Mesa Trail | Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks Boulder, CO | 04/04/20| 7.16 miles | 1,409' gain My friend Allie and I took one last hike together before she left to spend lockdown at her parents' house. She had come up with an idea to hike the entire length of the Mesa Trail in …
Black Powder and Seaman Reservoir Trails | Gateway Natural Area Bellvue, CO | 04/01/20| 3.23 miles | 527' gain Just four days after our first trip to Gateway Natural Area, Kyle and I returned to complete the trail we'd missed, the Black Powder Trail. From the trailhead, we crossed the Poudre River and walked …
Sullivan Gulch | Roosevelt National Forest Drake, CO | 03/29/20| 2.33 miles | 944' gain Sullivan Gulch is up the Big Thompson Canyon, one of my favorite places to hike (and close to home!). I somehow convinced Kyle to hike with me two days in a row and we found the tiny trailhead at 11:00 …
Filter Plant, Overlook, and Seaman Reservoir Trails | Gateway Natural Area Bellvue, CO | 03/28/20| 4.17 miles | 417' gain Kyle had recently been laid off (due to oil prices tanking) and he suddenly found himself with more time on his hands. I took that opportunity to force him to hike with me, and since …
Shoshone Loop | Ramsay-Shockey Open Space Loveland, CO | 03/24/20 | 2.91 miles | 351' gain After a quick hike at Carter Lake, I made the 20 minute drive to Ramsay-Shockey Open Space. Ramsay-Shockey Open Space and Pinewood Reservoir County Park are directly adjacent and it's difficult to determine where one ends and the …
Since the shutdown, I've been slowly visiting a number of parks and trails near home that I hadn't had a chance to visit yet. As with all things, some are more exciting than others, but even the more average hikes are still time well spent surrounded by nature. Sundance Trail | Carter Lake County Park …
Continue reading Carter Lake County Park | Colorado | 03/23/20 & 03/24/20
Colorado was nearing a full shutdown due to the coronavirus and we were in the preliminary stages of social distancing. The goal: find a trail without a ton of people, short enough that Kyle will agree to come with, preferably one I'd never done before, and oh yeah, 90% of trails are closed due to …
Continue reading Lory State Park Mini-Hikes | Colorado | 03/22/20
Cheyenne Rim Loop | Red Mountain Open Space Wellington, CO | 03/07/20| 11.80 miles | 1,272' gain I was looking to try a longer hike to see how my feet were holding up. An easy place to get in some big miles without a ton of elevation gain is Red Mountain Open Space. I found …
Bridal Veil Falls via Cow Creek Trail | Rocky Mountain National Park Estes Park, CO | 02/29/20| 6.57 miles | 993' gain Oftentimes I enjoy hiking with people and dogs, but sometimes hiking by myself is just what I need to reset. It'd been a while since I'd hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park and …
Continue reading RMNP: Bridal Veil Falls via Cow Creek Trail | Colorado | 02/29/20
Rattlesnake Gulch Trail | Eldorado Canyon State Park Eldorado Springs, CO | 02/22/20| 3.54 miles | 748' gain After our trip to sunny California and Arizona, it was a little rough coming back to Colorado winter. I met up with my friend Allie for a moderate hike to the Crags Hotel Ruins in Eldorado Canyon …
Continue reading Rattlesnake Gulch Trail | Colorado | 02/22/20
