Here are some quick reviews and photos of some of our favorite hikes of 2015:
1) Sourdough trail, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, January 11, 2015 - For our first hike of the year we headed out into a light snow fall to check out the southern end of the Sourdough trail. The trail was icy hard so no snow shoes or skis were needed and the falling snow flakes were so small it looked like dust drifting through the space between the pines. A nice quiet hike to start out a new year of hiking. 3.5 miles out and back with 700 feet of elevation.
2) Caribou Ranch Open Space, Nederland, CO, January 18, 2015 - It was just Jonna and Alan today but we had a beautiful day for hiking: Cool but not too cold, blues skies and only the faintest of breezes. Alan was again on-call at work so we had to keep it local and short so we headed to nearby Caribou Ranch Open Space to hike the popular loop there. Slippery packed snow and above freezing temps made for slick conditions so our Yaktrax earned their keep. A 4.2 mile with a mild 300 feet of elevation.
3) Como Creek Valley, Como Creek trailhead, Ward, CO, January 25, 2015 - Just before Christmas, Alan and Lyle explored a new trail in the Como Creek valley. With Lyle out sick this weekend and Holly rejoining our hiking group after a few months away, we returned so Jonna and Holly could see this area. There was enough snow for snowshoes on most of the hike but also a few steep sections where the wind had blown the hillsides bare. It was such an unseasonably warm, sunny January day that we were shedding layers the whole hike. We dropped down into Como Creek valley and then bush-wacked our way back up (and let me emphasize the *up*) to the old Switzerland Trail railroad bed. From there we circled back to the trailhead. A short 2.5 mile loop with 500 feet of elevation gain.
4) Sourdough Trail, Camp Dick trailhead, Peaceful Valley, CO, February 1, 2015 - An overnight snow storm put down a fresh dusting of powder but unfortunately it was only a dusting. The hiking crew headed out with hopes of snowshoeing but we ended up just hiking with snowhoes on our backs. Still the forest around Beaver Reservoir was beautiful with a little white decorating all the pine boughs and, once the last of the clouds moved through, the aspens gleaming in bright sunshine. It was all capped off by seeing the Rockies towering above Beaver Reservoir. A 5 mile loop with 700 feet of elevation.
5) Los Lagos Reservoir Loop Trail, Rollinsville, CO, February 8, 2015 - It was warm and blustery for a hike so the hiking crew decided to try out a new trail in the thick pine forests southwest of Rollinsville. This was a great choice as we managed to avoid the blow-me-over wind gusts. Still too little snow to snowshoe or ski but the trail was crusty enough for hiking. We explored a maze of twisty little trails and found where this trail system connected to the West Magnolia trails. A winding 4.5 miles with around 500 feet of elevation gain.
6) Ralston Roost, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, CO, February 15, 2015 - With our friend Jean visiting and with a snow storm just starting to drop flakes the hiking group headed for Golden Gate Canyon State Park. The trail was a mix of dry dirt and black ice but we made it to the top so we could enjoy a perfect view of the inside of a snow cloud. Big fat snow flakes meant we needed delicate footwork to get back down the snow covered slick ice and safely back to the trailhead. 4 miles up and back with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
7) Los Lagos Reservoir Loop Trail, Rollinsville, CO, February 22, 2015 - When we hiked the Los Lagos Reservoir trail a couple of weeks ago we commented that it would be a great cross-country ski trail. Well, with a snow storm dumping fresh powder we decided to take advantage of the foot of fresh snow to test that hypothesis. It turns out, we were right! With our friend Krista visiting and a break in the storm we strapped on our nordic skis and explored the network of trails near Rollinsville. It was perfect! Enough elevation change to work up some bodyheat against the single digit temperatures, enough powder soften the "Ooppps" moments and enough downhill to enjoy some kick-n-glide. 2.7 miles with a mild 300 feet of elevation.
8) Emerald Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO, February 28, 2015 - With our friend Anna visiting from Greece we headed to the best our area has to offer to show off Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park. With a few feet of fresh snow we brought along the snowshoes and did the hike from Bear Lake, last Dream Lake and up to Emerald Lake. With the sun beaming down from a clear blue skies the wow factor of the snow covered Rockies was in full effect! 3.6 miles with 700 feet of elevation.
