Friday, July 3, 2015

Wilder Gulch

Distance: 6 miles round trip
Elevation: 10,662 ft - 11,279 ft
Elevation Gain: 617 ft (net) 708 ft (cum)
Date Hiked: 28 June 2009
Update Hike: 2 July 2015
Bathroom at the Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: Off leash

Verdant Wilder Gulch near Vail Pass
The Wilder Gulch Trail off of Vail Pass is a private oasis of green grasses, giant spruce trees, stunning wildflowers, and hair-frizzing humidity. All that green comes with a price, so get a haircut before you go! You won't see many people, blessed be,  and the gradual dirt path will be a great way to spend a few hours away from the hordes on nearby Shrine Mountain.

Vail Pass Rest Area. The Wilder Gulch Trail starts to the right across the road.
The start of the route. The stream crossing is in the depression just in front of the hiker. 
The trail starts just off the lower parking lot of the Vail Pass Rest Area. The lower lot is for the bathroom only and has a one hour time limit, so park in the upper lot and walk down and through the lower lot. A small forest service sign marks the start of the trail.

Segment that parallels I-70
Heading up the gulch. Ptarmigan Peak is visible in the distance. 
Twenty yards up the trail is a stream crossing that until late in the season is a boot soaker. You can bypass this spot by going a little further upstream or by avoiding the area all together and walking on the bike path (see appendix below). Most people rock hop or slog on through however. Conditions vary greatly, so walk on down and check the flow before deciding your route.

Jacob's Ladder was just one of the many wildflowers already blooming. 
It is 0.76 miles across several rolling hills before the trail turns sharply and enters the gulch itself. This initial segment parallels I-70 with all it attendant noise and distraction. Once in the gulch the trail weaves ever so slightly up and down, crossing numerous streamlets, many modified with large stones to make the passage easier.

Green, green, green!
Spruce trees get thicker towards the upper end of the route.
The vast majority of the trail is exposed to the stunning blue sky that always seems to look down upon Vail Pass. Storms may build, rumble, and rain but down in the gulch the threat of lightening is minimal.  Occasionally, the vegetation and trees encroach on the trail and provide some welcome shade. Views of Ptarmigan Hill (12,143 ft) are visible from many spots along the way. 

The trail officially ends when it intersects Forest Service Road 708. You can turn left here and travel another 0.8 miles to the top of Ptarmigan Pass, or turn around and head back down.

Some early wildflowers
Wilder Gulch is open to mountain bikers but they are few and far between. On this trip we only saw two and they were very polite. Unfortunately, we ran across three jeeps that were trying to travel down the gulch from FSR 708.  They quickly became mired in mud and downed trees. The trail is really much too narrow in places for motorized vehicles.

A shot from the return route that is mostly in the trees. 
The intersection with FSR 708. Turn left to hike to Ptarmigan Peak
Appendix A: Alternate route to bypass the stream crossing 

If the stream crossing near the beginning of the route is unpassable, another option is to travel along the paved bike bath to the base of Wilder Gulch. A small sign underneath an overpass marks the junction. The downside of this option is the extra distance (0.86 along the path and another 0.5 miles up the gulch), and the unattractiveness of the bike path itself. Cyclists on the path travel almost as fast as cars on I-70 and they don't appreciate pedestrians. The path itself winds down and along the valley and at times is perilously close to the highway itself.

Trail junction with the Vail Bike Path. The overpass is the east bound lanes (photo from 2009). 

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Reynolds Park: Oxen Draw-Eagle View-Raven's Roost Loop

Distance: 5 mile loop
Elevation: 7,265 ft - 8,179 ft
Elevation Gain: 914 ft
Bathroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs: On leash (Jefferson County Open Space)
Date Hiked: 23 August 2013

Banner Peak viewed from the Eagle View Trail in the Reynold's Park Open Space
Reynolds Park Open Space south of Conifer contains some pleasant Front Range trails that will get you moving even in the off season. On this trip I went with a group and we hiked up the Oxen Draw Trail for 0.6 miles to the Eagle View trail (2.3 miles) and then back down the Raven's Roost Trail (0.6 miles). This route traverses variable terrain with lush meadows near the parking lot, dark piney woods on the way to the view point, and sandy Ponderosa slopes on the way back down.

