NCAR/Mesa Trail to Kohler Mesa

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation: 5,120ft - 6,250ft
Elevation Gain: 1,237 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Off leash in designated area with Boulder green tag
Bathroom at trailhead:  Inside NCAR
Tags: #OSMP, #boulder, #hiking, #coloradooutdoors

A hike from NCAR to the Mesa Trail and beyond takes you along the scenic Flatirons.

Nestled next to the Flatirons in Boulder, CO is warren of trails that can be combined in all sort of ways. This post describes a out and back that starts at NCAR, the big pink castle on the hill, and travels the Mesa Trail south down to Kohler Mesa. Most of the trails along this route are owned by Boulder but part of them belong NOAA. For those who want to bring their dogs, leash restrictions vary and you'll be putting your dog on and off leash.

Map of the route. The red circle is the water tank. The red square is the picnic table at the end of the route.

The first 0.2 miles of trail is an interpretive trail behind NCAR. 

The towering 3rd Flatiron from the trail behind NCAR. 

Any outing in Boulder that starts from NCAR has one major advantage. You'll never run out of parking! As Boulder continues to grow, parking at various trailheads continues to be a problem. Most fill up by 8am and have a parking fee for non-residents to boot! NCAR has hundreds of parking spots, and while the ones closest to the trailhead will be full, you can always find a spot.

Heading down the south side of the mesa NCAR sits on

Turn right at this junction and it will connect to the Mesa Trail going north

The route begins on the north side of NCAR and follows an interpretive trail for 0.2 miles before heading down the south side of the hill. The trail then travels down and around and then up the steep slope of a hogback to a large green water tank. The Mesa Trail is located on the backside of the hogback, down another series of trails with million dollar views of the Flatirons.

On the Mesa Trail heading south

Snow and Ice can collect in this gully in winter

On the west side of NCAR, the Mesa Trail weaves up and down to the junction of the Kohler Mesa Trail at 1.4 miles. It is a short 1 mile across Kohler Mesa to the NOAA trailers and a picnic table on the right. From this vantage you are gazing across the plains. The NOAA complex is just below with the University of Colorado nearby.

Heading up the north side of the gully

Further along the Mesa Trail

For the return, you can retrace your sets or descend off of Kohler Mesa to the Skunk Canyon Trail (see map), which parallels Kohler Mesa at the bottom of Skunk Canyon. Head west on this trail and it will eventually climb back up to the Mesa Trail.

Ponderosa Country

On the eastern end of Kohler Mesa. The gate ahead marks the boundary with NOAA property.

Trailers on NOAA's property

Washington: Around the Lake Trail

Distance: 2 mile loop
Elevation: 422 ft
Elevation Gain: 300 ft (a guess)

View of Tradition Lake in the Tiger Mountain State Forest

After attempting to climb West Tiger 3 in the Tiger Mountain State Forest I managed to convince my mother that getting out into Nature would be a great thing and that there was a handicapped accessible trail where we had been.  The fact that the rain had stopped gave her no excuse so off we went again to Exit 20 (off I-90) and the Tradition Plateau Trailhead in the Tiger Mountain State Forest.

Starting out on the Bus Trail

Large Cedar Trees dominate the lower portion of Tiger Mountain

I did not mention this before, but Tiger Mountain, along with Cougar Mountain, and Squawk Mountain are the remnants of an ancient mountain range.  They are eroded, were forested several times over the last few centuries, and now form a series of parks in the Issaquah area.

Most of the Around the Lake Trail is accessible

These ferns were large enough to hide the national debt!

The lower portion of the Tradition Plateau Trailhead contains a warren of trails, not all marked with signs.  We started out briefly on the Bus Trail and then switched to the Around the Lake Trail, which is both accessible and marked with periodic self-guided nature plaques.  My parents love such things and we stopped at each one to learn something new about the area.

Given the dampness of the area, it is not surprising that mushrooms we sprouting from every log.

Looking up into the canopy

At one point, the trail (or another unmarked trail) veered sharply to the left and started descending over rocks and roots.  Mother was game, however, and we continued this way until it looped back towards the lake again.  Eventually, we reached the Puget Power Trail, which is really a road.  This took us back to the parking lot. 

Shelf Fungus and Slime Mold grow on a cut log

Nice sitting area

Throughout, mother asked me to photograph the numerous forms of Fungi we found and we had fun discussing the ecology of the area.  This short hike was the highlight of the trip for her.   As my parents age, I have come to appreciate accessible trails that allow older folks to still get out and enjoy Nature.  The last time they came to visit me in Colorado I took them to Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park and Pella Crossing near Longmont.  Both are wonderful trails.  I don't know what the gig was with the Around the Lake Trail, but it would be great if they made it accessible all the way around. 

You can't actually get to the lake, but you can glimpse it through the trees.

Walking along the Puget Power Trail.  The parking lot is just ahead.

