Springtime in the Rockies makes hiking a true adventure. The weather forecasts tend to be all over the map and that is what they were this past week and right up until this morning. Luckily the sunshine was there to greet me when I woke up (instead of the non-stop rain/snow they predicted). The key to hiking in the spring is all about FLEXIBILITY! Not knowing what the weather might do also makes the exploration that much more exciting. Always be prepared for changing weather conditions.
After a low of 28 degrees Fahrenheit last night, it took a little while for the temperatures to reach a point where I might consider hiking this morning. After sleeping in a little, having a great breakfast and catching up on email, Google reader and facebook I was ready to get outside. I called the Roxborough State Park phone line and asked about the status of the trail to Carpenter Peak. After a brief pause the response was "the consensus is that it is probably ok - you may encounter some mud in the shade but it should be ok." I was a bit flabbergasted that no one in the office had hiked the trail recently - wondering if they are tied to their computers or the visitor center or ??? Was this a potential opportunity to volunteer or even be paid to hike the trails and provide trail conditions? I can dream...
Roxborough State Park is a true gem in my eyes. It is an easy 20 minute drive from my house and offers great scenery, hiking and wildlife. You can either pay the daily entrance fee or purchase an annual pass that is good at all the Colorado State Parks. I usually purchase an annual pass. Although I may not use it to it's full potential I believe it is a good investment and supports our parks. There are many trail options in the park so if you just want a quick 0.5 mile hike or a long 8 mile hike it offers both. The hike to Carpenter Peak is 6.4 miles from the visitor center and is a great workout in the spring and fall. Since most of the trail is exposed it tends to be a bit too hot in the summer months.
The drive into the park is along a washboard dirt road for about 1.5 miles and then you suddenly hit pavement and have decent road to the visitor center and parking lots. I always wonder about those sort of roads. Did they start to pave and run out of money or ???
I saw two different tours going on while driving into the park - Roxborough offers a wide variety of programs - most of which require advanced reservations - today they had a general birding program in the morning and a hummingbird program in the afternoon. I'm not sure why they don't have the programs listed on their website. I receive an email newsletter (Roxborough Ramblings) quarterly which identifies the activities, but apparently they don't post the schedule on the website. Here is a sample but it doesn't have the year stated so it isn't current...
The visitor center was renovated last year - I didn't notice much of a difference inside so I'm not sure what they did, but it does offer several informative exhibits, a children's corner, books and samples of wildlife that may be found in the park. They used to have a board that stated what wildlife had been seen recently in the park but I didn't see that today - maybe it was in a new location.
The trail to Carpenter Peak starts at the visitor center and an informative exhibit shows you the trail system, wildlife you might encounter and the tracks of animals that are commonly found in the park. The first section of the trail is very easy, and travels through a scrub oak forest. The calls of mountain chickadees and Rufous-sided towhees are delightful. Be sure to look for wildflowers along this section. There is a signed nature trail along this route as well.
I've seen many deer in this section of the park.
The spring beauties were in full swing and were very plentiful throughout the whole hike. I did this hi
ke about a month later last year and was stopping constantly to photograph a huge variety of wildflowers. Since the grip on winter has not quite released this year, the flowers are not quite that plentiful yet, but I did see Common Mouse Ear (chickweed), a lone early larkspur plant, a single pasque flower, sand lilies, yellow violets, a few bluebells (loving all that moisture) and a yellow flower growing out of a woody branch that I haven't quite figured out yet. (photo below)The trail gets a little more ch
allenging once you cross the main trail that appears to be a road and head uphill. It is evident that the park has had a lot of rain as there are gullies along the trail for a short distance that you have to swagger up carefully. But once you hit the switchbacks it's just a matter of having enough lung capacity to move ahead. The trail is very narrow in places and this time of the year you will be brushing up against the scrub oak so long sleeves are helpful.It takes awhile before you actually see Carpenter Peak (your destination), but the views along the way are phenomenal. The red rock formations in the park are breathtaking and the fact that you can see all the way to Denver and beyond is always amazing.
Once you reach the bench shown below you are only about 30 minutes from the peak. It looks like a long way but it isn't. You are rewarded with a short amount of downhill travel before the final ascent to the rocky outcrops on top. Although I had passed a ranger who said there were many people ahead of me on the trail, I managed to reach the summit and enjoy it to myself for about 10 minutes. Soon the chatting foursome who was behind me drowned out the sounds of the hawks soaring overhead and the chattering chipmunks.
The wind was minimal today, the chipmunks were scurrying around looking for handouts (not encouraged), and the butterflies that are usually prevalent were remarkably absent (probably too cold). You get a great view of both the front range and the snowy mountains beyond on this hike. The climb is mostly gradual and the trail was in good shape for May 1st. I only encountered a few muddy sections, one or two meandering streams and a step or two of snow remaining on the trail.
If you know of any other great hikes this time of the year please share them with us! Next weekend I think I'll try to take the Elk Valley junction since I've never traveled into that section of (and out of) the park.
Happy Trails!
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