Trail map. Note that while the Elkhorn Trail is listed, it is far more convoluted on the ground.

Starting out on the Elkhorn Trail that traverses lush summer grasses. You can see why this might have been a good place to feed a mule train.

The one tricky aspect of this route is the Elkhorn Nature Trail, which serves as an intermediary connector trail to both the Oxen Draw Trail going up and the Raven's Roost Trail coming down. The Elkhorn Trail contains numerous social connectors and winds in a loop near the river. Be advised that finding the exact route might take a couple of tries.

Starting out on the Oxen Draw Trail. The lower reaches are shaded with lush riparian plants.

As the route climbs, the area becomes more wooded but still dark, a pleasant respite on a hot summer day.
The best aspect of this area is the middle portion of the Eagle's Roost Trail, which travels along an open ridge with views of the surround foothills. Here rocky Banner Peak (8, 504 ft) stands out in sharp relief.

Looking southeast across the foothills. That is Platte View Drive in the distance.

Hiker lounging on a log bench with a view of Banner Peak.
Reynolds Park does have an interesting history.  Before it became open space, it was once a stop for pack trains traveling between Denver and Leadville. Now locals can zip up the highway, hike, and return home in the time it took to water a mule!

The upper reaches of the Eagle View Trail continue along an open ridge.

Heading down the Raven's Roost Trail
Finally, this route is not open to mountain bikers, which lends a level of serenity that other trails in the area don't have.

The lower sections of the Raven's Roost Trail are dry slopes filled with Sagebrush and Ponderosa Pine.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge: Lake Ladora Loop

Distance: 1.8 miles loop
Elevation: 5,279 ft
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Dogs: Not allowed
Bathrooms at the Trailhead: Yes
Date Hiked: 19 October 2014

Lake Ladora in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal north of Denver, Colorado
The Lake Ladora Loop is a short trail around an irregularly shaped, but seriously serene lake in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

Map showing the Lake Ladora Loop in reference to the visitor's center
Standing on the edge of the lake. Trail starts just to the right, outside of the frame.
Leaving the larger road and heading off onto the single track
The Arsenal, as the locals call it,  is an oasis just north of Denver that used to be a WWII chemical weapons plant. Now it is a series of small lakes and trails, a fenced compound filled with rambunctious Buffalo, and a appealing visitor's center with interpretive displays and lectures. I took my parents there when golden grasses stood in stark relief to a deep blue Autumn sky. It was a great family day!

Picnic area
Rabbit Brush in bloom
The Lake Lador Loop starts up the road from the visitor's center at a small pumping station sandwiched between Lake Mary and Lake Lador. The former has very pleasant boardwalk through a forest of cattails, while the route around Lador Lake is more open. Waterfowl hugged the shorelines and cruised in and out of weeds in a cacophony of honks and screeches. We didn't see any of the resident Bald Eagles, but plenty of Ravens and other small birds.

Heading towards the marshy southern end
Crossing the marsh on the pontoon bridge
The route varies between dirt road, single track, and boardwalk depending upon where you are. Signage is limited, but a little thought enables you to take the correct turns. On the southern end of the lake the trail gets very close to the water and several picnic tables grace the shoreline for anglers and their picnic lunches.

Looking at the marsh from the pontoon bridge
On the east side of the lake
The route does step out on the paved road briefly before diving back into the marshy side of the lake. A pontoon bridge claimed by some local Raccoons, leads to the other side, which is mostly atop an embankment.

