Base Camp Denver: 101 Hikes in Colorado's Front Range
Base Camp Denver: 101 Hikes in Colorado's Front Range
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Overview
Four national forests, a national grassland, scores of regional and city parks and preserves, and Rocky Mountain National Park offer hundreds of hiking and walking trails—all within one to three hours of downtown Denver. Base Camp Denver offers you 101 of the best of these great hiking destinations to choose from. Take a day to explore an alpine meadow, walk to a waterfall, hike through a forest, or stroll suburban parklands. Enjoy a spectacular day of spring wildflowers or fall foliage, and still be home by dinnertime. Scramble to the top of a mountain to enjoy a sunrise and still make it to work by eight. With Pete KJ as your guide and Denver as your base camp, the splendor of Colorado’s Front Range is yours to enjoy one day—or even just a few hours—at a time.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781945501142 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Imbrifex Books |
| Publication date: | 04/02/2019 |
| Series: | Base Camp , #2 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 64 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
| Age Range: | 15 - 18 Years |
About the Author
Pete KJ began explorations at age 3 in the wooded ravine that was his backyard in Seattle. He also began a lifelong writing habit. Backyard expanded as Pete stomped all over the Cascades and Olympics as a youth, and headed onward to the Pyrenees, Alps, Himalayas, and Andes. Peace Corps service in Africa cemented his deep desire to always be out in the world, and when he finally sat in a cubicle as a chemical engineer, it was mostly in Puerto Rico and India. Now long absent from cubicle, he has moved on to raise kids, travel the world with them, and write about it (as well as write three novels). Career first brought Pete to Colorado in the 1990s; its gravity and beauty pulled him back to keep Denver as his Base Camp.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Pawnee Buttes
This easy hike to two buttes in the eastern prairie gives you spring flowers, birdsong, windblown solitude, and views stretching off to infinity. It's a journey through time and a blast for everyone, kids included.
The drive to this trail near the Wyoming border is crazy circuitous, and things just get weirder at the trailhead, where two buttes appear out on the prairie: startling, boxlike, rising like two gigantic birthday presents. You know you're in for a different kind of treat, no matter how old you are!
Distances are difficult to judge here. The buttes look reachable within minutes, yet the sign says they are two miles away. Begin walking on Pawnee Buttes Trail toward some cliffs to their west called The Overlook. A cacophony of birdsong rises over the sounds of breeze and feet scraping trail, especially in mornings during migration seasons. You might see the long ears of a jackrabbit fleeing. A traditional windmill spins to the left; on the horizon churn dozens of modern wind turbines. Several crude oil "grasshoppers" bob on the plains.
At 0.7 miles, you'll pass through a gated fence and descend into a craterlike valley studded with spiked yucca. In spring there are wildflowers: yellow evening primrose, blue penstemon, purple vetch and phlox. A juniper grove graces the dry snaking streambed, contrasting with whitish cliffs above. It's difficult to stop taking pictures.
Soon you rise into prairie, but West Butte looks no closer than it did at the start. Is it an optical illusion? Land falls away northward as you ford another dry stream and traverse grassland. This prairie is anchored by buffalo grass and blue grama, whose roots form tough sod that holds well against the wind. It took settlers several generations and a Dust Bowl to realize this stuff should never be plowed. On closer examination, the diversity of vegetation is impressive. Over 400 native species grow here.
The trail dips to arrive beneath the domineering form of West Butte. What is this? A bit of Mars? A hunk of comet? A corroded alien spaceship? Whatever it is, it looks otherworldly, especially in slanting sunlight. And inaccessible! Ringed at the top by 30- to 50-foot cliffs, there appears to be no way to stand on top.
The buttes are very much of this world. Remnants of ancient High Plains that didn't erode into the South Platte, they are protected by caps of sandstone and conglomerate that formed 3 to 20 million years ago. Below the hard caps is softer sediment of the Brule Formation, described geologically as "white to pale-pink blocky tuffaceous claystone and lenticular arkosic conglomerate." It formed 25 to 40 million years ago, before there were words that big.