9) Mission Peak, East Bay Regional Park District, Fremont, CA, March 1, 2015 - Work sent Alan to Oakland, CA for a conference so he took the opportunity to do some hiking with Jonna's brother Jamie. We drove straight from the Oakland Airport to the Sanford Avenue parking area and then went up the Hidden Valley Trail to the summit. It was a beautiful day for a hike: a warm spring day with clear blue skies and lush green grass on the hillsides. 6 miles to the top and back down with 2,100 feet of elevation.
10) Pokhara Shanti World Peace Stupa, Pokhara, Nepal, March 13, 2015 - This weekend's hike was pretty spectacular. It started with a boat ride across Kewa Lake. Then a short but steep climb up a ridge above the lake to the Peace Stupa. The views straight down to the lake and then across to the magnificent Annapurna Range were amazing. 2.5 miles up and back after getting out of the boat but with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
11) Taktsang Monastery, Paro, Bhutan, March 21, 2015 - A fantastic and unique hike this weekend! We hiked up a steep Himalayan ridge-line, climbed stone stairs built into a sheer cliff face, crossed over a waterfall midway down its 200 ft drop and then walked through the giant doors of Bhutan's most sacred Buddhist monastery: Taktsang (also known as the Tiger's Nest). It is perched impossibly high on a cliff with amazing views down onto the Paro valley, not to mention being a beautiful temple complex. Stunning! Around 4.5 miles round trip with 2,200 feet of elevation gain.
12) Los Lagos Reservoir Loop Trail, Rollinsville, CO, April 5, 2015 - Alan and Jonna are back from vacation and Alan is back on-call. As a result, this weekend's hike was a short one. On the plus side, all four members of our original hiking group were available so it was great for us all to hike together again. Back in February we did a couple of hike/ski trips in the new-to-us Los Lagos trail system. Since there are still new sections in that spaghetti maze of trails we haven't hiked yet we headed back to explore another new portion. A nice (if short) spring hike withs ome nice views down onto Rollinsville. 3.5 miles long with about 600 feet of elevation gain.
13) Shadow Canyon, Mesa Trailhead, Eldorado Springs, CO, April 12, 2015 - Jonna was sick so Alan and Lyle drove down to Boulder to meet up with Desiree, Gaelin and Philippe for a front range hike. It was a great day to be out hiking: a beautiful spring day with mostly clear blue skies above and bright sunshine. We all met up at the Mesa trailhead and did a big loop through the maze of trails that lead to the bottom of Shadow Canyon. 5.5 miles with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
14) Mt. Sanitas, Boulder County Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, April 19, 2015 - Alan and Jonna's recent vacation delayed our hiking group's annual spring training climbs of the five Boulder peaks. So time to get started! Lyle, Jonna and Alan escaped the fresh, deep snow in the high country by heading down today to hike Mt. Sanitas. It was overcast, cool and muddy with a little slushy snow at the top but still a nice way to get in some elevation training and the stunning views down onto Boulder never get old. 3 miles with 1,300 feet of elevation.
15) Ceran St. Vrain, Jamestown, CO, April 26, 2015 - A spring storm dropping big, wet semi-frozen globs and warm weather that turned all the snow on the ground into a slushy, sticky mess didn't deter our intrepid group of hikers. We headed back to an old standby, the Ceran St. Vrain trail, to slosh through this weekend's hike. All the recent moisture turned the river into a raging torrent and the water dripping from all the trees made them look covered in tiny crystals. A pretty, if soaked, stroll through the woods. A 4 mile out-and-back hike with 400 feet of elevation gain.
16) Flagstaff Mountain, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, May 3, 2015 - A combination of a beautiful spring day and Alan being on call at work sent our hiking group down to Boulder for a peak to climb, our friend Desiree to hike with and cell signal to keep Alan in contact with work. We met at Boulder's Chatauqua park where perfect hiking weather (The three C's: cool, clear and calm) and the second peak of our annual training hikes greeted us. We went up the front face of Flagstaff Mountain where there was a little mud, a whole lot of wild flowers and only a few other hikers. Once we reached the top we looped around the south side to come down the much more crowded but always scenic Gregory Canyon. A 5 mile loop with 1,300 feet of elevation gain.
