Pine Valley Loop

Distance: 8 miles round trip
Elevation: 6,800 ft - 7,900 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,000 ft net, 1,300 ft cumulative
Dog: On leash while in the park, off leash outside of it

View to the west from the Strawberry Jack Trail

The Pine Valley Loop is not in anyone's guide book, but it is dog friendly, winds through interesting terrain, and is close to Denver. Like the Gashouse Gulch-Baldy Trail, its topography is dominated by the burnt out remains of a major fire, in this case the year 2000 High Meadows Fire. At times the landscape is stark and foreboding and at other times, with the help of a little snow on the ground, it is serene and filled with abstract images. Since the elevation is relatively low, it is a great shoulder season hike. We did it on Thanksgiving day and there was a little too much snow on the ground, which made for some slippery descents. Snow this early is unusual, however.

Map of the Pine Valley Ranch Open Space Park showing the Pine Lake Loop and the Park View Trail

Heading along the south side of the lake. Note that the trail on this side is full of snow while the other side of the lake is clear.

The Pine Valley Loop hike is actually a series of five trails, the Pine Lake Loop in the Pine Valley Ranch Open Space Park, the Buck Gulch Trail, the Skipper Trail, the Strawberry Jack Trail, and the Park View Trail (again in Pine Valley Ranch). You can take this route in either direction, but going counter clockwise (the Buck Gulch side) means you'll come down the view laden Park View Trail at the end.

A burnt out snag on the Buck Gulch Trail

The shadows cast by the snags on the snowy hillsides made for an engaging abstract landscape.

If taken counter clockwise, the loop starts out on the short Pine Lake Loop (0.4 miles from the parking lot), which travels next to the pleasant, can you guess it...Pine Lake. This segment is in the Pine Valley Ranch Park. At the far end of the lake in an intersection with the Buck Gulch Trail.

A brief glimpse of a health Ponderosa Forest at the intersection of the Buck Gulch Trail and the Skipper Trail

The two peaks in the distance were constantly in view.

The Buck Gulch trail departs to the left and heads immediately up hill for 3 miles and 1,000 ft of elevation gain. As it ascends, the trail winds in and out of the park until it finally departs all together. At this point the dogs are allowed to roam free. The trail is open, even in the unburned areas, with pleasant views to the east. At the end of the trail is a small kiosk and parking area. This is the intersection with the Skipper Trail, which heads to the east. It is also the highest point of the loop at 7,900 ft.

Rock formations on the Strawberry Jack Trail

My friends Kate and Elaine at our lunch spot

The Skipper Trail starts out in a unburned portion of the forest, and it large Ponderosa Pines provide a hint of what the area used to be like. Only 1.2 miles long, the trail descends 250 ft but regains 100 ft of that before it dead ends into a 3-way intersection with the Homestead Trail that heads southeast and the Strawberry Jack trail which heads north.

The intersection of the Strawberry Jack Trail and the Park View Trail

Just before heading down the steep side of the Park View Trail

The Strawberry Jack trail travels 2.2 miles before the intersection with the Park View Trail. It winds primarily downwards through large rock formations. We stopped to eat lunch on one pile with views in all directions. In the dead of summer this spot would be a broiler, but on a mild November day it was delightful.

This shot shows the nice view one gets on the Park View Trail but only hints at the iciness we encountered.

There are two options for final pitch back to the car, the Park View Trail or a continuation of the Strawberry Jack Trail. The latter ends up back on the Buck Gulch trail so you repeat some of the route. The Park View Trail is totally unique and has amazing views of the Pine Valley Ranch Park and lake. On most days this is recommended. On the day we did it, it was so slick with ice, we finally resorted to glaceed down on our tushes.

Map of the Buffalo Creek area showing the Pine Valley Loop and the extent of the High Meadows fire

Some people find hiking through burn areas to be either unappealing or downright disturbing. I disagree. Seeing how nature springs back from a burn is an interesting lecture in ecology and the realization that this process is slow is a moral tale we can all benefit from. Colorado is particularly prone to fire and many of the more recent ones have been caused by arson. Only by walking through these areas do we remember these events. The headlines disappear far too quickly.

