188 miles: Picture Rock Trail, Heil Valley Ranch, Lyons, CO

On June 8, 2020June 9, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020

Miles: 10.1 miles

Elevation Gain: 955 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 3 hr 45 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/picture-rock-trail

Notes:

A little over a week ago we met up with some friends for a day hike in Lyons! I’ve been eyeing Picture Rock Trail for awhile but it always seems to be closed due to mud. We had good luck for our second attempt on this multi-use trail! I would recommend starting early to avoid both the heat and the mountain bikers. I dressed way too warm for this 7:30 AM hike and regretted it almost immediately. The shade coverage of this hike is partial at best. Picture Rock is a singular trail north of the majority of Heil Valley Ranch Open Space. This trail starts across the road from its’ trailhead and is not dog friendly.

The beginning of the trail is pretty flat, slowly gaining elevation the entire hike. We passed through lots of willows and wildflowers. At around 2 miles you get a brief stretch of shade as the trail widens. Then, at mile three you pass by the old ranch. It was cool seeing the old cars and equipment! The end of this trail meets up with Heil Valley Ranch Trails, but does not have a scenic overlook.

177.9 miles: South Standley Lake Trail, Arvada, CO

On June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Friday, May 29, 2020

Miles: 2.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 187 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 45 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/south-standley-lake-trail-loop

Notes:

Work has finally slowed down and I’ve been able to go back to my usual Friday schedule! I went for a quick hike before the rain came in nearby, at Standley Lake Park in Arvada. I have driven past this spot a few times since we have friends in the area, but I have never stopped to hike it. I was so surprised with how big it was!

I parked at the south trailhead. This park is open sunrise to sundown. This easy trail is wide for social distancing and has braided paths allowing the user to customize the route. For a summer afternoon, I probably should have picked a more shady hike, but the incoming storm luckily gave me some cloud coverage.

Not too much to say about the trail, it immediately takes you downhill to the lake. I saw a few kids with fishing poles down by the water and some teenagers doing teenage things. There are signs that you can’t drop in a kayak / canoe / SUP from this side of the park (annoying). I could have made the trail about a mile longer, but it started raining. This would be a good place near the city to walk your dog!

175.5 miles: Staunton Ranch, Bugling Elk, Marmot Passage and Scout Line Trails Loop, Staunton Ranch State Park, Conifer, CO

On June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 By Annie1 Comment

Date: Monday, May 25, 2020

Miles: 9.8 miles

Elevation Gain: 1578 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 3 hr 45 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/marmot-passage-loop-via-staunton-ranch-trail

Notes:

This is my favorite Colorado State Park to date— I can’t believe how close we are to Staunton State Park! The drive was under an hour from Denver, off 285 south past Conifer. The front range got a light dusting of snow the previous evening, keeping crowds low on Memorial Day. We started around 8AM and were pleased with how quiet the park was.

From the parking lot, we crossed the road to Staunton Ranch Trail adjacent to the camp ground and pavilion. The first mile and a half of the trail is multi-use and wide, with gradual elevation gain. At the first trail junction, we were treated with a privy, then we went straight to continue on Staunton Ranch Trail. Elevation grade is a little more steep on this section, with a wide trail. Once we met up with Bugling Elk Trail, we went straight for the shorter route to Elk Falls Pond. Bugling Elk briefly crosses out of the state park, then continues to Elk Falls Pond (slight downhill). We took a break at Elk Falls Pond to soak in the view and watch some marmots.

From the pond, we followed Marmot Passage up switchbacks, gaining quite a bit of elevation rapidly. The views from this section were incredible! Once we hit the trail junction, we chose the longer way to follow Scout Line trail, a more scenic route. This trail follows the ridge line and then descends to the access road along Staunton Ranch Trail. Once back in Staunton Ranch Trail, we took the same route back to the trailhead. I’m glad we started early— Staunton Ranch Trail did not offer much shade! Luckily the clouds were building for an afternoon storm and we got some coverage. Highly recommend this park!

165.7 miles: Redemption, Shiv and Hard Time Trail Loop, Temple Canyon Park, Canon City, Colorado

On May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Sunday, May 24, 2020

Miles: 5.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 627 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 2 hr total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/redemption-trail

Notes:

We were the only car at the trailhead when we parked late morning, and we only saw four people on the trail total. Great location to avoid crowds! The full trail map is not available via AllTrails and there was no posted map at the trailhead. We reviewed other hikers recordings to get a feel for the park prior to going. We also luckily had cell reception the whole time! Despite the map not being posted, all paths on this route were clearly marked by name.

The first mile of the trail, Redemption Trail, was a short descent into the wash, then crossed the wash. From there, the trail made a sharp ascent through the canyon, before the trail junction with Shiv Trail. We made a right to follow Shiv trail uphill through pinyon, before meeting with Hard Time Trail and going left. This section had beautiful sweeping views of the canyon and surrounding mountains! The trail snaked around the edge of the canyon and was rocky in this section. We passed a few other trail junctions and continued on Hard Time Trail until we reached the junction for Redemption Trail. Then, we followed Redemption back to the trailhead. We took the canyon route back to the wash, which runs parallel to the trail. Beautiful hike!

For the adventurous- finish the loop by hiking down the canyon wash!

160.5 miles: Carpenter Peak, Roxborough State Park, Littleton, CO

On May 27, 2020May 26, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Friday, May 22, 2020

Miles: 6.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 1106 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 2 hr 30 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/carpenter-peak-trail

Notes:

Memorial Day weekend— the unofficial start of summer! We originally had a permit to backpack in RMNP, but the park is still closed following CDC guidelines. Our back up plans turned out to be so much fun— we started the long weekend off with this hike at Roxborough State Park.

We got to the trailhead before 8AM, but it was already very hot — while the trailhead was quiet, I wish we had started earlier to avoid the heat. The first mile of the trail snaked through willows and offered shade, along with minimal elevation grade. Around 1.2 miles the trail crossed over the access road, with clear signage for Carpenter Peak Trail. From there, the trail narrowed and began switchbacks for the next mile, before leveling out. The last mile of the hike had a little bit of shade before the last stretch to the summit.

Beautiful views of the canyons below and the red rocks!