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.

Eaglesmere Lakes (Almost)

Distance: 7.2 miles round trip
Elevation: 8,727 ft - 10,400 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,673 ft
Dogs: Off Leash before the Wilderness Boundary at 2.34 miles

Eagles Nest Mountain (13,432 ft) viewed from the Eaglesmere Lakes Trail

The trail to Eaglesmere Lakes in Summit County is lovely trail filled with vistas, rock formations, and Aspens. It is near the popular Cataract Lake and so is probably a mob scene in the summer, but on Memorial Day weekend, we were the only people on the trail.

The hiker travels through Aspens all the way to the ridge. Here, the leaves rustled in a slight breeze and birds sang their homage to spring. The warm sun and solitude were cathartic after our abysmal winter.

The trail became very narrow after the Wilderness Boundary

The route to the trailhead is tricky, once you depart Highway 9 out of Silverthorne and onto Forest Road 1275. The road around Green Mountain Reservoir is a dirt road cut into a hill side. While not particularly treacherous, but it is one-lane in places and twisty. Your passenger car can make it, but you should go slow and keep an eye out for others.

Cataract Lake, viewed from the trail

Ute Peak (12,303 ft) and the Willams Fork Range dominate the view to the west

(On the left: The intersection with the Gore Range Trail). Eaglesmere does have its own trailhead. This is not as obvious on the National Geo map, which make it look like you start out at Cataract Lake. This is not true. Follow the signs to Eaglesmere Trailhead and you'll be fine.

The trail starts off in an expansive Aspen grove, which stays with the trail all the way to the top of the ridge. As the trail climbs, views of Cataract Lake come into view. A constant companion is Eagles Nest Mountain (13,432 ft), which dominates the view to the south. Near the top of the ridge, Sage Brush take over and the rocky outcrops through which Cataract Falls travel are clearly visible.

The intersection with the Gore Range Trail). At 1.64 miles the flora changes from Aspens to Conifers. At 2.34 miles, the trail crosses into the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Shortly thereafter one can glimpse Tipperary Lake across the gorge. At 3.34 miles was the intersection with the Gore Range Trail.

The snow was not everywhere but seemed perversely attracted to where we needed to go. We post holed at every step, usually up to our knees and occasionally up to our waists. I finally had to put on pants legs to keep my skin from being sliced by the ice crystals.

Even though the trail was hot, we ran into snow around 3 miles in, and by the intersection of the Gore Range Trail, we were seriously post holing. After struggling onwards for only another tenth of a mile and 100 ft of elevation gain, we decided to turn around. I could see the lakes on the GPS map, but it was taking us a half hour for every 10th of a mile. At times we were sinking up to our waists. I really hate not reaching a destination, but it was already late in the day and the going would be just as slow coming down. I liked this trail enough that I know I will return and get a photo of the lakes. I'll update this post at that time. I am thinking fall might just be the time of year to do this trail. The Aspens really are lovely.

Western Red Columbine

The Western Red Columbine (Aquilegia elegantula) has a very narrow range that covers parts of Colorado and Utah. I have lived here 10 years and this is the second time I have seen it. Both sightings were in the mountains west of the the Eisenhower tunnel.

The Red Columbine grows in coniferous forests and needs seeping water. This specimen was growing out of a tree trunk. I am not sure how it was getting its water.

Lion Gulch

Distance: 6.67 miles round trip to to the Homestead Act sign, 6.88 miles roundtrip to the first homestead sign, 7.12 miles roundtrip to the Walker Homestead, 8 miles round trip to the Griffith homestead
Elevation: 7,370 ft - 8,447 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,077 ft (net), 1,387 ft (cumulative)
Dogs: Off Leash (this is Forest Service land)

The Griffith Homestead (2003)

The Lion Gulch Trail (off of Hwy 36 going to Estes Park) is one of the few Forest Service trails within easy driving distance of Boulder. It is not my favorite trail because the views are few and the water crossings many but on the right day it can be serene and welcoming.

The trailhead

One of the nicer trail segments

This trip, was not the right day! Due to recent snowfall, the Little Thompson River was overflowing its banks and we had to navigate around 6 tricky water crossings. Two of those were across dead fall that previous hikers had lain in a pile in the torrent. That sort of crossing fills me with anxiety. I have no desire to get my camera wet or twist and ankle and be out for the season. We managed to get across though with the help of another large branch that we used like a giant's walking stick.

The creek in a kinder, gentler time of year

Much of Lion Gulch is in the trees

We ended up on this trail because it was lower in elevation than others and our recent May snow storm had left a pile of the white stuff in all the places we wished to go. Alas, one mile into the journey we ran into snow and it stayed with us the whole way. I would have really thought that the snow in the wide-open expanses of Homestead Meadows would have melted in the direct sun, but it had not. It felt like January, not May. Not the best time to visit Lion Gulch. At least we got some exercise.

The entrance to the meadow (2003)

Looking to the side of the trail (2003)

This trail can be quite appealing in the summer, however, when the grasses are green and the sky is blue. Since this trip was rather dreary, I have decided to use photos from an earlier trip done in the summer of 2003 (my last trip to the area) to illustrate the route and so hopefully not turn you off with all my negative comments.

The first homestead is at the top of the rise (2003). In 2010 the trail was filled with flowing run off.

The first homestead is in the trees to the right and the Griffen Homestead is through the trees at the back of the photo (2003).

The trail itself leads to Homestead Meadows, a wide open area filled with old cabins from the 1930s. My favorite cabin, the Griffen Cabin, has fallen down in the 5 years since I have hiked this trail. That was sad to see indeed. It was quite picturesque sitting next to a large Ponderosa Pine.

Getting closer to the Griffen Homestead (2003)

The remains of the first homestead

The other things to note about this trail are:

• There is a very large parking lot and bathroom at the trailhead.
• The trail descends sharply down to the river and then winds back upwards until it rises above the road.
• There are quite a few water crossings.
• The trail is rocky in places and there is one very steep and rocky ascent.
• The mileage listed in most trail guides is just to the entrance of the meadow. Visiting the homesteads is an additional distance.

If you like hiking in the trees along a vocal river, then Lion Gulch may just be the trail for you. Homestead meadows is a pleasant area and I can see why the homesteaders themselves chose to live there despite the hardships.

The backside of the Griffen cabin (see the teaser photo for the front) in 2010. Most of it has collapsed.

May 2010 was not the best time to visit Lion Gulch

Once you get into the meadow, you can hike for miles if you like. I recently had two friends do this. They promptly got lost and wandered around for 9 hours. There is a lesson for you, always carry a map!