Colorado Hike: Chasm Lake (RMNP)

Ask 10 Coloradans why they love this state and I'm going to guess the majority of the answers you get will mention the mountains. They certainly ranked high on our list when we decided to move out here.

For a while I was doing a fairly good job of sharing information about the trails we've hiked or run, but I've fallen out of the habit. I'm going to try and get back in the habit because there are so many gems to be shared - like the beautiful and somewhat difficult trail we hiked this past weekend.

While I always hope this information is helpful for others who are looking for a trail to hike - or run - I personally love being able to look back and see where we've been.

Chasm Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park

This trail begins at the Longs Peak trailhead and shares a trail with the Longs Peak trail for several miles. Roundtrip, you'll travel about 8.5 miles and the "strenuous" rating is on point as far as I'm concerned. The trailhead sits at an elevation of 9,405 feet and the highest recorded elevation on this trail is 11,823 feet. 

The first two or so miles are in an evergreen forest. The trail is very well maintained and clear, which is much appreciated, but don't take your eyes off the trail for too long or else you're likely to trip on rocks or tree roots. The trail crosses streams in a few spots and there are some beautiful waterfalls to cross. We were lucky enough to enjoy beautiful wildflowers along the way, and were also quite popular with the mosquitoes.

Eventually you'll climb out of the forest and reach the alpine tundra. There are no trees for shade and the sun can be punishing, so be sure to wear sunblock and have a hat with you. On the upside, there are beautiful views and you'll have left the mosquitoes behind! The trail is still very easy to follow and you'll enjoy a few short respites where the trail levels off for a bit and you can catch your breath.

You'll make your way to a stretch where you walk along the wall of the canyon and have a view down below to a lower lake and a waterfall. At the end of this section there's a bit of scrambling to do and when we visited, there was still some patches of snow, right along the canyon wall, to cross. We could easily follow the path set by others and our hiking poles were useful.

Once across, there's a beautiful flat section where you'll walk along and cross over streams and likely see a number of marmots - the only animals beyond squirrels, birds and mosquitoes that we saw along the entire hike. Here there is also the second of two privy's along the way that likely are welcome sights for many.

One last climb before the lake. While some have described this as "easy", I felt it was a bit challenging. It's all relative but it is doable. On the way down we determined we had taken the wrong way up, so I'll give you a hint: stay towards the right side on the climb up.

It was all worth it once you make it up that last climb. The lake is beautiful, clear and is an instant reminder of just how small we all are.

Take a few minutes to have a snack, relax, take stock of the work you've put in so far, snap some photos and enjoy the view before you start the trip back to the trailhead.

What to know if you go:

• This lot fills up very early, so plan to arrive before 7:00am
• While you don't enter through a main entrance to the park, it is part of Rocky Mountain National Park, so be sure to pay the entrance fee
• There is a Ranger Station and toilets, as well as picnic tables at the trailhead
• Storms come up quick in Colorado in the summer, especially after noon. So be sure to check the weather forecast before you go and don't start out on your hike if it's already raining or getting really dark. Another great reason to go early. Hiking in a storm is not safe or smart.
• Be sure to take plenty of water, snacks, sunblock and a hat. Bug spray is also advised. 
• Hiking poles are definitely helpful on this trail.
• Have fun, be courteous, leave the animals alone, pack in/pack out, and enjoy this beautiful park!

To help plan your trip, reference this Longs Peak Area Trail Guide from the National Parks Service.

We're open to trail recommendations in Rocky Mountain. If you have one, let me know!

Colorado Hike: Upper Mohawk Lake, Breckenridge

Sleeping in on the weekend for us looks like 7:15am. I'm going to guess it's not much different for a lot of you since we runners tend to get up early and get out on the roads or the trails to put in our miles. This past Saturday however, we were up before 6am so we could get on the road to Breckenridge early.

While only an hour and a half from Denver, it was Woody's first time to Breckenridge and the only time I had been there was for a Powder Day with co-workers. The aspens are reaching their peak color in a lot of the state so we were hoping to see some beautiful colors on our day trip to the high country.

