Snow Shoeing & Sprague Lake

December 18, 2010

We tried to hike to Sprague Lake last weekend too but without snow shoes it was next to impossible to get to, so we tried again this weekend.  We had a fantastic time!

There is a small shop in Estes Park called The Warming House that rents snow shoes for only $8 per day!  Comes with shoes and poles.  We thought that was a great deal so we tried it out.  The snow shoes were in great condition and worked very well!

These are the snow shoes and poles we rented. We hiked around Sprague Lake and then took the trail from Sprague Lake to Glacier Creek Trail.  Round trip we probably did two miles on the snow shoes.  That may not sound like a lot but it was a work out!



Sprague Lake



This is Sprague Lake, frozen obviously.  I can imagine how beautiful this lake is in the summer time.  It was absolutely beautiful with the snow and the sun glistening off the lake. 

This trail is off of Bear Lake Road.  The trails in this area are almost the only ones accessible this time of year, and even they can be difficult to get to.  Bear Lake was pretty snow and ice covered, but we took the Subaru.

To get to Sprague Lake Trail head enter the park through the Beaver Meadows entrance and take Bear Lake Road just past the park and ride lot.  The next left will take you to the lake.  From that trail head you can walk the .5 miles around the lake or near the picnic area starts another trail that leads to the Glacier Creek Trail, which is what we took.

Glacier Creek Trail

This trail can be as long or as short as you're willing to hike or snow shoe.  I highly recommend this trail for snow shoeing.  I may not have any others to compare it to, but it's not a steep or highly traveled trail so it made for a perfect first time snow shoeing excursion.

It's a beautiful and peaceful trail, although there isn't anything spectacular to see along the way.  We still had a great time and really enjoyed the snow shoes!  We will definitely be doing it again so stay tuned!

Garden of the Gods

November 27, 2010

Since we moved to Colorado I have wanted to visit Garden of the Gods.  It's a beautiful park full of rock formations...  I know, that may not sound so exciting, but it really is a neat place to see!

There are a couple ways to see this attraction.  You can walk through it, bike through it, or drive around it.  We opted to drive around it due to time constraints, but I recommend taking a day to see this and walk through it. 

The road goes around the park so you don't get to see much.  Also, there aren't may pull offs so that makes getting a good picture difficult.  We did find some pull offs and I went a did as much exploring as I could.



I call this Rhino Rock





Even in November it was pretty crowded, but well worth the drive to get there.  It's truly beautiful!  This attraction is FREE too so it's a perfect way to spend the day. 

Garden of the Gods is in Colorado Springs.  Signs are everywhere so you can't miss it.  I think you could spend a few days seeing everything in Colorado Springs, but this is a must see in Colorado!

Fern Falls Trail

October 31, 2010

Today we hiked the Fern Falls Trail.  The whole trail out and back to the falls is just over 5 miles.  Unfortunately we were unable to do the whole trail due to icy conditions, so I am hoping to try again in the summer. 



Big Thompson River


 This trail begins at the Fern Lake Trailhead off of Bear Lake Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The beginning part of the trail is easy and follows the beautiful Big Thompson River. 

We saw a few people bringing their fly rods for fishing, but we didn't see any fish this time.  We'll check again in the summer.  Maybe we'll get lucky.



The Pool



Also along the way is The Pool.  It isn't anything spectacular but it's pretty to see.

Beyond this point the trail begins an uphill climb and gets a little rocky.  It became too steep to hike in the ice, so we had to turn back.

We did run into this Magpie and he followed us for a while, catching crumbs that we threw at him.  They may be scavengers but they are pretty birds.



Magpie



Overall I really enjoyed this trail.  Lots to see along the way, and hopefully next time we'll make it to our destination.

Denver Zoo

Oct. 16, 2010

The Denver Zoo is a really neat zoo!  I can only compare to one other zoo that's I've ever been to, but I really enjoyed it.

The cost is $13 per person but parking is free.  They have so many different species that I've never seen this close before.

I think my favorite part was the arctic wolf exhibit.  They were such beautiful animals and came so close to us. 

Another exhibit I liked was the elephants.  They have so many! 

I would recommend the Denver Zoo, especially to anyone with kids.  We really had a great time!

Bierstadt Lake Trail

Oct. 9, 2010



Bierstadt Lake Trail

 After the first snowfall in the mountains we couldn't wait to get up there and hike through it.  Unfortunately Trail Ridge Road was closed after a few miles into the park so we found a new trail at a slightly lower elevation.  There was still a dusting of snow and it was one of my favorite hikes.

We decided to park at the park and ride and take the shuttle to Bear Lake Trailhead.  We had already seen Bear Lake but we wanted to see it with snow on the mountain tops.  It was beautiful!

