few times before we reached deep snow which was just too hard to maneuver with Dante in hand. He needed some additional leash training and off-leash, he would have long gone!

We made the most of our venture, however, and headed to the Buck Snort Saloon for an interesting atmosphere and quick lunch.

I think we will come back to this trail in the summer as it connect to three other trails (Rolling Creek, Brookside-McCurdy, and Goose Creek) and climbs to granite domes. ETB

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photographic note card, snowy waterfall in oregon — SNOWY FALLS