Washington Vacation: West Tiger #3

Distance: 5 miles round trip
Elevation: 422 ft - 2,522 ft (summit of West Tiger)
Elevation Gain: 2,100 ft
Bathrooms at the trailhead: Yes
Dogs: Leash only

A walk through the Tiger Mountain State Forest
is a unique treat for a Coloradoan

Tiger Mountain is a Washington State Forest near the town of Issaquah.  It is covered with trees and just happened to be a few miles from our vacation house.  One day after a nice run in the rain I was approaching the couch for a snooze when my significant other announced that they needed some exercise and could we please go for a hike.  It took some effort to drag my eyelids open, let alone get in the car but the promise of only easy stroll through the trees, just something to move a little, got me throwing on my hiking gear.

We decided to head for a 4-mile loop off of I-90 (exit 20), since there was a map to the area in our house.  Once you exit the freeway, the trailhead is a short distance up a dirt road on the south side of the highway.

When we arrived there were only two cars in the parking lot.  Given this area's reputation for over crowding, we were quite surprised.  Perhaps the steady down pour was deterring the hardy locals or perhaps [hee hee] they were all working.  There were signs all over saying you needed a Discovery Pass to park there.  There were no kiosks to purchase any parking so I decided to ask two gals who suddenly appeared from the woods what this Discovery thing was.  They told me it was a new thing that Washington was instigating and that you had to buy the pass at select stores in town but that no one was getting thrown in jail just yet for not having one.   They told that a week long pass was almost as much as a yearly pass. Washington is definitely targeting tourists there.

Since these gals seemed to be in the know, I also asked them what the best trail in the park was.  They said that Tiger Mountain #3 would take us to the summit but that it was over 2,000 feet elevation gain.   2,000 feet in Colorado is a borderline death march but these gals were smiling and happy so I really thought I had misheard them.   Turns out I had not.  Armed with this info, and daring the parking patrol to nab us, we set out to see what Tiger Mountain was like.

The signage in the park was decent.  Some signs were missing, however and there were a few unmarked trails.

The park is shrouded in a temperate rain forest with ferns, mosses, and huge trees dripping with moisture.  We had no idea how to dress for this climate and did not do a very good job of it.  When standing still the damp seeped into our bones and we were glad for our down coats, but the moment we started moving, the humidity created a force field around our bodies, locking in moisture.  I felt like I was swimming.  Water congealed on every part of my body and poured off my head and into my eyes.  None of this was caused by the rain.  That was completely blocked by the canopy above.  This was sheer sweat and condensation.  I would have been more comfortable hiking naked but they have draconian rules about that in Washington State, so I plodded upwards with my clothes clinging to my body.

The lower part of the trail is hardwoods and underbrush.

We reached the intersection of the "easy hike" we were supposed to do when my under-exercised hiking buddy exclaimed that the hike was too easy and we should just continue ascending on Tiger Mountain #3 to get as much exercise as possible.  Since we had brought along only one small water bottle and a Cliff Bar I was not too happy about this change in plans but I did agree that the going had been rather easy and doing more would help work off mother's pot roast.  So up we went.  I tried to be a trooper not to whine that I had already run 4 miles that morning and really did not need summit this hill we were on, but occasional mumblings of hogies, scones, and leftover lasagna did periodically passed my lips.  These subtle hints were ignored.

As we headed up the trail, we heard the sound of Paul Bunyon thudding through the forest.  Behold a minute later we came across these four trees that had all fallen across the trail.  Talk about a close call. Was this a hint that we needed to go back and get our Discovery Pass?

Tiger Mountain #3 continues up in a long series of switch backs on a very wide and rarely rocky trail.  It was dark, damp, and the view was unchanging...trees, ferns, trees, ferns.   Still for someone use to tundra and mountain views this was actually really cool.  It was so different from what I am used to that I did not notice the passing of the miles.  At 2 miles we came to a sign that indicated the view point was still 0.6 miles ahead.  Hunger overcame me at this point and a tussle ensued over who's half of the Cliff Bar was the largest.  I shoved my half in my mouth in one giant bite and growled.   Was it really worth continuing upwards when we knew the summit was shrouded in the clouds?  I pulled out the GPS and my eyes bulged.  We had climbed over 2,000 feet.  Elevation really does make a difference folks.  We barely felt it.  Despite the glob of Cliff Bar congealing in my mouth I was still plagued by visions of pot roast so I pointed back down the trail and put on a sad puppy look.  Blessedly, my buddy agreed and we cruised back down.

The upper portion of the trail is shrouded in dense Douglas Firs

Tiger Mountain is a popular trail and if you are visiting Seattle or the Issaquah Alps region, it is certainly worth checking out. 

Close up of a fern

Washington: Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls from the lower viewing
platform. A local energy company is
building a hydroelectric plant on the site,
so the trails to the bottom are closed and cranes 
marred the landscape.