We started at Bear Lake Trailhead and headed to Bierstadt Lake.  From Bierstadt Lake we took the trail that led us right back to the park and ride.  I loved this trail because it was one way and we didn't have to make our way back the way we came and see the same things.  I really love the shuttle that runs through RMNP. 

The total hike was around 6.2 miles and I would classify this trail as easy-moderate.  The hike from Bear Lake to Bierstadt is somewhat steep but not too bad and only for the first mile.  After that the rest is easy to Bierstadt Lake.  Bierstadt Lake is small, and not really anything spectacular, so I am glad we didn't just hike to it and back.  Beyond Bierstadt Lake the trail heads to the park and ride and the trail is very steep, but it's straight down.  It's easier than up, but I underestimated the strain on the leg muscles going down that steep.  It was a nice hike though, and we really enjoyed it. 

One tip I forgot to mention.  All of the trails we have found so far in RMNP have been in one book.  It's called Best Easy Day Hikes Rocky Mountain National Park.  I love this book!  It's been a great help in finding easier trails, but it's still unsure what the definition of easy hike is. 

Pikes Peak & Seven Falls

Sept. 25, 2010



Pikes Peak Cog Railway


 Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's fourteeners and there are many ways to get to the top.  You can drive it, you can take the train, or if you're feeling really frisky you can hike it.  We decided on the train and I am glad we did.  This was really a unique experience.

This little train makes some pretty good time getting to the top of Pikes Peak and once you're up there you can see for miles.  The tour guide on the train said that on a clear day you can see all the way to Kansas and I believe it.  The ride to the top has some steep points, but the views are spectacular!

Some tips if you decide on the train...  Make reservations!  Our train was packed full.  You don't have to pay for it until you get there, and it's only $30 per person.  Another tip, if they let you, request to sit on the left side of the train as you head up.  The views are better, I think, but anywhere is good.  Also, eat before you go.  There is a cafe on top, but you have 30 minutes at the top before the train heads back down and you don't want to miss photo opportunities.  If you do want a snack they have chocolate covered donuts.  I can't tell you if they're good, we spent our time playing in the snow.


Pikes Peak Summit



 

 Next on our journey this day was Seven Falls waterfall.  This was a pretty waterfall, but I think we went during the wrong season.  I think if you visit this waterfall in the spring with mountain snow run off it would be much bigger and more beautiful. 

The cost is reasonable, just $7 per person to see the falls.  There's an elevator that takes you to a look out area to get better pictures of the falls.  At night they light it up, so that may be a different experience too.  Also the drive to get to the falls is beautiful, so I would definitely put this on the list of things you have to see in Colorado.

Coors Brewery & Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Sept. 19, 2010

The Coors Brewery is tucked away in the small town of Golden, CO.  Keep in mind while reading my thoughts about the Coors Brewery that I grew up in St. Louis, MO... Home of Anheuser Busch. 

In comparing the two there are a few differences.  The first thing that I thought was neat was that we parked in a lot pretty far from the main entrance and shuttle picked us up to take us to the brewery tour.  Along the way the shuttle takes you through the historic parts of Golden and the shuttle driver talks about why this city was chosen for the Coors brewery.  It's pretty fascinating, and the town is quite cute.  Another perk is you get three free beers and one sample along the tour, as opposed to Anheuser where you get two free ones and no sample.

On the flip side the Coors Brewery doesn't have as much character.  The building itself is quite boring, looks like just another factory.  The tour is guided by hand held device where you simply push the number of the room you're in and you hear some computer tell you what you're looking at.  I didn't care for that since it doesn't allow you to ask any questions.  I prefer the tour guide at Anheuser.  When you get to the tasting room to get your free beer you have to buy pretzels or other snacks, which I didn't know so I didn't have cash on me for vending machines.  At Anheuser you get free pretzels.

It was a neat experience though, and I am getting used to living in Coors country.  When I try to order a Budlight around here I get reminded of that. 



Panorama Point



 After the brewery tour we headed to Golden Gate Canyon State Park.  This is a neat little park and I was disappointed that we didn't have enough time to see more of it.

As long as you have a four wheel drive vehicle take the steep rocky road up to Panorama Point.  The view from there is breathtaking!  From this point you can see quite a few of the fourteeners in Colorado.  Fourteeners, for those who don't know, are mountains that excede 14,000 feet in elevation.  Basically, the pretty ones, so to see so many of these from one view point is really neat. 

Golden Gate Canyon State Park has many hiking trails.  We tried the raccoon trail, but didn't do the whole trail due to time constraints and the level of difficulty.  I'm not sure how long the trail is, but I'd say we made it half a mile before we realized we were going straight downhill and the hike back up would have been awful.  So, we cut it short, enjoyed the view, and then headed home.  I would like to go back and explore more of the park if we get the chance.