A trail slants down and up toward East Butte, beckoning you to visit it as well. On the way you'll pass a sign that reads, "Private Land Ahead, Respect Owner's Rights," but it doesn't tell you not to proceed. The Forest Service owns all of West Butte, but only part of East. In fact, most of Pawnee National Grassland is privately owned.
You will arrive at East Butte within minutes. You can enjoy it from the base or circumnavigate it on a trail of sorts. Falling rock and clay-fall are hazards, so don't linger beneath precipices. On the east side, gorgeous rippled "clay barrens" melt into prairie. On the north, notches cut into the Brule mark where some people have attempted to scale the butte. Tempting ... but even if you made it up, how would you get down? Better to enjoy this close encounter from below and respect the summit as a no-go zone.
On the way back you can skirt to the north side of West Butte and confirm there is no summit access there, either. Or you can trust me.
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 269A, then CO 14 east for another 36 miles. Turn left onto CR 77, drive 15 miles, then turn right onto CR 120. Proceed 5.8 miles, veer left onto CR 87 for 0.8 miles, then turn right on CR 122 and drive 0.7 miles into Grover. Turn right onto CR 390 (Railroad Avenue), continue 5.8 miles, and turn left onto CR 112. Proceed 6.4 miles, turn right on CR 107/CR 112, drive 300 feet, then go left to stay on CR 112. In 2 miles turn left at the sign to Pawnee Buttes. The trailhead and its large parking area are 2 miles farther on the left. 2 hours, 40 mins.
CHAPTER 2Soapstone Prairie's Towhee Loop
This hike really delivers: rolling hills, spring wildflowers, views of peaks and prairie, and a chance to see pronghorns and bison. Add a mind-boggling archeological site and perhaps a picnic, and it's a fine day near the Wyoming border.
In 2009 the City of Fort Collins gave lowland hiking a boost by opening this large tract of prairie and foothills along the Wyoming border. It's off-limits for three months in winter, however, to give wildlife a break from humans.
Begin the Towhee Loop on the east side of the parking lot to hike the loop counterclockwise, which puts sustained mountain views in front of you instead of behind you. The view, which is seen first from the parking lot, is dominated by three graceful Mummy peaks: Hagues, Stormy, and Comanche.
Birdsong and breezes accompany you through the grassland. After a quarter mile, say au revoir to the mountains and branch left into a gully covered in mountain mahogany. Spring brings a wealth of wildflowers: purples, yellows, and blues. Interspersed are prickly pear and yucca. Orange-winged grasshoppers scatter and fly and maybe hit you in the eye. Perhaps you'll see a pronghorn antelope; they've been here since the last ice age.
Curve right, then left, and ascend one gully into the next. At just over a mile, Mahogany Loop joins from the right. Then the high peak views return and stay with you as you walk the hilltop toward them.
Below you, prairie stretches off to infinity. There are few places along the Front Range with such pristine views of the plains. One of the few human incursions you'll see is the Rawhide Energy Station, clearly visible to the southeast, next to a reservoir. This power plant fired up its coal unit in the 1980s. Natural gas generators were added in the 2000s, and a solar section went online in 2016.
At 2 miles Canyon Trail branches right. The junction is an excellent place to sit and bask in the view. Besides the Mummies, you'll see the Medicine Bow Range farther north. You can turn onto Canyon if you'd like and walk along the state border all the way into Red Mountain Open Space. No shortage of miles here!
Staying on Towhee, it's a mile descent through another pleasant valley, one with pinkish cliffs of the soapstone that gives this open space its name. As you near the parking lot the trail becomes pavement and branches right to Lindenmeier Overlook. Take it and brace yourself — not for a stunning view but for a stimulated imagination.
In 1924, A. Lynn Coffin and his dad were searching for arrowheads on this portion of what was then the Lindenmeier Ranch. They found some fluted points in the side of a dry streambed that didn't match the others in their collection. It wasn't until two years later, when similar points were found near Folsom, New Mexico, that their significance began to emerge. The area below the overlook was excavated by the Smithsonian in the 1930s; it is the largest and most complex Folsom Culture site yet found. At the time it shook up prevailing archaeological thinking, which held that humans crossed into North America in about 2000 BC. This site revealed bones of giant bison that were long extinct by then, along with a manmade spearpoint imbedded in one of those bison's vertebrae — proof that humans coexisted with these creatures. Radiocarbon dating has since pegged Lindenmeier artifacts to about 9000 BC.
