Hike #77: Coyote Song and Columbine Trail Loop, South Valley Park, Littleton, CO

On December 28, 2019January 7, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Friday, December 27, 2019

Miles: 3.7 miles

Elevation Gain: 548 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 1 hr 20 min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (30 min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/coyote-song-trail-loop

Notes:

A cold front is moving into the front range quickly, so we added on this quick hike to our errands before the snow comes. I was really impressed with this park south of Littleton— lots of red rocks formations and plenty of trails to loop together. It was in a neighborhood, and pretty busy for a random weekday. The main trails were wide for family use, with the moderate trails more narrow— all trails were multi-use.

We started with Coyote Trail through red rock formations to Lyons Back trail. Lyons Back quickly climbs elevation and has great views of the foothills. From there, we hiked a two mile loop by taking Columbine Trail to Cathy Johnson Trail, then back to Columbine Trail. Overall, this loop was super muddy, making if difficult to navigate. The connecting trail from Cathy Johnson back to Columbine is snow covered and difficult to find. We followed footprints and ended up off trail for a little bit.

If I lived in this area, I would definitely go to this park more. The scenery was really unique, without the crowds of Red Rocks or Roxborough State Park.

Back to the main trail

Hike #76: Turkey Trot Trail, Mt Falcon Park, Morrison, CO

On December 28, 2019January 7, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Thursday, December 26, 2019

Miles: 3.3 miles

Elevation Gain: 810 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1 hr 15 min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (30 min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/turkey-trot-trail

Notes:

I had my wisdom teeth taken out a few days before Christmas and have been recovering, but I felt well enough to do a quick local hike. I have always heard that Mt Falcon Park is really crowded on the weekends, so we decided to do this hike while things are still quiet after the holidays.

The park is a little bit south of Red Rocks, with views of the city and dinosaur ridge. We started the hike counterclockwise, which has a more moderate elevation grade. The hike starts out with a steep section in the first mile, followed by a gradual climb through a pine forest. There was two sections that I would recommend using traction for— on the last mile of the hike (or first mile if you do the hike clockwise). Great quick trail close to town!

Moderate elevation grade when you complete the hike counterclockwise (make a right in turkey trot)

Hike #75: Hogback Ridge Trail, Boulder, CO

On December 23, 2019January 7, 2020 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Sunday, December 22, 2019

Miles: 3 miles

Elevation Gain: 846 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 1 hr 30 min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (40 min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/hogback-ridge-trail

Notes:

This afternoon we did a quick hike north of Boulder that we always drive past on our way to Rocky Mountain. The trailhead is on the right past Lee Hill Rd, and the trail goes under highway 36 towards the foothills.

In contrast to yesterday, the trail was mostly free of snow with a few muddy patches near the trailhead and on the trail descent. We chose to do the hike clockwise, which is a steeper but shorter ascent. The final uphill section has wood / stone steps to the high point. There was not a great scenic look out at the top— scenic views of the flatirons are best seen from the trail ascent. Overall, great quiet trail near Boulder.

Hike #74: Rawhide and Waterhole Loop, White Ranch Park, Golden, CO

On December 22, 2019December 28, 2019 By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019

Miles: 4.7 miles

Elevation Gain: 791 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 1 hr 45 min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (45 min drive)

Trail Head:

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

Notes:

I took a few weeks off from hiking, due to the holidays and some weekend plans. It felt good to get back into the swing of things today with an early morning hike near town. White Ranch Park is part of Jeffco Open Spaces, outside of Golden in the foothills. We were impressed with how quiet this trailhead was, despite ample parking.

We started the hike counterclockwise. This multi-use path was snow / ice covered for the first 1.3 miles, requiring traction. After that, we had another mile stretch that was dry with a few muddy patches, before the trail went back to ice. The hike was good exercise, but not very scenic. Most of the trail is covered by trees. Elevation gain was interval through out the hike.

We did the shorter loop by making a left to Waterhole Trail

Hike #73: North Star Mountain Trail to (Unnamed) Peak, Hoosier Pass, Alma, CO

On December 8, 2019January 7, 2020 By Annie1 Comment

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2019

Miles: 3.7 miles

Elevation Gain: 761 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 2 hr total

Type: Day hike from Denver (1 hr 45 min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/north-star-mountain-trails

Notes:

This past weekend we rented a cabin near Breckenridge with some friends, close to Hoosier Pass in White River National Forest. We had great weather Saturday morning, so we drove to the Hoosier Pass Trailhead for a snowy alpine hike.

The weather was predicted to get windy and overcast, so we took the Alltrails route (found below) clockwise to the summit of an unnamed 12ER we saw on the trailhead map. The trail was easy to find, since the first part is an older 4 WD road— very wide, with slight elevation gain. There was SO much snow! Gators, boots and traction are a must. Most of the trail is on the ridge line and exposed to full sun. The later in the day, the softer the snow. I’m glad we started at 8 AM.

One small section of the trail has what looks like the aftermath of a small avalanche. To traverse across, we used an ice axe to be extra cautious. Other than that, the trail was pretty easy— once you reach the trail junction, you can go right to the summit of an unnamed 12ER, or go left to the North Star Summit. After tagging the 12ER, we went a little ways on the left side of the junction to an abandoned mine. Then, the wind started picking up and we headed back to the trailhead. I really want to come back and hike off this trailhead in the summer!