As the second part of our Weddings and parks adventure, we had planned for a week in Colorado – giving us ample time to explore trails around our accommodations near Boulder and in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Arriving in Denver, with its much drier air and lowered temperatures – sunny and in the 60’s – was welcome change over the hot (90’s) and humid weather we left behind in south Florida. Phew!
Read more about the hikes near Boulder (South Mesa, Royal Arch, and Beaver Brook) and in RMNP.
South Mesa Trail
Plane travel is always a challenge, but even so, after grabbing our rental car and making our way to our accommodations, we had time for a short hike nearby. Walk off the sitting, begin to get accustomed to the higher altitude.
The South Mesa trail seemed like a good candidate. At about 5 miles and roughly 1,000ft of elevation gain, it seemed a nice “afternoon” hike. It was Sunday and a nice low 70s temperature, so many others also had similar thoughts! The parking lots were full, though spaces did open fairly quickly – and we were off. And, we saw a number of people having their pictures taken near the trailhead – seems professional pictures with mountain backdrops is a thing.
The area has many trails, we chose the loop including South Mesa, Bluestem and Shadow Canyon trails, creating a nice loop hike.
The terrain and footing was easy, making the distance pass quickly. We got our first views of some unusual rock formations.
And first views of the stricking difference between the foothills/front range and the flat plains on which Denver and the other cities lie.
It was on this hike we also got our first bit of wildlife – a rattlesnake on the trail. Giving it a wide birth and hoping that would be the one and only we see, we continued on, finishing the hike in just 2hrs.
The Royal Arch
Encouraged by our “warm up” hike the previous day, we decided to be more ambitious and attempt the Royal Arch trail.
I say attempt because this hike began to push up against what we considered “within our wheel house”. While it’s distance was short, listed as 3.3 miles on alltrails.com, it was the “hard” classification and the 1,300ft of elevation gain that was giving us pause. We’d had no ill-effects/symptoms from the day before, so that we agreed to give it a go.
And we’re glad we did! Yes, the hike was short, but the arch itself is awe inspiring and well worth the effort.
Most of the trail is stone steps – thankfully created by some trail crews doing a massive amount of work! The last quarter mile involved a short downhill section with a mix of path and rock hoping. Not bad, but definitely slowing the pace.
Nymph, Dream, Emerald, and Haiyaha Lakes
We wanted to be sure to get into Rocky Mountain National Park – this was our day to do it. We were about an hour+ from the park entrance, making for a longer day, and had read about parking lots filling, so we got an early start.
While this hike has relatively modest distance (5.4mi) and elevation gain (1,150ft), the trailhead is at 9,500ft – definitely beginning to push the envelope on altitude effect kicking in.
We arrived at the trailhead just about 9am and the parking lot was only half full. As it happens, the park has instituted timed entry for the season and it had just ended a few days earlier, so it was a relief to see the many open spaces.
Gearing up
Chavez and Beaver Brook Loop
As part of this Parks and Weddings adventure, we had planned to meet up with the bride/groom-to-be for a hike. They are big hikers as well, so it was a great opportunity to spend time with them, perhaps to help shed some of the pre-wedding jitters and all.
We chose this hike, both for its proximity to the “newlyweds” as well as its length (5.2mi) and difficulty (alltrails calls it moderate).
It was a great choice – easy access, with very few others on the trail, and some interesting rock formations as the brook itself wound its way through the small gorge-like formations.
Explore other posts from this trip:
