299.3 miles: Blue Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Ward, CO

On By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Sunday, July 26, 2020

Miles: 5.3 miles

Elevation Gain: 896 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 3 hr total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/blue-lake-and-little-blue-lake-via-mitchell-lake-trail

Notes:

Travis and I absolutely love Indian Peaks, but we had mainly avoided going there this summer to avoid potential crowds. We decided to test the waters and see how busy the trails were for a Sunday evening hike– success! This was probably the first time that we actually were able to park at the trail head! We met up with some friends and hiked to Blue Lake, off Mitchel Lake Trail. This is the trail that Travis and I worked on last summer with WRV!

This is a pretty easy trail with a rewarding pay off with an alpine lake– it’s also one of the few alpine places that allow dogs in the area. The trail spreads out the elevation pretty evenly. The first mile moderately climbs towards Mitchell Lake, before steeply climbing uphill through a rocky willow area. The trail then follows some wood boards over a marsh, then snakes through the alpine tundra to the cirque. We had the lake to ourselves before hiking out in the dark! If you hike in the evening, make sure that you bring a headlamp!

294 miles: Green Mountain West, Boulder, CO

On By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Saturday, July 25, 2020

Miles: 3.9 miles

Elevation Gain: 721 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 1 hr 30 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/green-mountain-west-trail

Notes:

We entered the stretch of the summer where it feels way too hot to even try to hike during the day! So, on this weekend in July, we flip flopped our usual routine and went to Boulder for the sunset hike to the summit of Green Mountain. We took the west trail, limiting the elevation we had to gain for the summit. The first mile of the trail is relatively flat, and the last half mile contains the most elevation gain. I accidentally stopped my recording, so check out the link for the full mileage / elevation profile. We had the summit to ourselves for sunset!

290.1 miles: Kenosha Pass North, Pike National Forest, Jefferson, CO

On By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Sunday, July 19, 2020

Miles: 4.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 686 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1 hr 30 min total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/kenosha-pass-north

Notes:

We have passed the trail head for Kenosha Pass so many times, but have never stopped to hike this section of the Colorado Trail! On our way home from camping one weekend this past July, we stopped for a quick hike to check out the views. Despite our early arrival to the trail head, parking was limited on a Sunday morning, most likely due to overnight campers. The first quarter mile of the trail snakes around the campground, through an aspen grove. While there is not a bathroom at the trail head, you can trek off course here and visit the campground bathroom.

The trail moderately gains elevation through the forest, before opening up to widespread views of the valley and Buffalo Peaks. Despite the busy trail head, we did not pass that many other hikers or backpackers. We went a little over two miles before hiking back to the trail head to head home. I would definitely come back here in the fall when the leaves are changing colors!

285.6 miles: Flatirons Vista Trail Loop, Broomfield, CO

On By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Thursday, July 18, 2020

Miles: 3.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 289 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 1 hr total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/flatirons-vista-trail

Notes:

I love weekday sunset hikes in the summer! I will definitely miss nights like this this upcoming fall. The Flatirons Vista Trail Head is a Boulder County park, requiring face masks and social distancing when hiking. It also requires a $5 fee at the parking lot. The loop is a mixed use trail, mostly flat with some uphill. The path is mostly not shaded, and features a small pond. The trail head signs require that hikers complete the trail counter clockwise. We mostly saw mountain bikers on the trail. Afterwards we stopped to grab a to-go beer and food truck dinner from Four Noses Brewing (nearby).

282 miles: Montville Nature Trail and Mosca Pass Trail(partial), Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve / Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Hooper, CO

On By AnnieLeave a comment

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2020

Miles: 2 miles

Elevation Gain: 545 feet

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Time: 1 hr total

Trail Head:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/mosca-pass-trail

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/montville-nature-trail

Notes:

While in southern Colorado, we decided to explore the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve beyond the dune field. We parked at the Mosca Pass Trail Head, eager to escape the heat by following the trail through the pinyons. The trail climbs elevation steadily over a narrow rocky trail, with sparse shade after the first half mile. Around the one mile into Mosca Pass Trail, we passed a sign saying that we were entering the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.

Even early in the morning, it was way too hot for us to hike uphill in the sun. We opt to turn around after about a mile on the trail. While descending, we decided to take the Montville Nature Trail loop back to the trail head, offering beautiful views of the dune field and Sangre de Cristo range. The nature trail is an easy half mile loop.