A Colorado Diversion

A business trip to Denver slowed my progress on the WMNF NH 48 but allowed me to revisit my alma mater and spend a couple days in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

After completing work in Denver on Friday, I switched out the company rental car for my own and headed to Fort Collins and Colorado State University.  It had been 10 years since I last visited Fort Collins and CSU.  My first stop was the Pickle Barrel on Laurel Street to grab my favorite sandwich for lunch – the Funky Punky.  Then I spent a couple hours drifting around the CSU campus visiting my favorite former haunts.  When I got tired of feeling old and like a stranger at a place that used to be so familiar to me, it was off to Estes Park, the gateway of Rocky Mountain National Park.  I had been there a few times before with friends years ago but never took the time to get out of the car and take a walk in the woods.

The drive up is through the Big Thompson Canyon that leads from Loveland up into the mountains.  I settled into my hotel, grabbed a steak dinner in downtown Estes Park, and was ready for a weekend of hiking and sightseeing. 

Estes Cone.  6.6 Miles, 1601 feet of elevation gain, altitude of 11,006

Saturday, August 28, 2010

After my recent backpacking trip I had my mind set on certain criteria for my hikes in RMNP.  First, of course they needed to have great views.  I really wanted to experience some wide open spaces with fantastic vistas.  Second, they should take some effort to get there so my legs would stay used to hiking and I could leave the crowds behind.  On the other hand, they shouldn’t be too strenuous so that my feet could recover (or at least not get worse) and I wouldn’t suffer too much from the altitude.  I chose Estes Cone for my first hike which, by comparison to some NH hikes, is more challenging than Mt. Major or Mt. Cardigan but less strenuous than most of the 4000 footers.

Estes Cone from the overflow roadside parking near the trailhead.

The hike begins at the same trailhead as Longs Peak.  Longs Peak is the 14,000 footer that dominates the northern front range of Colorado and I had a great view of it just outside my apartment window when I was a student at CSU.  This trip would bring me closer than I had ever been.  Longs Peak is a 15 mile round trip hike with just under 5000 feet of elevation.  It is almost entirely exposed with sharp cliff faces.  At the trailhead ranger station the ranger was telling some people that just the day before someone had fallen and died on the mountain. 

“Cone” is a good description of this mountain which is nearly perfectly cone shaped when viewed from a distance.  The trail to Estes Cone quickly separates itself from the Longs Peak trail, veering North toward an old abandoned mine.  The trail is rolling on moderate pitches for the first 2 miles on gravely footing and passes through arid forest and a small meadow. It then begins a sharper climb for the next 3/4 mile.  It is the final approach to the summit that is the only real challenging part of this hike.  It gains 750 feet in half a mile and this is where I felt the altitude.  My legs felt great by my lungs were working overtime.  The trail switches back and forth a bit on loose gravely terrain.  You have to keep your eyes peeled for the cairns so you don’t lose the trail.  The trail then comes abruptly above tree line to the large rocky helmet that the cone wears on its head.  You have to look carefully for the way to the summit which is a short steep climb carved in the side of the rock. 

The steep climb the last half mile of the climb to Estes Cone.

The last rocky scramble to the summit.

This summit affords fantastic 360 degree views.  To the north is the town of Estes Park.  To the east are the Twin Sisters, a slightly more strenuous hike I had considered but ruled out.  To the south was the mammoth Longs Peak.  And to the west, the rest of RMNP.  

The hike took a lot less time that I anticipated it would and I was left with a good part of the afternoon to browse around the outfitters in Estes Park and make my first trek in to the heart of RMNP along Trail Ridge Rd. 

Mills Lake – 5.6 miles, 750 feet of elevation gain.

Sunday August 29, 2010

This is a very moderate hike that leads to Mills Lake with a jagged mountain ridge as a dramatic backdrop.  I saw a photo of Mills Lake in a book and decided I absolutely had to go there.  I got a late start on this day after taking my time with breakfast and picking up lunch at Subway.  The best way to get to the trailhead is via the shuttle bus from visitor parking.  The trailhead parking is small and fills up fast.  The shuttle runs frequently and gets you to the trailhead quickly. 

The first 0.7 miles of the trail is crowded.  This portion leads to Alberta Falls which draws a lot of people who aren’t up for any real adventure but want to be able to say they saw something that can’t be seen from their cars.  This part of the trail is crowded with people unused to hiking and the normal courtesies of the trail.  The park maintains this trail almost too well.  Alberta Falls was so crowded it was not worth taking any photos.  Besides it would have been impossible to get a photo without a bunch of people in it.  The falls aren’t really that spectacular.  You can see better falls near Zealand Hut.  

Walking away from the falls and continuing on toward the lake the crowds dissipate quickly.  I still ran into a few people who rarely ventured far from pavement but there were far fewer of them and they were generally more polite.  The hike continues in the open over a path that is cut into a hillside above the river that formed Alberta Falls.  It then turns and weaves through several large hills and then makes its way through a denser wooded area that suddenly opens to incredibly dramatic views. 

The abruptness and intensity of the view caused me to lose myself for a minute.  I was busy taking it in and snapping photos as I walked that I lost the trail momentarily and had to walk myself back a ways so I was certain I was staying on the path. 

The woods suddenly open to expose this great vista.

The photo is magnificent but it actually doesn't do this spot justice.

This is a place that is hard to leave.  I found a place to set at the water’s edge and had lunch.   I spent at least an hour just taking it all in.

I left just in time as a horde of people where coming up the trail as I was on my way out.  As I made my way back past Alberta Falls I had difficulty getting past all the tourist types snapping photos of each other.  I was trying to be polite and not cut in front of anyone’s photo – but just take the picture already!  You’re blocking the path for crying out loud!

This summarizes the difference between a National Park and a
National Forest.  You won't find a bridge over a trickle of water
in WMNF, especially when there are perfectly good rocks
to hop on!

I made my way back to the trailhead and eventually the car.  I went back into Estes Park, grabbed an ice cream, and then decided to take the long way to Denver where I would spend the night and get on a plane early the next morning.  I made my way back over Trail Ridge Road and out the southwest side of the park in Grand Lake.  It was then out route 40 through Winter Park and over the Berthoud Pass, then down to I-70 which takes you back to Denver.  It rained a bit while driving on I-70 and I got to see a great double rainbow.  

From the top of Berthoud Pass.