Naturita Ridge
Desert riding going up to a ridge between two valleys in Colorado. This is actually a route of several doubletrack trails and roads, even though it shows as a single trail on Trailforks, that are also open to atvs and dirt bikes. There wasn't any real hard technical sections, but a fun scenic exercise loop with some rockiness.
Trail Link: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/naturita-ridge-loop/
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View from an eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr going into the Moffat Tunnel in Colorado. This video was taken from a roomette (you can see a temperature control in the window reflection).
Sound: Actual sound
View from an eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr going into the Moffat Tunnel in Colorado. This video was taken from a roomette (you can see a temperature control in the window reflection).
View of the Colorado River in Gore and Byers Canyon from an eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr. Sorry about the haze and spots, Amtrak needs to clean their windows.
Music: Adventures in Adventureland by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Ridgeway Has Some Nice Views of the Nearby San Juans
This is the last of the three articles I wrote for the website Trazzler which is no longer. It's not a ride or hike, just a stop we made on a rest day between climbing 14ers. Photos are from a trip in 2009For most, the town of Ridgeway is where your turn to go to Telluride or go straight to Ouray. Just off the main road, theres the Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery. I had pints of the Stout and the IPA, and tasters of the rest. The stout and IPA were excellent. The Irish Red Ale was bette...
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Mud Lake
This is the second of three articles I wrote for the website Trazzler which disappeared a few years ago. Photos are from a ride in 2009Head north from Nederland on the Peak-to-Peak highway and you will see a sign for Caribou Ranch Open Space. Turn there and soon see a sign for the Mud Lake Open Space. There are several miles of trails here which are perfect for beginners. There are several benches along the trails where you can take a break and enjoy the views of the surrounding mo...
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The Vineyards at Stone Cottage Cellars
This post is actually an article I wrote for the website Trazzler, which no longer exists. Photos my trip there in 2008 have been addedIn the West Elk Wine Region of Colorado there are several small wineries that they dont sell their wines outside the region.
One of the best parts of stopping at these wineries is that you can talk with the owners. While you taste their wines, you can listen to their stories of how they got started. One of these is ...
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The Benjamin Trail
The Benjamin Trail is a trail I worked on last fall; one day of trail building and one day of old trail removal. It is an addition to another trail at Betasso Open Space near Boulder. It opened in May and I was able to get a chance to ride it. It was very popular and there was many other people besides the five that went with me.
The Benjamin trail is access from the Canyon Loop. A short trail took us to the 3 mile loop. We did two loops around the Benjamin trail and once around the...
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Grand Mesa Trip 8-09 - Crags Crest Trail
Crags Crest National Scenic Trail (August 2009) February 02, 2010 3:09PMIn western Colorado near Grand Junction there's a big chunk of land rising above the desert. Grand Mesa National Forest rises several thousand feet about the Grand Valley and is covered with pine forests, alpine lakes and trails. The forest has the Crags Crest National Scenic Trail, which is a 10 mile loop, by alpine lakes, through meadows and across a rocky ridge. It goes over a ridge call Crags Cr...
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Grand Mesa Trip 8-09 - Rifle Falls
On my way out to Grand Junction last August I stopped by Rifle Falls State Park. About a 20 minute drive from the interstate. It is a small park with a few trails, a campground and of course a triple waterfall.
The trails go to the base of the falls, across the top of them and even behind one of them.
The most popular and scenic hike here is a lollipop loop with the loop part starting at the base of the falls, going up and across the top and back do...
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San Juans Trips 9-09 - View When the Clouds Had Cleared
(San Juans - Part 3)Mt. Sneffels is third highest mountain in the San Juans, 14,150 ft. The hike up it is short, but steep and fun. The drive from Ouray to the trailhead was very scenic and part of it is a shelf road with amazing views.
Overhanging Rock
An Abandoned Mine
Cascades
We parked at the main trailhead and hiked up th...
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San Juans Trips 9-09 - 57 Cascade Falls
(San Juans - Part 2)We had pulled into camp after dark, so we didn't realize the view that our campsite had. When we got up the next morning, this is the view that awaited us.
This was our rest day, so we just did stuff around Ouray. We went to the Box Canyon Falls. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any good pictures because of how close the canyon walls are around it. You'll just have to go and check it out for yourself. It is only $3 to get into the city ...
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Rapids
A week ago Boulder Creek peaked over 800 cfs. These pics are from when it went up that high six years ago. Some high late May temperatures brought the water level on Boulder Creek up to 800 cfs. Normally it's above 400 cfs. The first three of these pictures are of the creek at 500 cfs in Boulder, a day or two before it went up to 800 cfs. The water was over the banks; covering sections of the trail along the whitewater course.
The Dam at the Top...
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The Peak Sticking Up Above a Ridge
The Mountain of the Holy Cross, with an elevation of 14,005 ft, is the third lowest 14er in Colorado. Colorado has 53 peaks higher than 14,000 ft called 14ers. They range in height from 14,001 ft up to 14,433 ft. The Holy Cross Wilderness is one of the most beautiful areas of Colorado. The Mountain of the Holy Cross is known for a snow cross on one of its sides. Unfortunately, we went in August and it had already melted. It is possible to hike it in one day, but we took our time and backpacke...
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Crusty Snow on Long Lake
A few weeks ago a couple of us went for a snowshoeing hike close to Boulder. The Brainard Lake area is about 35-45 minutes from Boulder. During the winter the road to the lake is closed. The road is open during the summer and you have to pay to get into the area. You can either take the road or one of the trails north or south of the lake. On the south side there are separate trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The snow coverage on the road is spotty and you can walk it without s...
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Valley Loop Trail Hike 6-03 - Colorado River 1
On the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park are the headwaters of the mighty Colorado River. To get there from the front range, we drove across the park on the Trail Ridge Road which goes above 12,000 ft. In June, you can see how much snow the park crews had to clear from the road. In some spots, there were snow walls 10 feet high on the side of the road.
The road drops down to the Colorado several miles below its source. From this point to where it leaves the park,...
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Keystone 4-03 - Looking Down From Top About Noon
Weather can change fast in the mountains. This day, I was snowboarding at Keystone. In the morning the skies were blue and the snow conditions were not good. The snow was hard packed. This first picture is of the North Peak from the top of the front mountain.
Looking down a trail at the base area.
After lunch, we came outside and it was snowing hard. The sky had turned gray and the visibility had dropped. The skies began to ope...
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Maroon Bells 6-03 - Crater Lake with Flowers
These pics are from a hike near Aspen, CO, in a valley next to the Maroon Bells. This area is so popular that everyone has to take a shuttle bus in the area during summer days. If you go really early or in the evening the road is open to cars. We hiked up the valley along West Maroon Peak past two alpine lakes. It's a very scenic area. These pics are from late June, the beginning of wildflower season in the Colorado mountains.
We could see Maroon Peak (a 14er...
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