We have done very little hiking this summer. While we had planned to do quite a bit during August, those plans were put aside as Woody and I both ended up traveling more than we had expected. So on the last weekend of summer, we made a point to get out for a hike!
We stuck close to Denver and headed up to O’Fallon Park not far from Evergreen, but just outside Kittredge – about a 40 minute drive from our house in Sunday morning traffic. The road we took to the park was pretty narrow and windy, but beautiful. O’Fallon is in an area where there are parks all over – with many options for hikers, trail running, mountain bikers and even some that allow horseback riding.
Many of the parks are interconnected; this one in particular connects in with Corwina, Lair O’ The Bear, and Pence parks, resulting in many options when it comes to exploring! With this being our first visit to O’Fallon Park, we headed out on Meadow View Loop, expecting to take it around back to the trailhead after exploring a few short out and backs for a total of about 4 miles.
We are definitely still learning when it comes to hiking, as we were reminded once again when we took a left turn instead of going straight along a grassy piece of the trail. We ended up going the opposite direction from what we intended! Thankfully, we had a map – we do know that a strong cell signal out on the trails is rare – so we were able to figure out where we had ended up. Instead of a loop, we did an out and back of 4.5 miles.
We did find a nice little high spot near panorama point perfect for a quick break to enjoy the view, fresh air and chirping birds. There was a threat of rain but thankfully we had peeks of sun and blue sky! The weather can be completely different in the city and the mountains, even the foothills, and it can change suddenly so we took rain jackets in our backpack with the water and had extra socks and shoes waiting in the car. Thankfully we didn’t need them!
There were a good number of other people out on the trails – I’d say more mountain bikers than hikers – but it wasn’t crowded. I enjoyed the shade, varying terrain and proximity to the city. Even though there are many places to hike around here, I wouldn’t be opposed to going back and staying on the trail we had planned to hike! I’d say this is a good place for locals and those visiting Denver who are looking for a good workout. Another nice aspect is that there are several nearby small towns including Evergreen, Kittredge and Morrison with cute cafes perfect for a post-hike brunch!
What did you accomplish on the last weekend of summer? * What are you most looking forward to this fall?
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