Hike 11: Mallory Cave & NCAR Bear Canyon Trails, Boulder, CO

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Date: Friday, March 8, 2019

Miles: 4.1 miles

Elevation Gain: 1138 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 2hr total (less time in good weather)

Type: Day hike from Denver (30min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/mallory-cave

Notes:

⚠️ MUD. I definitely picked the wrong day and time of year for this hike. Trail conditions were pretty rough — the majority of the trail either had thick wet mud that was unavoidable or three inches of slush and water. Heavy snowfall followed by a rapid increase in temperature (50 today) made for a rough afternoon hike. I parked at NCAR Trailhead and took Mesa Trail to Mallory Cave. The majority of elevation gain occurs on this trail. Mallory Cave Trail had a little bit of snow pack, by conditions got more slick from melting snow near the top. The cave is currently closed, so I just chilled on some rocks near the top. After descending from Mallory, I took the NCAR Bear Canyon Trail on the right. From there, you can make many different loops back up to the parking lot. See the screenshot below of my path. This trail was so muddy I had a meltdown– the mud was caked on my shoes making it difficult to take each step. Pictures are below.

Hike #10: Shanahan Ridge, Bluestream & Mesa Trail, Boulder, CO

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Date: Friday, March 1, 2019

Miles: 4.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 943 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1hr 40min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (30min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/shanahan-big-bluestem-and-mesa-trail-loop

Notes:

The rain held off for us, so we got in a quick Friday afternoon hike before the snow started in Boulder. This is a pretty easy trail that is a lot less crowded than most near the flatirons. If you do the hike clockwise, the first 1.5 miles is flat through tranquil prairie. From there, you slowly climb in elevation, hanging a right on both Bluestream and Mesa trails. Once on Mesa, you enter shady trees– lots of rock and mud so watch your step. Overall, this trail is pretty exposed– wouldn’t recommend this trail in summer or heat of the day.

Side Bar #2: Will Winter Ever End

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Help! It’s the end of month two and I am losing steam, due to weather. Although I am spot on with my hiking numbers (9 hikes in 9 weeks), I am finding it more and more difficult to get motivated to hike. Freezing temperatures, snow storms and rain — perfect combination to pick up a little cold and tank my activity plans.

Winter has always been a struggle for me. Short, cold days make me want to eat bags of chips on the couch while drinking beer and day dreaming about the summer. The last few weeks I have not been walking to work as usual, feeling less and less motivated to be active during the week. I definitely have my winter body right now, adding to feeling mopey and lethargic.

This week, I was planning on starting March off with Hike #10, but I am feeling so discouraged with our weather forecast — rain, up to 8 inches of snow, and below 30. Perfect combination of elements to throw me off my goals and stay home binge watching Netflix.

On the bright side, the days are slowly getting longer and longer. I am looking forward to melting snow, temperatures exceeding 35 and sunshine.

Hike 9: Lions Lair Trail to Mount Sanitas, Boulder, CO

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Date: Sunday, February 17, 2019

Miles: 4.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 853 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1hr 35min total

Type: Day hike from Denver (30min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/lions-lair-trail

Notes:

While I have hiked Mount Sanitas a few times, I have never completed it from this trailhead before. This trail has gradual elevation gain throughout, definitely making it the easier route to the summit. While the mileage is a little longer, I made it to the top 8 minutes faster than when I completed it from Mount Sanitas Trail. This route also seemed less crowded, and had a wide trail width clear of rocks. We didn’t use traction at all, although there were a few patches of ice. I will definitely hike this route again.

Hike 8: Cub and Fern Lake Loop, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

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Date: Sunday, February 10, 2019

Miles: 10.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 1926 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 5 hr total

Type: Day hike from Denver (1 hr 30min drive)

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/fern-lake-trail-and-cub-lake-trail-loop

Notes:

This winter I have been doing a lot of quick mileage hikes, so I wanted to break my routine and tack on something a little longer. I started at Cub Lake TH and completed the lollipop- loop clockwise. First 1.8 miles were completed flat and clear of snow. Cub Lake itself is 2.3 miles from the TH, and is kinda nothing spectacular. There are a lot of burned trees giving it a post-apocalyptic feeling. From there, you climb elevation for a breathtaking view of the canyon and snow capped mountains (about .5 m). The Pool is 3.5 miles into the hike, where you break left for Fern Lake. From there, the elevation climbs 2.2 miles to the lake, passing Fern Falls. Trail was easy to find but had deep snow for the last .5 miles. Got to the lake in about 3 hours and had the place to myself. After the descent back to The Pool, Fern Lake Trail is pretty flat back to the TH. If you park at Cub Lake, you have to walk back along the road to complete the loop.