Looking northwest
On the wide path on the eastern side
There are plenty of trails in the Arsenal and I would love to return to explore them all. I am always looking for shorter, easier trails to enjoy with my parents. After our hike, we did drive through the Buffalo compound where a group of yearlings were frolicking in the dust right next to the road. Snide comments from the back seat about children, mud, and the perils of parenting were deftly ignored.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Browns Canyon: Turret-River Bench Trails

Distance: 6 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,318 ft -7,689 ft
Elevation Gain: 877 ft cumulative
Dogs: Off leash, BLM land
Bathroom at Trailhead: No
Date Hiked: 24 October 2014

The Turret Trail in the Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area is a study in diversity. 
The Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area near Buena Vista is a 22,000 acre chunk of transitional land that is part open grassland, part scraggy forest, and part granite hoodoo. This route travels through all three of these zones in a dizzying display of diversity. The Collegiate Peaks (Mt. Princeton, Harvard, and Yale) block the western horizon. They rise a dramatic 5000 ft above the surrounding valley in a wall that Nature surely put in place to keep out the teaming hordes from the western slope.

View of Mt. Princeton from the trailhead
Heading up the initial slope
On the initial saddle
The trailhead is marked with large signs indicating the study area and even has a couple of interpretive plaques. The route starts up a rocky gully between two hills until it reaches a small saddle at only 0.2 miles. Be sure to turn left here. An old road/eroded ditch heads to the right, which is slightly confusing.

Turning left and heading away the mountains
A not-so-unusal trail segment. Rock and trees. 
The trail winds up and down small hillsides. This is the view from a top one of them. 
The trail continues to climb for another 0.5 miles to a high point (300 ft gain) before beginning a series of descents and ascents over rock outcroppings, down gullies, and along and across several washes. There is no signage or cairns, and in several locations we had to rely on tracks in the loose sand to guide our way.

On another hill looking out over the Collegiate Peaks
Coming out into the wash. Turn right here and follow it around the bend. 
The one trail sign. It points up the slope and out of the wash. 
At 1.2 miles is a very large wash. The route actually travels IN this wash (to the right) and around a bend to the southwest until one of the few signs (at 1.35 miles) takes the hiker out of the wash and up onto a open grassland plateau. From this point it is wide-open skies all the way to the junction with the River Bench Trail (at 2 miles). The Turret Trail heads left, while the River Bench Trail travels around to the right of an eroded hillside filled with more hoodoos. It was at this point that we came across several Mule Deer that leapt and flew, leapt and flew, across our path in an effortless ballet that would have made Mikhail Baryshnikov's nickers twist with envy.

Artwork on the fence post leading out onto the grassland plateau
The plateau was crisscrossed with small washes. 
Heading across the plateau
The River Bench Trail dead ends (at 2.9 miles) at backcountry campsite complete with a central fire pit and luxurious logs. The Arkansas River, charming and sedate in the fall, a tad more perky in the spring, flowed just out of reach down a steep embankment. With such a view, we had to drag ourselves away to return to the car. Next time I will bring a gourmet lunch and contemplate the river through a glass of wine.

Passing around the hillside
More hoodoos along the way. Mountain Lion territory. 
Mule Deer with Mt. Yale in the background
Browns Canyon is up for National Monument consideration. We only scratched the surface of this unique area on this trip but the unusual combination of granite outcroppings, Ponderosa and Limber Pine forest, and Sagebrush grasslands was really a treat. Colorado is blessed with so many interesting ecosystems. The one found in Brown's Canyon is both fun to play in and deserving of protection. I hope the powers in Washington, who don't always understand the West and our culture, decide to preserve it. Regardless, take a trip to Beuna Vista and check it out for yourself.

The campsite
The lovely view of the Arkansas River

North Rock Creek Snowshoe

Distance: 4 miles round trip Elevation: 9,180 ft to 9,780 ft Elevation Gain: 600 ft Dogs: Off leash until the wilderness boundary North...