The second day of our Washington vacation we went to Snoqualmie Falls. This was very close to Issaquah where we were staying and would certainly be within day tripping distance from Seattle.

The falls themselves were quite impressive but this was not a wilderness experience.  Getting a parking spot in the long, ergonomically incorrect parking lot took fortitude, the ability to curse like a sailor, and the willingness to run over aged grand parents  from three continents.

There are multiple view locations that provide slightly different angles to the falls.  They can be reached via stairs or long handicapped ramps, which was great from my aged mother who could not do stairs.  Each of these platforms was seething with humanity.  The aged grandparents I almost killed in the parking lot had brought along their entire extended families from India, Latin America, and China and they were not about to give up their spot on the railings until Uncle Beezlebub had taken every possible combination of photos of the smiling brood.   I think our mistake was visiting the falls on a weekend and a sunny one to boot.

Next to the falls is the Salish Inn, which a friend had reported had a wonderful Sunday brunch.  We could not get anywhere near the two restaurants and so bolted out of there back to our rain forest oasis as quickly as possible. Still, the falls are worth seeing, just go mid-week and avoid the hordes. 

The view from the upper platform

Washington: Issaquah Rain Forest

In October I met my parents in Washington for a week long vacation.  We stayed near Issaquah in an area so dripping with moisture and so overgrown with vegetation, that I can't call it anything other than a temperate rain forest.  The house we rented backed up to the West Tiger Mountain State Forest and was very secluded.  I was enamored over all the critters I found just in the yard.

The back of the house looked out onto this lovely river that surged after several days of rain.

The back deck and thick trees

I was the only one willing to cross the wooden bridge to the other side.

View of the river from the bridge

Mushrooms in the grass

Close up of a fern

Banana Slug.  This specimen is not the bright yellow I am used to seeing in the slugs around Santa Cruz, CA.

Garden Spider.  This one had a web right by the door, which cheered my spider fearing mother no end. 

Where there is prey there are predators.  This attractive beetle (Scaphinotus angusticollis), which we saw everywhere is called the Snail Killer.  There were certainly plenty of snails to feed on!

Mt. Democrat

Distance: 4 miles round trip
Elevation: 12,006 ft - 14,156 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,150 ft
Date Hiked: 1 September 2011
Dogs: Off leash
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes

View (looking north) from the summit of Mt. Democrat

Mt. Democrat is an easy 14er within striking range of the Denver Metro Area and is therefore rather popular.  I have long ago given up climbing 14ers on the weekends for this reason.  Even during the week, one is hardly alone.

The parking area.  The saddle and face are directly ahead.

Starting out, the lake is just ahead

The easiest part of the route is across the valley on a relatively soft trail.

The route gets rockier as you start to head up.

Looking back down on the lake

The trailhead to Mt. Democrat begins south of the Breckenridge Ski Resort in the town of Alma.   In the middle of the town, look for the road and small brown sign pointing towards Kite Lake.  It is 6 miles up a dirt road that is usually passable by a passenger car to the lake.  The forest service runs the campground, bathrooms, and parking lot.  There is a $3 fee to park there.  If such conveniences are above you, park down the road a bit where it is free.

Now we are really into the rocks.

Heading towards the saddle

Looking back down the valley

Looking up at the dots on the saddle

Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross have been are still are heavily mined.  That is one reason that Bross is still closed.  A mine shaft and sign occupy the saddle.

Democrat can be hiked by itself or part of the triad of Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross.  At the time I did the hike, Bross was still closed to the public, although that did not stop many.  Doing all three in one day is certainly doable, legal issues aside, and is primarily weather and time dependent.  In my case, my two hiking companions came up from Denver and got stuck in traffic caused by an overturned semi-truck.  We got too late a start to do more than Democrat.

There is a small "bump" before you start really ascending the face.  You can see the hordes going up and coming down.

Depending upon how you scramble over the "bump", you can look straight down into the opposite valley. That is actually Wheeler Lake in the distance. There are some great views of Mt. Democrat from that trail.

The "bump"

 Looking across to the route up Mt. Lincoln (14,286 ft).  That is actually Mt. Cameron (14, 238 ft) , a 14er that does not count.  Mt. Lincoln is out of view.

The face you see as you start to climb is not the face of Democrat. The actual summit is a small hump further up the ridge to the west. This becomes readily apparent when you reach the top of the face only to see folks heading off into the distance.

Heading up the face

Reach the top of the face, the summit is in the distance

Getting to the saddle between Lincoln and Democrat is the hardest part of the hike. That is why it is such a bummer NOT to do both in one day.

It is an easy walk to the summit from this point.

The summit

The summit view looking down the north valley

Looking down on the Climax Mine from the summit.  I have driven that highway many times and never knew I was looking up at Mt. Democrat.

Many of the folks that do Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross do so as a loop and come down Bross to Kite Lake.  Every report I have read about this indicates that sliding down Bross is not an experience most people care to repeat.