17) Green Mountain, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, May 10, 2015 - Lyle and Alan traditionally make a snowy training hike up Green Mtn for St. Patty's day, our annual hikin' 'O the Green, but vacations interupted that plan this year. Well, mother nature provided us with a second chance this weekend thanks to an unexpected late season snow storm. Heavy rain over the weekend closed Gregory Canyon so we made the snowy trek up Greenman trail from the summit of Flagstaff to the top of Green Mtn and then came back down Ranger trail. A slippery, drippy loop but with surreal views down onto the *top* of the patchy rain clouds floating over Boulder. 4 miles in length with 1,400 feet of elevation gain.
18) Bear Peak, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, May 17, 2015 - Desiree, Lyle and Alan did a big hike this weekend...the fourth of the Boulder front range peaks: Bear Peak. We started at NCAR, hiked along the Mesa trail to the Bear Canyon trail. From there it was a steady climb to the top of the canyon where we connected to the Bear Peak West Ridge trail. Then it was *up* to the peak for incredible views out of the plains. Did I mention the great view: Bright blue skies with a few puffy white clouds casting shadows over the city of Boulder. Wow! Then it was the fast, steep way down via Fern Canyon back to the Mesa Trail and then the slow, tired climb back up to NCAR. An 8.5 mile loop with 2,700 feet of elevation.
19) Sourdough trail, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, May 24, 2015 - Both Desiree and Gaelin joined Lyle, Jonna and Alan for today's hike. Jonna was nursing an ankle injury so we kept this one short and relatively flat by doing part of the southern end of the Sourdough trail. We started with tiny snow flakes falling from a bright blue sky and ended with sprinkling rain from dark gray clouds. In between we hiked on a mix of muddy trails and snow pack. It may be late spring but today sure felt like we were hiking in March! 3.5 miles with 600 feet of elevation gain.
20) Shelter #1, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, CO, May 31, 2015 - Holly was back hiking with us this weekend so we headed for a trail that would be friendly for her dogs. For that we headed back to Golden Gate Canyon State Park and within there we picked one of the least used trails in the park: the hike up to Shelter #1 on the southern edge of the Park. No mountain peaks or grand vistas but a quiet and peaceful stroll through hillside pine forests and groves of beautiful aspens. Warm sunshine and dry trails finally made it feel like summer is just around the corner. 3.5 miles round trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
21) East Magnolia trail system, Nederland, CO, June 7, 2015 - Lyle was out of town this weekend so it was just Holly, Jonna and Alan for this weekend's hike. Alan was on-call at work again which meant we had to stay close to home so we headed to a part of the nearby East Magnolia trail system we hadn't visited in a couple of years. A quiet stroll through the forest with a few scenic vistas of the snow-covered Rockies backlit by a bright blue sky. 4.3 miles out and back with a mild 500 feet of elevation gain.
22) Sequoia-Bayview trail, Joaquin Miller Park trail system, Oakland, CA, June 14, 2015 - Jonna and Alan flew out to California to see our nephew Larkin graduate from college. While there, we got to spend a couple of days with Jonna's brother Jamie, his wife Kelly, and our nieces Brianna and Rosie. We also took an opportunity to do another (short) hike with Jamie in the Oakland hills. This time we started at the Joaquin Miller Park visitor center down in the redwoods along he Sunset trail. We took that to Chaparral and used that to climb up out of the cool creek valley and up to chaparral and oak forests on the Sequoia-Bayview trail. After looping around the highest part of the park that trail then dropped back down into the redwoods and back to Sunset trail for the return to the parking lot. All that in around 4 miles and with about 400 feet of elevation gain.
23) Cub Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO, June 20, 2015 - A stunning day for a hike so Lyle, Jonna and Alan headed up to Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park to enjoy the bright blue sky and warm breezes. Jonna is still nursing an ankle injury so we headed for one of the easier trails in the park - the hike up Cub Creek valley to Cub Lake. It has a nice mix of pictureque meadows, pine forest, aspen groves and a big lily-pad covered lake. It also gave us our first look at the damage caused by a 2012 forest fire in the part of the park. A bonus was the 1/2 hour we spent looking into the lake at all the amazing, tiny creatures living in that vibrant underwater world: minnows, baby trout, flatworms, fresh water shrimp and water beetles. Top it off with turqouise blue dragon flies, small white butterflies and fast moving black water striders on the surface and it was fascinating way to spend a half hour. 5.2 miles long with 600 feet of elevation climb up to the lake.