Lost Lake Snowshoe

Distance: 6 miles round trip (from winter trail head)
Elevation: 8,810ft-9,780ft
Elevation Gain: 940 ft

Lost Lake

Lost Lake is a popular, close to Denver, snowshoe that won't take you all day to get to or to complete. The route can be confusing, however, because all the guide books indicate that it is six miles but when you look on a map you see that it is only 2 miles round trip from the official trail head. This confusion results from the fact that they do not plow the road past the town of Eldora and the winter route is measured from the berm where the plows stop. Some brave folks drove over this berm, but we decided to park in the plowed zone.

Just past the berm, heading up the road to Hessie

The well tracked intersection of the Hessie and 4th of July roads

It is not nearly as monotonous as one would think walking up the snowy road. The views are open and there are several obvious milestones. The first of these is the road junction that splits the Hessie and 4th of July approaches. Within a mile of the lake itself is the actual summer trail head.

A small lake that the summer road would normally pass

One of several bridges. This is the most obvious one.

There is a half mile stretch before the summer trail head when the route leaves the road and travels through the woods. This is to avoid a large frozen expanse of water. In snow, I could not tell in what direction the road itself goes.

The beginning of the scenic switchback

The most scenic portion of the trail is a large switchback that passes a just visible cabin. The hillside that the road traverses has nice views of the surrounding valley. The remainder of the trail is surrounded by trees with occasional open vistas.

Crossing a snow covered stream

The lake itself is very scenic. Large boulders dot the edges, which add foreground contrast to the photographs. Large peaks dominate the northern view and can be reflected in the water at certain times of the day and warmer times of the year.

This boulder could have seated four people easily. There are also boulders closer to shore.

The downside to any snowshoeing on the eastern side of the divide is the wild down sloping wind. If you are not prepared, the wind can freeze the eyeballs in your head. I bought ski goggles to prevent this phenomenon but fortunately did not need them this day. A thermos of hot chocolate or tea is also a necessity in this area. The winds can come up suddenly too, so don't be fooled by the benign stillness, be prepared.

Looking down the lake from the direction we came

This was my first time at Lost Lake and while it is not the prettiest routes I have ever taken (those are in Summit County), it is close, which sometimes is the most important thing.

Brown grasses cling to the ice. In spring these will turn a lovely shade of green.

Gashouse Gulch-Baldy Trail Loop

Distance: 7.7 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,500 ft - 8,100 ft
Elevation Gain: 600 ft

Verdant green grasses disguise the horror of the fire that blazed through the Buffalo Creek area

In 2004, I went camping over the Memorial Day weekend in the Buffalo Campground near Buffalo Creek. A friend and I went hiking on several of the trails in the area. One day we took a long hike that was a loop through the charred remains of a forest. I have had pictures from this hike sitting in an archive not knowing what to do with them. Our route was lost in the sands of time, ground into the soles of my boots.

Then, the other night I bought a topo map of the area for a hike we were planning for Thanksgiving day and I started studying it. I realized the trail we did that weekend was the Gashouse Gulch-Baldy Trail Loop. We walked the loop counterclockwise starting at the Gashouse Gulch trail head.

A distant rock formation. Would you have known it was there?

Mostly listed in mountain biking books, this trail is also accessible to hikers, in fact we saw many while there. Its topography changes from a Martian burnt-out landscape to lush Aspens forest. Throughout are the sandstone rock formations characteristic of the Lost Creek Wilderness Area (just to the southwest).

A trail segment

By far the most interesting aspect of this hike is the burn zone. Huge piles of rocks that would have been hidden by trees were suddenly visible through the burned out stumps. I felt like a voyeur, peeking into Mother Nature's lingerie drawer. Somehow I could tell that this geology was never meant to be seen so openly by human eyes. The weather that day was characteristically schizophrenic. We put on layers, we took them off, we put them on and took them off again in an endless cycle. Was this Mother Nature sighing at our intrusion and the folly of man that lade bear her secret places?

Map showing the extent of the Buffalo Creek Fire (1996) and the High Meadows Fire (2000). Click on the image for a larger view. You can also see this loop and other trails in the area.

The Buffalo Creek fire occurred in 1996 and burned 12,000 acres. It burned very hot and most of the trees were totally destroyed. While grasses returned within six years, it will take a century or more for the trees to return.

A hidden knoll. Hmmm, does Mother Nature have cellulite?

I took these photos long before I started blogging and they do not represent a complete picture of the route. In fact they only represent the first couple of miles that are within the burn zone. Still, since it may be a very long time indeed before I ever retrace my steps and this trail is not well known, I decided to post them anyway.

