Frosty Ball Thistle

Frosty Ball Thistle (Cirsium scopularum) is not the most attractive wildflower you will every come across, but it sure is common. It can grow up to 2 feet tall, but I have usually seen specimens around a one foot tall.


This plant prefers light sandy soil. I often see it along road sides where the soil has been disturbed.


Drink at altitude (never recommended) and you might just think this plant arrived from someplace farther away than Kansas!

South Willow Falls

Distance: 4.52 miles one way to the falls, 4.9 miles one way to the upper falls and overlook
Elevation: 8,824 ft - 10, 111 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,287 ft net, 1,560 ft cumulative

South Willow Falls with Buffalo Mountain in the background

South Willow Falls is a dramatic cascade that roars down a narrow gully between Buffalo Mountain and Red Peak. I have seen the trail to the falls on the map and figured it would be deep in the trees the entire way. It is not. There are wide open meadows on both the initial Mesa Cortina Trail as well as the Gore Trail. There were also numerous peak-a-boos.

Buffalo Mountain is an obvious landmark on the trail. Its dome-like shape is visible from miles around.

A more wooded section of trail

A large rock formation near the turn off to the fall

A ruin of an old cabin after the turnoff

What I did not expect was the hordes of people on this trail. There are so many trails in Summit County that I am used to being practically alone. This trail felt like 3pm on I-70 during the height of ski season. It was practically bumper to bumper. I would highly recommend doing this trail on an off day.

Images of South Willow Falls

(On the left: The trail sign indicating the turn off) There are two ways to get to South Willow Falls, one is via Mesa Cortina, which I did, and the other via the Buffalo Cabin Trail, which I am told is steeper but shorter. I plan to take that route and try and go beyond the falls to Red Mountain Pass.

The Mesa Cortina Trail is 2.9 miles long and ends at the intersection of the Gore Trail. It is a total of 3.94 miles to the intersection of the Buffalo Cabin Trail (9,654 ft), 4.52 miles to the turn off to the falls (well marked), and 4.6 miles to the falls themselves (10,035 ft).

More Images of South Willow Falls

A small fraction of the people gathered at the falls

I would highly recommend getting back on the main trail and heading another 0.3 miles to the upper falls. Nearby is a massive, channel-your-favorite-lizard, boulder with wonderful views. I was torn between hanging out in the trees by the upper falls or on the rock with the other sun worshipers... except there were no other sun worshipers. The hordes all stopped at the falls, so I and my friends had this lofty perch all to ourselves. Sweet!

The upper falls

The boulder above the falls

The view from the boulder

Dwarf Clover

Dwarf Clover (Trifolium nanum) is the smallest of the 95 species of clover that grow in the United States. This year, I found this species growing all over the route to Mt. Sniktau. It seemed to be most prolific at altitudes between 12,000 and 13,000 ft.

Like most alpine plants, Dwarf Clover survives by growing in tight mats close to the ground that help it retain moisture and heat. The blooms also stay hidden until the last minute, when they pop out all at once.


I have hiked the Mt. Sniktau trail 4 times now, and this is the first year I have seen this flower.

Mesa Cortina

Distance: 2.9 miles one way, 5.8 miles round trip
Elevation: 8,824 ft - 9,473 ft
Elevation gain: 649 ft net (790 cumulative)

One of the larger meadows that the Mesa Cortina Trail crosses

I was surprised by the Mesa Cortina Trail. I had thought it was mostly in the pines, but the trail crosses several expansive meadows with great views of the Williams Fork Range and also travels quite a bit through a large Aspen grove before hitting the trees.

The trailhead

A more lush and living part of the trail

Many of the Lodgepole pines are dead, but I found these sections to be less depressing then I would have thought. I was traversing this trail on the way South Willow Falls, which I'll blog next and doubt I would have chosen to walk this trail as a destination in and of itself, but for quick outing, it is not bad at all.

A not so living part of the trail

There were many downed trees we needed to walk over

Looking back at an intersection with an unnamed trail heading east. The sign is pointing to the Mesa Cortina to the right.

Popular with families that live in the area, we ran into several groups with young kids. They did peter out after the first mile and a half though and we were alone until the trail intersected with an unmapped trail coming from South Willow Creek.

South Willow Creek

The intersection with the Gore Range Trail at 2.91 miles. This is technically the end of the Mesa Cortina Trail.

As a final note, the trailhead is located part-way up Buffalo Mountain in a residential area. The parking lot is small and there is no bathroom. The Eagles' Nest Wilderness begins 0.82 miles into the route.

Corn Lilly, False Hellbore

The Corn Lilly or False Hellebore (Veratrum viride) is the mountain psychopath's trusted friend. Brew a cup of tea for the cretin who litters the trail or shove it lovingly down the throat of your favorite, environment-basing politician, either way the toxic juices will work wonders. The litany of symptoms include nausea and vomiting followed by decreased respiration, plummeting blood pressure, and death. This is why Corn Lilly cocktails are best served with pop corn. It is quite a show.

The Corn Lilly is found throughout Colorado in open meadows, sun-dazed streambanks, and damp forests, so one can always be sure to find some ... in case the pantry runs low.