24) Caribou townsite, Nederland, CO, June 28, 2015 - A long "to do" house chore list and Jonna's slow healing ankle injury meant we just did a short token hike this weekend up at the nearby Caribou ghosttown site. Still, all the late spring snow and bright summer sunshine has made for a bumper crop of wildflowers up in the mountains: purple Columbines; red Indian paintbrush; blue Lupine, Bluebells and Larkspur; yellow Cinquefoil, Arnica and Dandelions; white Yarrow, Daisies and Asters. Every meadow was covered in colorful blossoms! A mellow 2.3 mile loop with 500 feet of elevation gain.
25) Ouzel Falls, Wild Basin, Rocky Mountain National Park, Allenspark, CO, July 5, 2015 - It was just Jonna and Alan for a post-July 4th hike this weekend. We enjoyed our hike in Rocky Mountain National Park so much two weeks ago we decided to return this week. However, this time we opted for the southern Wild Basin entrance to do a waterfall filled hike: Upper and Lower Copeland Falls, the mile of North St. Vrain Creek's cascades, Calypso Cascades and then on to the stunning Ouzel Falls. The weather was perfect for a hike and all the recent rain had the waterfalls raging. A great 5.6 miles out and back with just under 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
26) Como Creek Valley, Sourdough Trail trailhead, Ward, CO, July 19, 2015 - Our friend Desiree once again joined us for a great hike at one of our local secret spots: The Como Creek valley and then out the old Little Switzerland railroad bed out to the border of the Caribou Ranch Open Space. As we've seen in earlier hikes, all the spring moisture has resulted in an explosion of wildflowers. What was striking on this hike was not just the amount of wildflowers but the incredible vareity. Dozens of different flowers decorated the meadows and hillsides! The dark clouds hanging over the mountains stayed there so we avoided the typical summer afternoon rain shower but got the benefit of the cooling shade. 5.5 miles to the turn around point with a mellow 400 feet of elevation gain.
27) Quarry trail, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, CO, July 25, 2015 - It was just Alan and Jonna for Alan's birthday hike. We headed down to the peaceful, quiet eastern edge of Golden Gate Canyon State Park to explore one of the last trails in the park we'd never hiked before. Each weekend brings more wildflowers than the last and the flowers in this part of the park were magnificent! Fields full of blue, purple, orange, red, white and yellow. Lots and lots of yellow. All covered by a perfect blue sky filled with puffy white clouds. It was a beautiful way to spend a birthday! 4.2 mile with 950 feet of elevation gain.
28) Chasm Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO, August 1, 2015 - Jonna was out of town this weekend but our friend Steve was up for a hike so he joined Lyle and Alan for a long but spectacular hike up in Rocky Mountain National Park. Alan has wanted to do the Chasm Lake hike for years but is always put off by the insanity of the Long's Peak trailhead parking. Well, it was a zoo as expected but the hike ended up being worth it. Half the hike is above treeline (directly in the hot high altitude sunshine!) up in the alpine tundra, and the view of Peacock Pool, Chasm Lake and the waterfall in between are all stunning. The Hidden Garden area, with the afore mentioned waterfall, was filled with 1,000s of Columbines which added to the fairy-tale feel. A tiring but beautiful 9.1 mile hike with 2,500 feet of elevation gain.
29) Ellsworth Creek trail, Rollinsville, CO, August 16, 2015 - This weekend's hike was quite the social occasion. Our friends Alex and Angela (and their dogs Charlie and Hula) drove up from Boulder to join our hiking group for our weekly outing. We hiked through the tangle of trails that starts at the Ellsworth Creek trailhead. We climbed up past the old Ellis Lode Mine to a hillside that offered a great view down onto the plains to the east. While there we ran into our friends Wes and Susan. After enjoying a break there we dropped down to the Colorado Creek drainage and then looped back down to the trailhead. A meandering 5 mile hike with a gradual 850 feet of altitude gain.
30) Mud Lake, Boulder County Parks, Nederland, CO, August 23, 2015 - With a lot going on this weekend, we only had a little time to squeeze in a quick hike in order to keep our weekend tradition going. Fortunately, our friends Desiree and Gaelin were able to join our little hiking group for a short stroll around the Mud Lake trail system. Nothing spectacular but a pleasant walk through the pine and aspen forest around Mud Lake. 2.2 miles with a mild 250 feet of elevation change.