If you decide to camp near Buffalo Creek, give this trail a try. Just bring plenty of water. There was none in the campground despite advertising to the contrary and the camp hosts were making a killing selling jugs of the stuff. Folly of man indeed.

Monument Valley

The world fameous view of the approach to Monument Valley. Everyone stops and takes pictures from the center of the road.

The drive into Monument Valley is one of the iconic images of the American Southwest. I journeyed there a couple of years ago on the way to the Grand Canyon. Not really a valley, the area is really a broad, flat plane out of which rises red wind-carved buttes of astounding beauty.

Looking at the Mittens from the road

The "Mittens" are the most recognizable images from Monument Valley.

The entire valley is on a Navajo Indian Reservation and to see it properly, you need to get off the road, pay the 5 bucks and drive the 17-mile dirt valley drive. This drive winds through towering cliffs, yucca, and red-blown sand. Periodically, you'll come across locals selling hand-made jewelry.

Yucca in bloom

This spot had been particularly photographed. You can tell by all the foot prints in the red dust.

There is one short 3.2 mile hike in the area, but since we were in transit, we did not take it. The drive itself has 11 stops and takes a couple of hours. It is rough but was passable by my sedan. Several of my fellow travelers got up before dawn to hit the area at sunrise. Alas, no astounding pictures resulted from their sleep deprivation.

The Valley Drive enables you to see many of the same formations from different angles.

Even in the desert, flowers bloom

Staircase Rapids Loop

Distance: 2 miles round trip
Critters: Banana Slugs

Flora: More ferns than you can shake a stick at

Sunlight only dimly reaches the floor of the forest on the Staircase Rapids Loop

While on business to the Ft. Lewis area of Washington State last month, I took a day to explore the area. I wanted to set foot in Olympic National Park and so I drove to the Staircase Area, which took me about an hour. My original intent was to hike the Hoh Rainforest, but that trailhead was 3 hours away. Let me tell you that the Olympic Peninsula is big!

Lake Cushman borders the route to the Grand Staircase area

Moss and ferns, moss and ferns!

I started freaking out the moment I stepped onto the Staircase Rapids Trail. The trees were the size of skyscrapers, the ferns the size of Volkswagen Beetles, and the moss looked like it would reach out smother you if you stood still too long. The forest was so dense that 10 Sasquatches could have been hiding behind each tree and you never would know it. I kept waiting for a giant Banana Slug to leap out and cover me in a blanket of slime. Step off the trail in this forest and you would be lost for the next 10,000 years. They would never even find your bones! And this was only 1 mile into the wilderness!

Typical Trail Segments

The Staircase Rapids Trail follows the Skokomish River and winds in and out of dense trees. The bridge was out at the far end, and although I had planned on fording the stream, decided not to when I saw the speed of the current and the large rocks I would have had to walk on. I am not sure the trail would have been much different on the other side. The forest seemed uniformly green to me. Sigh, I am such a spoiled Coloradan. In Colorado, as all my blog posts will attest, the scenery is forever changing. I wonder if I would get bored hiking on the Olympic Peninsula if that is where I lived.

Bark of the Red Cedar Tree

Sunlight glinting through the moss

I did find myself being drawn to the micro-scale since the macro-scale was so monotonous. This too can be hazardous. Some fellow hikers discovered me ignominiously buttocks up, face down in a pile of moss. I told them I was fascinated by the forest within a forest. From their facial expressions, I could tell they thought I was rooting around for magic mushrooms like some truffle happy pig.

Ferns!!

I had planned to spend the entire day in this area but decided to take the plunge and drive out to the coast instead. That was a very long drive indeed. Did I mention that the Olympic Peninsula is big?

Fungi with the river in the background

If you go to the staircase area, be advised that you may feel like you will never get there, or worse that you are lost on the back roads. There are very few signs guiding you to the park, and the main route travels besides Lake Cushman and all the splitter roads leading to lake-side cabins. The road also turns to dirt before it returns to pavement just before the entrance. That was particularly disconcerting.

River views

Rare glimpse of the Skokomish River in full sunlight

In the Staircase are is a ranger station and a bathroom, but no ranger on duty per say. There are maps to the entire park on the door to the cottage but the trail I was on was dwarfed by the scale of entire park. There are more strenuous trails in the area as well. To get to Wilson Lake, one hikes two miles with nearly 4,000 ft elevation gain. That is a 14er by Colorado standards. If the entire trip wasn't in the trees, I might have chosen that trail as an option.