On the drive back to the entrance, look for modern bison grazing on the right. They were brought from Yellowstone in 2015. Six calves were born here in 2016 through a breeding program that used purged semen and in vitro methods, which ensured the offspring would be free of brucellosis and other diseases afflicting the Yellowstone herd.
From Denver. Take I-25 north about 78 miles to Exit 288, and turn left onto CR 82 (Buckeye Road). Proceed 5.8 miles and turn right onto North CR 15 (Terry Lake Road), a dirt road. Continue 1.1 miles and turn right to stay on North CR 15, now called Rawhide Flats Road. Continue 8 miles to the Soapstone Prairie entrance station and proceed to the large parking lot at North Trailhead. 1 hour, 50 mins.
CHAPTER 3Coyote Ridge
This all-ages, all-season walk outside Fort Collins takes you from prairie to ridgetop for excellent views of waves of earth rising from the plains. From the top, a forgotten valley to the west stirs the imagination.
On this hike, you get to "ride" three waves of earth as they build in height to arrive at a ridgetop with striking views of the transition zone from Great Plains to Rockies. About four miles round-trip, this walk delivers a lot for the footsteps and is a great excursion for kids who like to play king of the mountain. Just bring sunscreen and keep an eye out for snakes if you do some rock scrambling at the top.
From your vehicle, walk straight over the prairie toward the hills on Coyote Ridge Trail. After 0.5 miles, you'll curve up into the hills to gain the low first ridge. Drop into the next fold of earth and continue to a cabin used for classes and events. All are welcome to enjoy its shady deck and enjoy the quarter-mile Hidden Clues activity trail in back.
Ahead is a slot in the hogback ridge, a natural gateway guarded by two slanted rocky hills. The terrain is flowing and evocative here, like waves frozen in motion; these could be gigantic, rolling breakers good for surfing. To get an idea of how it looked millions of years ago, picture the eastern faces of these ridges rising way up into the sky to form a gigantic earthen dome, created when subterranean forces pushed ancient rock upward. Later, erosion washed away the softer stone to expose the hard-rock spines of these hogbacks.
Pass through the opening in the hills and veer left to hike beneath a line of crags. There are brambles here, but the dominant shrub is mountain mahogany, popular winter chewing for the local mule deer. In spring, look for the little yellow flowers of Bell's twinpod, a plant native only to Boulder and Larimer counties.
The wide rocky trail makes two sweeping switchbacks to gain the top of the third wave: Coyote Ridge. Miles of ridgetop cliffs stretch in two directions to create a gorgeous effect; they also provide secluded nesting sites for raptors and bats. To the east, the trailhead and the highway appear farther away than they really are. To the south, you'll see the city of Loveland with its monumental white silo, formerly used to store molasses. More than half a million gallons of the sticky stuff spilled there in 1990, covering two city blocks.
West lies a storybook valley beneath higher hills. A creek cuts through the basin amid a scattering of lonely farmhouses, a scene that looks like an American West landscape painting. Native Americans hunted deer in this valley and collected wild plums and chokecherries before settlers arrived in the late 1800s and put it under heavy cultivation. Ranchers farmed dryland grain, pastured horses, planted cherry and apple orchards, and ran turkeys here. Though the valley looks nearly abandoned now, a rail spur once ran from Fort Collins to busy sandstone quarries on the opposite ridge. The railbed is still visible if you go down into the valley.
At the ridge crest, you might sense a promontory a little higher and to the north. And you'd be right. A side path leads to a small escarpment and some unsanctioned, but popular, scrambling routes.
The ridgetop is a fine turnaround point but hardly the trail's end. You can continue south for a quarter mile and then descend into the valley, where the trail enters Rimrock Open Space. From there, paths branch both north and south to connect with Horsetooth Mountain and Devil's Backbone Open Spaces, respectively. No shortage of miles here! But for younger ones, and others, conquering Coyote Ridge is a fine and satisfying milestone for the day.
