Posts Tagged: denver hiking

Colorado / Near Denver — No Comments
19
Sep 09

Hell’s Hole Trail, West Chicago Creek, Mt. Evans Wilderness

Today we hiked the Hell’s Hole Trail to the large cirque about 4 miles up the trail. This is the perfect time of year for this trail, the fall colors are near their peak in this area.

This trail is easy to find, just go from Idaho Springs toward Mt. Evans and turn right when you see the sign for West Chicago Creek campground. follow the road as it becomes rougher and rougher until it ends at the trailhead, just after the campground.

The road needs some serious maintenance but most 2wd vehicles can still make it.

Colorado / Near Denver — No Comments
16
Aug 09

Lost Lake

Went up to Lost Lake today, off of 4th of July road. A perfect day for hiking. Walked all around the lake and up some of the Talus slopes to see the old mine areas. Then stopped at the infamous falls on the way back down.

2 wheel drive parking was as crowded as ever at 4th of July road, but there’s always room for more 4×4’s at the parking areas farther back.

For some reason I don’t have this hike in the SelectHikes summer section, I’ll have to fix that. But for now you can look at the Lost Lake trip under Winter Trips and download the tracks from there.

If you want an easy 4-miler, this one can’t be beat.

Colorado — 1 Comment
11
Aug 09

Conundrum Hot Springs, Aspen, Colorado

Recently returned from a trip to Conundrum Hot Springs. One of the best backpacking trips I have ever been on. I will be posting a full report on the main SelectHikes.com web site probably today or tomorrow. This place is truly amazing, but you have to work for it. Of course that’s part of the appeal, soaking in a natural hot spring pool at the end of a long day of hiking, knowing that most people couldn’t even complete the hike to this place.

I have added a full trip report and GPS track download to SelectHikes.com: Click for trip report

Colorado / Near Denver — No Comments
31
Jul 09

Seeking Solitude: Officer’s Gulch to Uneva Pass, and North Tenmile Trail

Looking for some solitude on this rainy Friday we stopped at Officer’s Gulch to have a look at what was there. Found a trail that went up and up and joined with Uneva Pass. Steep trail, but very little known. Not a single person after we got past the fishermen at Officer’s Gulch Pond.

After that we went east one exit to the North Tenmile Trailhead. Took Tenmile Trail until it intersected with the Gore Range Trail, then returned the way we came.

All in all we got in some good mileage for a rainy day, probably around 10 or 11 miles total, I didn’t really pay attention.

Colorado / Near Denver — No Comments
10
Jul 09

Backpacking to Sourdough Springs Camp

Just got back from backpacking to Sourdough Springs camp in White Ranch Open Space Park, near Golden. A perfect night for camping, and we were the only ones in the campground.

Sourdough Camp is really unusual in that it’s by far the most well developed backcountry campground I have ever seen. You backpack your way in (only 1.6 miles, but still), and there you have nice restrooms, pump well water, picnic tables, firepits, and even a free firewood collection!

The perfect campground for an easy overnighter away from the vehicle, and our evening was most excellent. You need a free overnight pass which is available at the trailhead. Just follow the instructions on the backpacking kiosk at the trailhead. The drop slot for the permit is a little tricky to find, just look behind the stack of permits and sure enough there is a slot back there.

I have GPS tracks for this trip on the main web site at:

http://www.selecthikes.com/easy-hikes/75-white-ranch-rawhide-loop

Colorado / Near Denver — 1 Comment
6
Jul 09

Elk Park, Montana Mountain, and Little Echo Lake

Today we went to Elk Park, in Arapahoe National Forest in mid-Gilpin County. We started off doing a short loop hike, and then wandered up the road a bit and found a trail going to the summit of Montana Mountain, so we did that.

Montana Mountain was an amazing peak. It sits right at the Krummholz line, so the summit is Krummholz and tundra. The views from the top are incredible, better than Panorama Point and without the state park entrance fee.

The easiest way to get to Elk Park is to take Apex Valley Road to Mosquito Creek Road. You’ll want a high clearance vehicle. This is the same road that you can take to James Peak Lake, although you need a true 4×4 with low range for that trip. There is parking on the right at a pullout, and a gate across the trail indicating that the trail is open for hiking. That is the start of the loop. The trail to Montana Mountain is on the other side of the road and back a bit.

Some people use this area as a shooting range. Although rare, be aware of it. Some of them don’t have very much sense, either.

After Montana Mountain, we went back to our vehicle, put it in 4×4 Low , and proceeded to the James Peak Lake trailhead. We took it to the southern terminus of Ute trail, and up Ute trail a short distance to Little Echo Lake. We wanted to see James Peak Lake also, but a storm was moving in, so we left.

I’ll try to post GPS tracks soon.

Colorado / Near Denver — 1 Comment
4
Jul 09

Lake of Glass, Rocky Mountain National Park

On Thursday July 2, 2009, we hiked to the Lake of Glass in Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail starts at the Glacier Gorge trailhead. The first part of the trip goes to The Loch at Loch Vale.

After we get to The Loch, we skirt around the North side of the lake and keep heading on up. Not long after leaving The Loch behind, there is an incredible view of Timberline Falls towering overhead in the distance. The trail brings us to the base of the waterfall where we have a look around and stash our trekking poles.

This is where the fun begins. Since it is early in the season and the water levels are still very high, we end up climbing up the right-most section of the waterfall. Later in the season this section is dry, but not right now. Once we’re on top of the waterfall, the lake is just a stone’s throw away. We found a rock shelf to sit on and enjoy the views. There were some fly fishermen pulling gorgeous trout out of the lake.

From here, it’s possible to continue on to Sky Pond. However, a storm was moving in and there was a LOT of snow remaining between Lake of Glass and Sky Pond, so we decided to head back down and beat the storm. It’s a good thing we did, as it was a fierce storm with marble-sized hail.

I’ll post GPS tracks as soon as I can, although they won’t start from the trailhead. Sorry but there is a hidden trail that skirts around the tourists heading to Alberta Falls that I don’t want to publish the tracks to.

Total distance was about 8 miles. Total time was about 5 hours including quite a few stops. The most technical section of this hike is the climb up the side of Timberline Falls. It’s rated Class 2, but it can be slippery at times. However, when we hiked it,even the wet parts were quite solid. The other technical detail is the many snowfields you will encounter along the way. Make sure you know how to safely navigate snowfields.  Many of the tourists attempting this hike cross the snowfields improperly and unknowingly put themselves in grave danger.

I usually avoid the National Parks due to the fact that I’m vehemently opposed to the old “fee demo” program, and the resulting ever-increasing entrance fees. Today was just a rare exception. If you want to do this hike without the entrance fee, the National Park service has decided to offer some free weekends this summer. The next weekend is July 8-19, followed by Sept. 15-16.

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.

Near Denver — No Comments
2
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