Colorado / Near Denver — 1 comment
29
Jun 09

Black Hawk Peak

Went up to the Black Hawk Peak area today. Summited the peak, hiked all around the old town area near Wideawake, and up to the Old Kentucky Mine. Conditions were perfect; great weather, dry trail, no ATV’s.

In my 5+ years of hiking the beautiful and historic Gilpin high country in Arapahoe National Forest around Fairburn mtn., Black Hawk Peak, and the old town of Wideawake, I have NEVER encountered another hiker, and only once encountered an ATV rider. I think it’s interesting how hikers often gravitate to the most crowded areas possible, such as Rocky Mountain National Park, but don’t go anywhere near the equally scenic National Forest areas. Fine with me, I love the peace and solitude, but you’re missing out.

There is a summit register on top of Black Hawk Peak, I don’t know why I didn’t see it the last time I was there. Be sure to sign it if you go.

For those of you who enjoy hiking to old ghost towns and the like, this hike is so much better than the Eugenia or Lulu City hikes. Be sure to check it out.

You can download tracks for this hike at: http://www.selecthikes.com/harder-hikes/84-historic-black-hawk-peak-area

Near Denver — No comments
22
Jun 09

Johnson Park on the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt

Today my wife and I were running some errands down in town (Arvada to be specific) and afterward we felt like taking a gentle walk. We knew we were close to the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt along Clear Creek so we drove along Wadsworth south of I-70 and we noticed a somewhat hidden park entrance. The park was called Johnson Park and sure enough the greenbelt trail ran right through the park.

We hiked about 1.5 miles west along the greenbelt, passing another park along the way with skating terrain. Then it began storming badly and we were quite soaked by the time we made it back to the car. There are a couple of shelters along the path so we stopped into those to rest as we were running back to the car.

This section of the greenbelt trail isn’t terribly interesting but it was a fun walk nonetheless. Of course at this time of year Clear Creek is a raging rapid so that was kinda neat.

Colorado — No comments
12
Jun 09

Mesa Verde

The wife and I just came back from Mesa Verde National Park, down in the 4 corners area. We really enjoy seeing remnants of the lives of our ancestors, and I guess for people like us, Mesa Verde is one of the top spots to visit.

It was great to get out of the extreme rain we had been getting at home lately. The weather at Mesa Verde was cool and  mostly dry. I think we couldn’t have picked a better time to visit.

Morefield Campground, the campground inside Mesa Verde, is huge and nice enough for all but the most decadent travelers.

The trails we hiked:
Far View Sites
Cedar Tree Tower (very windy at the time)
Petroglyph Point (don’t miss this one)
Step House (beautiful hike)
Spruce Tree House (make sure you visit this site)
Pithouse and Villages Trail

The tours we took:
Balcony House (tall ladders on this tour, the most interesting)
Cliff Palace (the easiest and most general tour)
Long House (an excellent tour, not crowded)

Near Denver — No comments
02
Jun 09

Centennial Cone Mayhem Gulch / Juniper Loop

Today I hiked a great loop in Centennial Cone of just over 4.5 miles. There is a trailhead with parking off of route 6 a couple miles west of tunnel 3.

The hike looked like it would be very steep from the trailhead, but it is actually very gentle thanks to excellent trail design.

To hike the loop, just proceed up Mayhem Gulch Trail until it intersects with Juniper Trail. Stay to the RIGHT here, continuing on Mayhem Gulch Trail. Eventually the trail will intersect with Travois Trail (the mountain biking loop). Turn left at the intersection and after a couple hundred feet you will see the intersection with Juniper Trail. Take Juniper Trail back to Mayhem Gulch Trail, and continue down Mayhem Gulch trail back to your car.

While we were hiking this trail, we noticed a rocky cliff area with a striking waterfall, I’m sure you will see it and hear it as well if the water is flowing. From the far end of the parking lot we discovered a faint trail to the base of the waterfall. It’s worth checking out if you feel up to it.

I have added a full description and GPS tracks to the SelectHikes.com web site. Click here for the trip report: Mayhem Gulch Trail

Utah — No comments
05
Apr 09

Southern Utah

Felt like it was time to get out of the snow for a while so we put the truck camper on the pickup and headed for southern Utah.

Our first stop was Capital Reef. We camped in Fruita campground within the park. We hiked through the tall, narrow canyon of Grand Wash from the scenic drive road out to the main highway and back.

We also hiked a good portion of Capital Gorge, including a side trail to the “tanks”. The pioneer register was neat.

Next stop was Bryce Canyon. I have to say the Queen’s Garden / Navajo Loop Trail was probably the most scenic trail I have EVER been on, period. Truly an amazing place. We stayed at the campground just outside the park. The big campground wasn’t open this early in the year, but there are some sites behind the lodge. We stayed there because they had showers and electric hookups and we needed to recharge. Not a nice campground, just a place to park basically, but like I said we needed to freshen up.

Our next stop took us to Zion. We were blown away by the sheer height of the cliffs. Our favorite hike was the Hidden Canyon hike. On the hike back from Hidden Canyon we went up the trail the other way and found Echo slot canyon along the stream. We climbed into the streambed and walked to the top entrance to the slot canyon and looked in. We didn’t have repel or jumar equipment with us so we couldn’t go in, but we’ll remember it next time for sure. There are good anchors at the top. You can pretty much forget about using GPS on the Hidden Canyon hike, the signal just bounces everywhere.

We also did the Emerald Pools trails across the road from the lodge. The trail was excellent but it was overcrowded with heart-attacks waiting to happen, who wandered over from the lodge.

After Zion, we headed back toward home via I-15 and I-70. That was when the nightmare snowstorm hit us. The drive back took forever. We stopped in the Moab area and camped at Sand Flats. It’s probably our favorite place to basecamp in the world and since we were in the area and tired of driving through a snowstorm, we decided to spend the night.

And of course, the next day as soon as we got east of the divide, we got stuck for hours in Denverite ski traffic, who managed to form a huge pileup in the tunnel just east of Idaho Springs, backing up traffic for miles. Couldn’t stand it anymore and ended up taking Oh My God Road home, not fun in winter. Welcome home I guess.

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