The 2021 Season has started. Though the pandemic created a challenging 2020 season, I am looking forward to building on the 2020 season to create an incredible 2021 season. The pandemic has taught me a few things about when and where to go hiking. As such planning for the 2021 season is going to look a little different, but still looking forward to a great season on the trail.
Lower Forest Lakes - Snowshoeing
November 13, 2021 · The trek to Lower Forest Lakes in the James Peaks Wilderness was the first official snowshoeing trek of the Winter season. The weather forecast jumped around a few times before the trek on Saturday, coming in with a forecast of overcast in the morning then clearing up by mid-day with gusts of wind. As it turns out the entire day was overcast, with gusts of take-your-breath away winds.
Three Apostles Basin
Octobedr 14, 2021 · The hike to the Three Apostles Basin could be considered the first Winter trek of the season. I had originally planned to do this trek based off a week-in-advance weather forecast for the area. The original forecast was for snow the day before the hike, and sunny on the day of the hike. However, unsurprisingly, the day of the hike turned out to be overcast with periods of heavy snow, but most of the day the snow was a light wind-driven snow, though it was not terribly windy on this trek.
Willow Lake
September 5, 2021 · The trek to Willow Lake in the Southern Central Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is a beautiful hike on the west side of the Sangre de Cristo range. The weather could not have been better for this trek, it was a little brisk in the morning, but that was good as this trail jumps nearly 2,000 feet in the first two miles of the trek. This is a popular trail as this trail leads to a fourteener, Kit Carson Mountain and three thirteeners as well. The trail is an East-West running trail and once the sun crests the range in the morning, the trail heats up quickly.
Horn Creek Lakes
September 4, 2021 · The trek to Horn Creek Lakes in the Southern Central Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is a beautiful hike. It is not a very difficult hike, but it is long. The steepest part of the trail is at the beginning of the trail, after that it is a nice long gentle glide up to Horn Creek Lakes. The trail is on the East side of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, and part of the San Isabel National Forest. Trails on the East side of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness tend to be wet and lush when compared to the trails on the West side of the Wilderness.
Lake Fork Trail
July 17, 2021 · The trek along the Lake Fork River in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is an interesting trail in a wide valley. The trail goes by several different names and spellings, I know it as Clohesy Lake Trail, though the spelling of the lake varies. The trail is also known as Pear Lake Trail, however since the trail runs along the Lake Fork River inside this valley, I will call it the Lake Fork Trail.
Henry Lake
June 12, 2021 · The hike to Henry Lake in the Fossil Ridge Wilderness was for the most part a relatively easy hike. It was a long hike, but much of the trail is along the floor of a V-shaped valley. The Fossil Ridge Wilderness area is in the middle of the Gunnison National Forest and close to Taylor Park Reservoir. The rock formations in this area are darker and more porous than the granite peaks that make up a large portion of the White River National Forest and was a welcome change of scenery.
McCullough Gulch
May 28, 2021 · The trek along McCullough Gulch in the White River National Forest was a true Shoulder Season hike, complete with snow-free trails, snow-covered trails meandering off the documented trail, postholing in knee-deep and waist-deep snow as well as some snowshoeing. I did this trek on the Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend, with the hopes of beating the crowds to this trail, and for the most part that was the case on this trail. Because I did this trek on the Friday before the start of the holiday weekend, the gate to the trailhead was still closed. As such, a fair amount of the trek was walking a long a dirt road to the actual trailhead.
Boulder Creek Trail - Snowshoeing
April 24, 2021 · The snowshoeing trek along Boulder Creek Trail to Rogers Lake in the James Peak Wilderness was an early Spring incredible snowshoeing trek. It had snowed nearly every day for the past week and on this day the sun came out and there were very few clouds, making for a very bright day on the trail. The weather was perfect, a minor breeze at the Moffat Tunnel East Portal trailhead.
Ouzel Trail - Snowshoeing
January 1, 2021 · The Ouzel Lake trail was the first trek of the 2021 season and has proven to be more difficult to reach Ouzel Lake in the Winter. The trail is a nice trail but is deceptively difficult in the Winter. Despite best intentions, I stepped onto the trail about an hour later than I planned, and by this time there were a surprising number of people on the trail for the first day of the New Year.
MORE SEASONS ON THE TRAIL
AREAS HIKED
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness10
Eagles Nest Wilderness11
Fossil Ridge Wilderness1
Fraser Experimental Forest1
Gunnison National Forest1
Holy Cross Wilderness14
Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness3
Indian Peaks Wilderness15
James Peak Wilderness5
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness2
Mount Evans Wilderness2
Mount Massive Wilderness3
Pike National Forest1
Raggeds Wilderness1
Rocky Mountain National Park42
Roosevelt National Forest1
San Isabel National Forest7
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness3
White River National Forest10
Zirkel Wilderness1
TRAILS BY MONTH
January4
February3
March3
April3
May5
June18
July26
August29
September29
October6
November5
December3