Mt. Sanitas

Distance: 3.4 mile loop
Elevation: 5,520 ft - 6,843 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,323 ft (net) 1,444 ft (cumulative)
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: Off leash with Boulder green tag
Date Hiked: 13 April 2013
Tags: #Boulder, #osmp, #peak, #hiking, #coloradooutdoors

View of Boulder from the Mt. Sanitas Trail

Hiking up Mt. Sanitas in Boulder is like hiking a mini 14er.  It is rocky, straight up, and is blessed with false summit after false summit.  It is also crowded with locals who swarm up the trail in their own personal quests for maximum cardio vascular fitness. Feeling similarly, Mt. Sanitas along with Royal Arch and Gregory Canyon are my favorite spring training hikes. They will get the quads in shape for summer hiking and burn sufficient calories to make eating chicken wings less of a guilt trip.

The parking area

The beginning of the Mt. Sanitas Trail.  Mt. Sanitas is a large hogback ridge (the harder remnants of an eroded uplift of sedimentary rock).

The initial part of the trail is a long series of log steps.

While crowded, Mt. Sanitas is not for everyone.  There are wooden steps, rock clefts, loose gravel, and moves that requires some grunt-producing lunges upwards.  If you are used to a well-defined trail or have knee issues, skip this one. If on the other hand you want a taste of real hiking close to home, give it a whirl.  The views along the way of Boulder to the east and the Indian Peaks to the west will make it fun indeed. Unless you are one of the "ubers" running the trail, having both hands free is recommended for the occasionally required rock scrambling . On this trip I carried my large camera and was at a distinct disadvantage. 

A smoother, dirt section of the route

Looking down on the Sanitas Valley Trail and Dakota Ridge (another hogback) Trail

A more typical rocky section

The trailhead for Mt. Sanitas is located on Mapleton Road in Boulder. Within the last few years, Boulder built a new parking lot across the street with a bathroom. This lot still fills up early on weekends and cars will be seen parking down the street for at least a mile. Check out the parking lot first, however, you never know when a spot will open up.

You won't be alone on this trail

View of Indian Peaks

The summit

Heading down the East Ridge Trail

The route starts paralleling Mapleton for 80 yards or so and then crosses over at a small pavilion.  The trail is directly behind this. There won't be any issues of finding the route.  Just follow the steps and the people in front of you.

Having two hands is handy for both the ascent and descent of Mt. Sanitas.

More uplifted rocks

The habitations of the wealthy set cling like barnacles to the northern extent of the Sanitias Valley.

After a lung busting 1.4 miles and 1,323 feet of elevation gain, you reach the rocky summit.  At this point, there are two choices.  Descend back down the Mount Sanitas Trail, or scurry down the East Ridge Trail to the upper reaches of the Sanitas Valley, a wide open space between Mt. Sanitas and the Dakota Ridge. There is a wide fire road (Sanitas Valley Trail) that traverses Sanitas Valley and more narrow trail that travels along the edge of Dakota Ridge. Both will take you to the bottom.  I always prefer to do this hike as a loop, and do descend via the fire road.

Approaching the bottom of the East Ridge Trail

The wide Sanitas Valley Trail.  We had to put Ginger on a leash here due to recent Coyote activity.

Map of the loop

Roxborough State Park: Fountain Valley Loop

Distance: 2.3 mile loop
Elevation: 6,280 ft - 6,100 ft
Elevation Gain: 180 ft
Dogs: Not permitted, even on leash
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Date Hiked: 9 April 2011

Looking at the dramatic red rocks of Roxborough State Park as a thunderstorm builds in the distance

An afternoon stroll on the Fountain Valley Loop in Roxborough State Park south of Denver is a road trip into the depths of geologic time as well as a wonder to the senses. There is nothing that makes Colorado more like Colorado than red rocks and blue skies.

Looking south through the Fountain Formation from the Fountain Valley Overlook on the west side of the loop. Barren Gamble Oaks shroud the valley while a prominent hump of the Dakota Formation can be seen in the hazy distance.

A topographical map of the area. The Fountain Formation is to the left followed by the Lyons Formation and the Dakota Formation. The Fountain Valley Loop is depicted on the map as well.

The Fountain Valley Loop begins and ends at the visitors center and contains two overlooks with expansive views of the Fountain Formation. The trail is not flat, but is well manicured and easy on the feet.

Looking at the Fountain Formation across a wide meadow

On this trip, the trees were still barren and gray, which made the oxidized rocks stand out even more sharply. If you are like me, however, and get over stimulated by cool rock formations, it won't matter what time of year you go, because the main attraction at Roxborough is rock and lots of it.

Looking up at the Lyons Overlook and Lyons Formation from the Fountain Trail

The Fountain Formation is just one of three formations in the park but the undisputed star of the show. Like giant fins of prehistoric sharks, the blades of red sandstone dominate the scenery. Formed from the eroded sands of the ancestral Rocky Mountains, these rocks have been uplifted to pleasing 60° angle and eroded by wind and rain into soft curvaceous shapes. Isn't geology grand?

Looking back down the loop at the Persee House, a man who thought to turn the area into a resort. The house is open for tours on select days of the week. Call the park for info. The hogback of the Lyons formations is quite obvious directly behind the house.

Not unique to the park, protrusions of this formation can been seen periodically from Boulder to Colorado Springs. It never fails to impress. Check out Mathew Winters Park near the Red Rocks Amphitheater for a pleasant hike through similar protrusions.

Heading up the east side of the loop

The aptly named Lyons Overlook, on the right side of the loop, stands atop the Lyons Formation, which is formed from Permian age wind blown deposits. Its white sandstone contrasts sharply against the red sandstone.

The narrow trail through Gamble Oaks that leads to the Lyons Overlook

To the east of the Lyons Formation is the Dakota Hogback of Cretaceous "my what a lovely snack you would be" fame. The road into the park traverses the east side of this formation and then cuts through it to the parking area. Dinosaur Ridge near Morrison is good place to walk along this formation.

Looking south from the Lyons Overlook. A small Ponderosa Pine clings to the cliff.

If you are one of those people bored with rocks (as if), don't forget to look for one of the 145 species of birds in the park as well as Mule Deer.

Looking north from the Lyons Overlook

Roxborough State Park is a Colorado classic. The fact that even people with disabilities can get access to the amazing geology contained within is an added plus. Locals...you have no excuse. Bring a friend the next time they are in town.

A slab of white Lyons Formation with the monoliths of the Fountain Formation in the distance. I actually took this picture up side down. I was sitting on a bench and bending over to stretch my back when this interesting alignment came into view.