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 257, then turn left onto US 34 west (Eisenhower Boulevard). After 7 miles turn right onto Wilson Avenue/Taft Hill Road (CR 19) and drive north 5.3 miles. Coyote Ridge Trailhead and its parking lot are on the left. 1 hour, 10 mins.
CHAPTER 4Horsetooth Rock
This popular hike outside Fort Collins scales a local landmark that has an interesting creation myth and delivers 360-degree views of plains and peaks.
Climbing Horsetooth Rock is a rite of passage for many Fort Collins residents and university students. The hill's unique summit is a great place to experience a sunrise, and it's conspicuous enough to be part of the logo for the City of Fort Collins. It looks like two giant horse incisors flanked by molars. The route described here goes to the top of the northern molars — a fun scramble that doesn't require technical expertise.
Begin in grassland on Horsetooth Rock Trail, which you will follow all the way to the summit. Keep left as Horsetooth Falls Trail branches right and enjoy beautiful views of red rock hogbacks to the east. When you reach a service road, turn right and continue 0.2 miles until Horsetooth Rock Trail branches left up some stairs. You'll climb through a grassy gully next to some bulbous rock formations to reach a shoulder, where the plains come into view. Ahead the way is evident: along a rocky ridge populated by scraggly aspens.
Continue up some stairs and wind through rocks to a place where the trail briefly joins a bike path. At this junction you'll see a memorial for John Blake, a CSU doctoral student who died in a fall on Horsetooth Rock in 1987. His family installed the plaque, which serves as a reminder that, although climbing the rock is not particularly dangerous, you must be careful.
Keep right as the trails separate. The unmistakable form of Horsetooth Rock immediately appears. A short loop path branches left for additional views to some western snowy peaks including Meeker and Longs.
With such a unique appearance, it's not surprising that creation legends surround Horsetooth Rock. While horses have been in North America for only about 500 years, human beings have been around much longer, and the older legends have nothing to do with horses. One tale declares the rock to be the lacerated heart of a giant. This giant was the guardian of the animals living in the "Valley of Contentment" below, which is now filled by Horsetooth Reservoir, but those animals were coveted by hungry human plains dwellers. One night while the giant slept, and his throbbing heart rose above his body, a warrior struck with his tomahawk and made two slashes across the giant's heart, turning the giant to stone.
As you continue climbing, you'll need to mount some carved steps and scramble over some rocks. Just follow the most obvious route and use your hands where you need to. Beyond the rocks, a dirt path crosses beneath the horse's incisors. The trail steepens to reach a notch between the northern summit rocks, where you may find children playing, pretending they are dental floss. Enjoy the high mountain views from here, or scramble left to reach the top of a molar. This last pitch can be dizzying, and requires some hand- and footwork, but your exposure is limited. The reward is unimpeded 360-degree views.
As always, watch for afternoon thunderstorms. In the creation legend, thunder represents the spirit of the murdered giant, and lightning his anger. For you, they herald danger. If a storm approaches, get off the rock immediately.
If you are not knackered as you return to the trailhead, you can take a nice 2.4-mile round-trip on Horsetooth Falls Trail. The trail leads down then up to the place where a stream spills through rocks into a picturesque pool. Depending on the season and weather conditions, it can be a trickle or a torrent, but it's a nice hike either way.
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 257, then turn left onto US 34 west (Eisenhower Boulevard). Drive 10.5 miles, turn right onto North CR 27 (Buckhorn Road), then proceed 5.2 miles to Masonville. Turn right onto West CR 38E and continue 3.4 miles. The entrance to Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and its large parking lot are on the left. 1 hour, 20 mins.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Base Camp Denver"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Pete KJ.
