date: 01/25/12
activity: snowshoeing
distance: 3 miles
time: 1 hour 30 minutes
A beautiful Saturday afternoon in February gave us a perfect opportunity to do a snowshoe hike in scenic Roxborough State Park. Thankfully the warm weather didn't completely melt off the 8 inches of snow we recently received. At the beginning of the trail we followed a few other snowshoe marks through a wooded area (found out later this was not the trail!). We then met up with the trail around mile 1 and followed it to a top of a plateau. At this point we turned around and followed a trail back to the visitors center.
In all, we snowshoed around 3 miles. Roxborough State Park is a very scenic area with 4 or 5 various trails, ranging from 1 to 6 miles. Considering it is a Colorado State Park, there is a $7 entrance fee to enter the park. Due to the warm weather we did not have the best conditions for snowshoeing. I think our next snowshoe hike will be near the Rocky Mountain National Park, allowing for a higher altitude and thus more snow. All in all, this is a State Park I would recommend year-round.
Enjoy some pictures from the South Rim Trail:
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Snowshoeing Mitchell Creek Canyon
date: 02/06/2012
activity: snowshoeing
distance: 1.5 miles
time: 45 minutes
A rare Monday off work (for an apartment renovation) allowed me to try out a new, albeit short, snowshoe hike. I did not know exactly what to expect from a trail stemming from a suburban neighborhood. Initially, I walked a paved concrete trail holding the snowshoes in my hand. Thankfully, I found a side trail that required the use of snowshoes due to the 19" of snow Castle Rock just received.
The trail showed some of Castle Rock's scenic ecology and geography. The scenery is nearly the same as the nearby Castlewood Canyon State Park, without the $7 entry fee. The trail hugs the side of the canyon and with the recent snow showed off some massive icicles hanging from the small caves. I stopped at one of the caves, one without dangling overhead icicles, for some beef jerky and hot tea from the thermos. This is the point I turned around and headed back to the truck. The trail seemed to go on much further and is one I will view again when the ice and snow receeds.
Enjoy some pictures...
activity: snowshoeing
distance: 1.5 miles
time: 45 minutes
A rare Monday off work (for an apartment renovation) allowed me to try out a new, albeit short, snowshoe hike. I did not know exactly what to expect from a trail stemming from a suburban neighborhood. Initially, I walked a paved concrete trail holding the snowshoes in my hand. Thankfully, I found a side trail that required the use of snowshoes due to the 19" of snow Castle Rock just received.
The trail showed some of Castle Rock's scenic ecology and geography. The scenery is nearly the same as the nearby Castlewood Canyon State Park, without the $7 entry fee. The trail hugs the side of the canyon and with the recent snow showed off some massive icicles hanging from the small caves. I stopped at one of the caves, one without dangling overhead icicles, for some beef jerky and hot tea from the thermos. This is the point I turned around and headed back to the truck. The trail seemed to go on much further and is one I will view again when the ice and snow receeds.
Enjoy some pictures...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Snowshoeing Indian Creek
date: 01/22/2012
activity: snowshoeing
distance: 3 miles
time: 2 hours
A cool, sunny afternoon in January proved to be a perfect time for our first snowshoe trip. We chose a fairly easy trail that was only about 20 minutes from home. We had an elevation change of about 500 feet, topping out at just over 7900 feet. Not much wildlife was out today, but the views were excellent. A longer snowshoe trip is in order if we can ever get a fresh snow...it has snowed less than 3" in over a month! Here are a few of the views we enjoyed today:
activity: snowshoeing
distance: 3 miles
time: 2 hours
A cool, sunny afternoon in January proved to be a perfect time for our first snowshoe trip. We chose a fairly easy trail that was only about 20 minutes from home. We had an elevation change of about 500 feet, topping out at just over 7900 feet. Not much wildlife was out today, but the views were excellent. A longer snowshoe trip is in order if we can ever get a fresh snow...it has snowed less than 3" in over a month! Here are a few of the views we enjoyed today:
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Fly Fishing the South Platte River (north of Deckers)
date: 01/17/2012
activity: fly fishing
time: 2 hours
Having recently purchased a fly fishing rod (thanks Chelsi!), reel, and waders, I figured my birthday would be a great time to debut my fly fishing skills. Having read about the South Platte River, I decided the proximity to Castle Rock and the gold medal status of the River, it would be a perfect training spot. It is safe to say after one 2 hour trip, even having caught no fish, I am already "hooked"! The view from the river is absolutely stunning, almost something out of a movie. I only saw a few vehicles all day and although it was a little cold (about 25 degrees) I still had a blast. Here are a couple of the views of the South Platte River I am talking about...
The South Platte River has easy access fishing north of Deckers, CO to just south of the Strontia Springs Resevoir. There are parking/camping spots every half mile or so all along Co Rd 97.
View Larger Map
Unfortunately, I believe it was a little too cold to do any good fly fishing on this day. The eyes on my rod kept freezing up and my dry fly became an icicle as well. I am more than looking forward to coming back to this area in the spring to try again. A couple more views from the river and the drive home...
activity: fly fishing
time: 2 hours
Having recently purchased a fly fishing rod (thanks Chelsi!), reel, and waders, I figured my birthday would be a great time to debut my fly fishing skills. Having read about the South Platte River, I decided the proximity to Castle Rock and the gold medal status of the River, it would be a perfect training spot. It is safe to say after one 2 hour trip, even having caught no fish, I am already "hooked"! The view from the river is absolutely stunning, almost something out of a movie. I only saw a few vehicles all day and although it was a little cold (about 25 degrees) I still had a blast. Here are a couple of the views of the South Platte River I am talking about...
The South Platte River has easy access fishing north of Deckers, CO to just south of the Strontia Springs Resevoir. There are parking/camping spots every half mile or so all along Co Rd 97.
View Larger Map
Unfortunately, I believe it was a little too cold to do any good fly fishing on this day. The eyes on my rod kept freezing up and my dry fly became an icicle as well. I am more than looking forward to coming back to this area in the spring to try again. A couple more views from the river and the drive home...
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