31) Forest Lakes, Tolland, CO, August 30, 2015 - It was just Lyle and Alan for this weekend's hike and we were a little short on time. However, instead of doing a short hike like we'd normally do we decided to do a normal length hike but at a faster pace than usual. We managed to double-time it all the way up to Forest Lakes from the East Portal trailhead. Fortunately, it was a beautiful, cloudless day with some of the aspen tree leaves starting to change to yellow so we a great hike with views of the mountains when we got up to the lower lakes. A little over 7 miles to the lakes and back down to the trailhead, with 1,500 ft of elevation gain.
32) Finch Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Allenspark, CO, September 5, 2015 - We had two visitors join our hiking group this weekend, Holly's partner Rick and Jonna's brother Jamie, so we picked a special hike to show off the best of the Rockies. We headed into the Wild Basin section of Rocky Mountain National Park for a long loop that had a little of everything: Raging creeks, roaring waterfalls, colorful aspens, scenic vistas and a peaceful alpine lake. 10.9 miles with 1,900 feet of elevation.
33) Crater Lakes, East Portal trailhead, Tolland, CO, September 13, 2015 - It was just Lyle, Jonna and Alan for this weekend's hike and we decided to continue our recent string of hiking up to alpine lakes. For this one, we decided to make the big climb from East Portal up to the set of lakes known as the Crater Lakes. A beautiful day for hiking, made even better with a favorite trail and some serene blue lakes upon which to gaze. 6.8 miles with 1,900 feet of elevation gain.
34) Como Creek trail, Ward, CO, September 27, 2015 - Alan was on-call again this weekend so we had to keep it short. With the aspens at the peak of their color we deicded to make it sweet by heading to our favorite valley full of aspens. We started at the Sourdough trailhead but then looped south down into the Como Creek valley then turned west on a little used trail that connects with the Rainbow Lakes road. A bright blue sky with just a few a few fluffy white clouds to diffuse the sunlight made for perfect photography conditions. A quick hike but oh so colorful! A little under 3 miles with a mild 400 feet of elevation gain.
35) East Magnolia trail system, Nederland, CO, October 4, 2015 - We had a big hiking group this weekend! Our usual hiking group plus Holly and Jonna's friend Richard, our friend Desiree with her partner Philippe, her son Gaelin and his friend Eric. In an attempt to see the last of the golden aspen leaves we headed to the east Magnolia trailhead but our plans were thwarted when a fog rolled in giving the woods an ethereal, Halloween-y feel. 3.8 miles with a little over 500 feet of elevation gain.
36) Tennessee Mountain, 105 Forest Service Road, Rollinsville, CO, October 11, 2015 - With half of our hiking group busy this weekend it was looking like it would just be Jonna and Alan but then our friend John (and his pup Oscar) were free and offered to show us a new trail! It is really a rarely used forest service road which leads up to the top of Tennessee Mountain. This ended up being a trail of discovery since it tied together three different trail systems which we'd hiked before and ended at a backcountry cabin that I've had marked on my GPS for years. Along the way we saw the last of the golden aspen leaves, explored an old mine site and enjoyed a great (but windy) panorama of all the mountains in the Indian Peaks area. 6 miles up and back with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
37) Lake Isabelle, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, October 18, 2015 - This weekend may have been our last chance to get up into the high country for this year so we took advantage of the opportunity to take one of our favorite hikes: Lake Isabelle in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. Our friends Desiree, Gaelin and Philippe joined us for this hike that follows a beautiful creek and passes by scenic Long Lake before climbing up to the big alpine bowl that contains stunning Lake Isabelle. We briefly considered making the climb up to stellar Pawnee Pass but windy and possibly cloudy conditions up on the Divide thwarted that plan. Just a little over 5 miles with a 400 foot climb.
38) Jenny Creek Trail, Nederland, CO, October 25, 2015 - With the first snow of the winter falling during the previous week this wekeend's hike would be our re-introduction to the white stuff after a glorious Indian summer. Alan was recovering from a head cold so we kept it short and because of a chilly wind we kept to the trees. Nonetheless, Lyle, Jonna and Alan got out to enjoy seeing the snow amongst the pines along the Jenny Creek trail. 3 miles out and back with a steady climb of 400 feet to the top.