After checking out a number of trail review websites we decided on the Spruce Creek Trail to Upper Mohawk Lake. The trailhead is just a few miles outside of downtown Breckenridge off an accessible dirt county road. We arrived right about 8:30am to a few other cars in the small lot and it was all of 39 degrees! Thankfully I had long pants on over capris and a long sleeve top over a tank, but I could have easily used a pair of gloves as we started off. It's easy to forget how cold it can get at night in the mountains.

The start of the hike was nice and easy. Wide and well groomed, not too much of an incline we were able to walk side by side and could breath easy, even though the trail starts out more than 5,000 feet higher than where we live.

This 6.7 mile round-trip trail reaches its highest point at 12,110 feet with a total elevation gain of 1,810 feet. To put this into some perspective, the Empire State Building is 1,454 feet tall.

While we saw a few other groups of hikers, we had the trail to ourselves most of the way out, which is how I prefer my hiking. It offers us a chance to connect, talk about random things, and also just enjoy nature at it's most peaceful.

The trails winds alongside Spruce Creek a bit, and crosses over a few streams and seasonal runoffs, and through tall pines. About 1.5 miles is a turnoff to Wheeler Trail and then marshy lake with stunning views.

A bit farther down the trail you cross Spruce Creek Road - which actually goes back to the trailhead but from what we saw, would require a truck or SUV to navigate - and a damn. After this, the trail begins to get a bit more technical and steep. Past Mayflower Lake, which we didn't actually see, but there was a turnoff from the trail, things get really serious.

First, are some old mining buildings. This place is far from town now, I cannot even begin to imagine what life was like way out here back when this mine was in action. There is a waterfall just a bit away from these buildings, which is cool to check out, before heading back to the trail.

From here on up, the trail is almost a mythical thing - it was crazy hard to find the trail on our way up and instead we ended up scrambling up steep open rock alongside Continental Falls. At the top of this section there's what's left of an old, tram building with one cable still in tact which we used when we could. To say I was a bit nervous during this section is an understatement. But it felt pretty amazing to get to the top. I wish I had some good photos of this, but I was too focused on just getting through it!

We were a bit tired by the time we got up to this point and without any shade or clouds in the sky, the temperature had jumped dramatically. We hunted around and found the trail again, which led us over a bit of a hill to Lower Mohawk Lake. I have to say, these mountain lakes are beautiful - the water is so clear it's just crazy. Each one unique, some more stunning than others, but all of them incredible.

Just about 3 miles in the lake is a perfect spot to stop for a picnic or a rest, a lot of people also seem to turn around and head back from here. It's a beautiful lake, so it's definitely a fine place to stop, but it's worth it to push on. There were only a few people at Lower Mohawk Lake when we were first there, so it was quite peaceful.

Again, it was tough to find the trail and we had to crosscut a bit through some marshy patches, but we managed to locate the trail and wind our way up a final incline and through some tall bushes. Then out of no where, you're eye level with the lake.

Super clear and a sharp shade of green, not to sound like a broken record, the lake is stunning. There was one guy fishing along the edge of the lake and two others up a bit along the other side, but for a while, they were the only other ones around. A few more hikers arrived and declared that the next two lakes beyond this are even more beautiful, but this was as far as we were going.

Not a bad view the other way either, but there were more pines than aspens. On the way back down there were a lot more people out on the trail. We had read this is a popular trail - which makes sense since it's so close to downtown Breckenridge - and it definitely was. I'm glad we got out on the trail early. Thankfully we were able to find our way down the mountain via the trail, which was still pretty steep but a good bit easier than the way we took up. Talking to some other hikers, we quickly realized we weren't the only ones who had trouble finding the way.

When we got back to the trailhead the small parking lot was overflowing with cars, which were parked along both sides of the narrow road for quite a long way. Another reason to get there early!

A few tips if you're going to do this hike:

• Get there early
• Wear layers
• Wear sunblock - the sun is harsh
• Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated at the high altitude
• There are no outhouses at the trailhead, so make a pit stop in town
• Take a picture of the trail map at the trailhead so you can reference it when you get of course
• Plan to spend some time in Breck after the hike, there are great places to eat and it's a cute mountain town

While we didn't see many aspens on the trail, there were quite a few in downtown Breck and around Frisco, which is where you get back onto 70 - the main highway through the mountains. This photo is from Dillon Reservoir.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy fall weather? * Any favorite hikes or drives to see the colors? 

Hiking O’Fallon Park (Kittredge, Colorado)

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?