Excerpted by permission of Flattop Productions, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Before You Hit the Trail 11
Fort Collins 29
1 Pawnee Buttes 33
2 Soapstone Prairie's Towhee Loop 36
3 Coyote Ridge 38
4 Horsetooth Rock 42
5 Arthur's Rock & Westridge 45
6 Greyrock Mountain 48
7 Mount Margaret 51
8 Emmaline Lake 54
9 Big South 57
10 Trap Park 60
11 Twin Crater Lakes 63
12 Blue Lake of Poudre Valley 66
13 Diamond Peaks 69
14 American Lakes 72
Loveland & Longmont 75
15 Bitterbrush & Nighthawk 79
16 Crosier Mountain 82
17 Signal Mountain 85
18 Gem Lake 88
19 Ypsilon Lake 91
20 Ute Trail 94
21 Black Lake 97
22 Flattop Mountain 100
23 Lily Mountain 103
24 Estes Cone 106
25 Chasm Lake 109
26 Wild Basin 112
27 Finch Lake 115
28 Meadow Mountain 118
Boulder 121
29 Walden Ponds 125
30 Eagle Trail to Mesa Reservoir 128
31 Mount Sanitas 131
32 The Flatirons 134
33 Canyon Loop 137
34 South Boulder Peak 140
35 Meyers Homestead 143
36 Rattlesnake Gulch 146
37 Wapiti Trail & Ponderosa Loop 149
38 Ceran St. Vrain & Miller Rock 152
39 Blue Lake of Indian Peaks 155
40 Pawnee Pass 158
41 Rainbow Lakes 161
42 Red Dot/Yellow Dot 164
43 South Arapaho Peak 167
44 Rogers Pass 170
Denver 173
45 Barr Lake 177
46 Lone Tree Bluffs 180
47 Black Bear Trail & Frazer Meadow 183
48 Mount Galbraith 186
49 Beaver Brook 189
50 Green Mountain 192
51 Morrison Slide 195
52 Mount Falcon 198
53 Plymouth Mountain 201
54 Carpenter Peak 204
55 Evergreen Mountain & Three Sisters 207
56 Maxwell Falls 210
57 Chief Mountain 213
Idaho Springs & Georgetown 217
58 Chicago Lakes 221
59 James Peak from Saint Mary's 224
60 Berthoud Pass West 227
61 High Lonesome 230
62 Mount Bierstadt 233
63 Square Top Lakes 236
64 Grays Peak 239
65 Woods Mountain 242
66 Herman Lake 245
67 Mount Sniktau 248
Summit County 251
68 Upper Cataract Lake 255
69 Ute Peak 258
70 Willow Lakes 261
71 Buffalo Mountain 264
72 Wheeler & Lost Lakes 267
73 Mount Victoria 270
74 McCullough Gulch 273
75 Quandary Peak 277
76 Argentine Pass 280
Conifer & Bailey 283
77 Eagle's View Loop 287
78 Colorado Trail from South Platte 290
79 Little Scraggy 293
80 Pine Valley & Strawberry Jack 296
81 Staunton's Elk Falls 299
82 Pegmatite Points 302
83 Abyss 305
84 Gibson Lake 308
85 West Jefferson 311
86 French Pass 314
87 Bison Pass 317
South of Denver 321
88 Castlewood Canyon 325
89 Devil's Head Lookout 328
90 Spruce Mountain 331
91 Mount Herman 334
92 Red Rock Canyon 337
93 Barr Trail 340
94 Stanley Rim 343
95 Mount Rosa 346
96 Gray Back Peak 349
97 The Crags 352
98 Mueller's Rock Pond 355
99 Dome Rock 358
100 Pancake Rocks 361
101 Oil Creek Tunnel 364
Acknowledgements 369
Choose Your Perfect Hike 371
Index 375
What People are Saying About This
"Base Camp Denver is a priceless resource for anyone looking to hit Colorado’s trails."—Mitch Kline Coloradaist.com(03/31/19)
"Pete is an excellent, easy to read writer – he takes you right into his love of hiking and treats the reader to wonderful antidotes, historical tidbits, and explanations of each hike. The section introductions could form a nice Sunday afternoon read all by themselves and save the hiking for another day. The pictures alone are worth spending some time “armchair” hiking. There are stunning photographs of each hike, shot with suburb quality. Pete always seemed to encourage the reader to try something new and made even the more difficult hikes seems accessible."—Carol White, RoadTripAmerica.com
"Each hike description includes a number of inspirational good quality photos. There is just enough colorful detail or historical background to add an extra dimension to each hike. There is also a handy directory at the end of the book that will point the reader to different categories of hikes, (kid-friendly, rigorous, and so on), to help in selecting hikes. An excellent guide for a newbie and a valuable reference for a local looking for something new and perhaps a bit out of the way."—Joel Smith, Goodreads.com