Deer Mountain

Distance: 6.6 miles round trip
Elevation: 8,973 ft - 10,044 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,361 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: No (National Park)
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Tags: #RMNP, #hiking, #coloradooutdoors

View of Long's Peak from the summit of Deer Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park

Deer Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park is a hike a 10K ft promontory between the Horseshoe Meadows and Moraine Park sides of the park. As such you get views of the Continental Divide to the south including Long's Peak as well as the rocky outcroppings to the north. This area gets a lot of sun, which makes it hot in the summer but snow free earlier than other places in the park.

Starting out

Across the lower slope

The trailhead for this hike is located at Deer Ridge Junction, approximately three miles west of the Beaver Meadows entrance where highways 34 and 36 intersect. There is parking only along the roads themselves and these spots fill up quickly in summer.

The Continental Divide

The switchbacks have intermittent sun and shade and can be rocky.

The initial section ascends gradually across gentle slopes covered in green grasses, pines, and Aspens. Yellow Golden Banner cover the landscape in summer and compete for viewing time with the mountains to the south and their snow covered crevices.  As you climb higher, the trail begins to switchback up through Ponderosa and Lodepole pines.

The Mummy Range and Horseshoe Meadows to the north

The trail levels out on the summit ridge

The summit is at the end of long ridge that dips and ascends between fire-scared trees and sandy meadows. The final pitch to the summit is a long series of rock steps that had many a tourist gasping for breath. It climbs around 145 ft in less than two tenths of a mile.

Rock stairs leading to the summit

A view of south Estes Park from the summit

The summit is itself is a large pile of rock interspersed with trees and sandy benches. There is plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the views of Long's Peak. Deer Mountain is one of the more popular hikes in the park, so finding a parking place along the road can be a challenge. An early start and plenty of water are a must in summer.

This Swallowtail butterfly was just one of the many colorful visitors to Deer Mountain.

Soapstone Praire

Distance: 7 mile figure-eight loop
Elevation: 6,600 - 6,930 feet
Elevation Gain: 800 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Not allowed at all
Bathroom at the Trailhead: Yes
Restrictions: Closed in the months of December, January, and February
Tags: #hiking, #coloradooutdoors, #paleoindians, #prairie, #fortcollins, #archeology

Mummy Range viewed from the green grasses of Soapstone Prairie Open Space

Soapstone Prairie is a city of Fort Collins Open Space that is nestled right along the border with Wyoming (25 miles north of the city). It is covered in rolling hills, unique rock formations, Pronghorn Antelope, and skies that are as broad as the history of North America.

Route taken

Parking Lot 

This area was set aside to protect the Lindenmeier archeological site, a 10,000 year old ice age indian campground originally excavated in the 1930s. This site is the most extensive Folsom tradition site yet found. A shaded kiosk exists overlooking the site and is only a short 0.3 mile trip from the parking lot.

Heading up the Towhee Trail

Looking down from the first ridge

So while the Mammoths, Sabertooth Tigers, and paleo-Bison have long since disappeared, the scenic beauty of this untouched prairie remains. It is not hard to imagine bands of hunters or small family units traversing the area unmolested by the jangle of cell phones. 10,000 years is but a micro-second geologically speaking and so the mountain views, grasses, and seasonal flowers are the same today as they were for our distant neighbors. The memories this place holds whisper softly in the breezes that make the grasses dance.

Snowy locoweed

A grassy field near the start of the Magnolia Loop

The route profiled here starts on the left side of the Towhee Loop, crosses the top of the loop to a short connector trail and then on to the Mahogany Loop, taken clockwise, then back across the connector to the right side of the Towhee Loop. At each trail junction is a large metal post. These posts all have a unique letter identifier on them, which are also listed on the trail map. I wish every trail was so marked!

Loop back on the ridge

Starting out on the Magnolia Loop

Parts of this route climb up grass-covered drainages while much of it stays on the high ridges with 360 degree views. There are exposed sections of soapstone, which gives the open space its name. Soapstone is a soft talc, basically baby power, that has been used for carving for hundreds of years.

Views to the south

On this trip we saw Pronghorn Antelope, Cottontail Rabbits, raptors, Prairie Dogs, as well as evidence of Badgers. In 2014, a group of highly-endangered Black-footed Ferrets was released here.

A soapstone rock formation

Erosion in action

To get to Soapstone from I-25, take exit 288 (Buckeye Road) west to County Road 15. Go north on CR 15 and turn north onto Rawhide Flats Road. Follow Rawhide Flats Rd to the entrance station. Soapstone Prairie is not accessible via I-25 exit 293 (CR 126/CR 5). Many of these later roads are gravel, rough and bumpy put totally passable by a passenger car.