39) South Boulder Creek West Trail, Boulder, CO, November 8, 2015 - It was just Lyle and Alan for today's hike. We started out with a big aspiration to hike South Boulder Peak but our plans got changed when we found the trailhead parking lot full. Instead we found a new trail for us in the South Boulder Creek West trail. We parked at the trail head and then made the long hike to the base of the front range mountains. We didn't have the energy to climb Shadow Canyon and summit South Boulder Peak but nonetheless it was a colorful Fall hike with perfect Fall hiking weather. 6.5 miles with a little over 800 feet of elevation gain.
40) West Magnolia Trail System, Nederland, CO, November 15, 2015 - Our friends Desiree and Gaelin once again joined our hiking crew for this weekend's hike. Alan was on call at work so we had to keep it short but we still had time to explore a new section of trail in the nearby West Magnolia trail system. Warm sunshine and no wind made for great hiking even though we were crunching through shin deep snow for most of the hike. 4.5 miles with 900 feet of elevation gain.
41) South Boulder Peak, Mesa trailhead, Eldorado Springs, CO, November 22, 2015 - Lyle and Alan were on our own again this weekend and since we missed out on hiking South Boulder Peak two weeks ago we decided to give it a another try. A lot of ice, a lot of snow and an obstacle course made of a lot of fallen, burnt trees didn't stop us from making it to the top of the mountain. The reward was a spectacular 180 degree panorama of the snow-covered Rockies arrayed against a cloudless blue sky. We didn't enjoy the view for long since we were getting blasted by a strong, cold wind but for a few minutes we had a real Wow! moment. 8.5 miles with steep 3,000 feet climb to the peak.
42) SourDough Trail, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, November 27, 2015 - A Thanksgiving snow storm coated the mountains with a fluffy fresh powder so we decided to have a White Friday by sneaking in our first cross-country ski of the season. The SourDough trail was serene with all the fresh show but the peaceful atmosphere was periodically broken by the "oommpffff" sounds of Alan falling on his butt while trying to remember how to ski. 3.3 miles with 400 feet of elevation gain.
43) Left Hand Reservoir, Brainard Lake Recreation Area, Ward, CO, November 27, 2015 - Our White Friday ski outing highlighted that Alan could use more practice on cross-country skis so we returned to Brainard Lake Recreation Area for a second time this holiday weekend. We strapped the planks back on but this time we ski'ed up the 4x4 road to Left Hand Reservoir. A stiff breeze at the reservoir had blown the snow off the road and had ice crystals scouring the trees so we quickly turned around and had a pleasant glide back down to the car. 3.2 miles round trip with a 550 feet climb up (and ski back down).
44) Flagstaff Mountain, Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, Boulder, CO, December 6, 2015 - Alan and Lyle were the only two hiking this weekend and we headed down to Boulder to do a little more elevation training. This time we chose Flagstaff Mountain but decided to go up the north ridge from the Settler's Park trailhead. Most of the trail was very icy, so the hiking conditions were pretty tricky, but we made it to top, did a loop around the peak and slithered our way back down without falling. Fortunately, the reward for surviving the slick trail were some great views of the snow-covered Indian Peaks to the west. 6.7 miles with just under 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
45) Coney Flats trailhead, National Forest System Road 507 - Coney Creek Road, Ward, CO, December 13, 2015 - A dump of fresh snow during the night combined with sunshine and blue skies the next day inspired the hiking crew to strap on the cross-country skies again. This time we headed Beaver Reservoir to explore the 4x4 roads in the Coney Flats area. The thick pine forest covered in pristine white snow was beatiful and fresh powder made for great skiing. 5 miles out and back with a mild 650 feet of elevation gain.
46) Frazer Meadows, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Golden, CO, December 20, 2015 - It was just Lyle and Alan for this weekend's hike and since Alan was on-call again we had to keep it short. Fortunately, that didn't keep us from having a great hike. We went to Golden Gate Canyon State Park, started at the Kriley Pond Overlook, and then climbed up to Frazer Meadows. The barren, bone-white aspen trees in fields of pristine glistening snow were quite beautiful. 5 miles with 750 Feet of elevation gain.
47) Caribou townsite, Nederland, CO, December 24, 2015 - A special holiday treat! For Christmas, Alan got to go snowshoeing with his Mom and Dad! With temperatures down in the 20s, we kept it short, but fresh snow on the pines trees and the Indian Peaks faintly visible along the Continental Divide made for scenic hike! Just a little under a mile with 100 feet of elevation gain.
If you enjoyed these you may also enjoy checking out some photos from our 2014 hikes or 2016 hikes.
