Picture Post: Canyonlands

If I had to pick one park from our Arches and Canyonlands trip, I would pick Canyonlands. The pictures at Arches were easy to take; the park speaks for itself. It's so hard to capture the vast beauty of Canyonlands on camera. It was stunning, and my tiny taste was not enough. I want more. 

You see this sign and then you keep driving and driving and driving...

Part of Shafer Trail--where you can drive your Jeep down that scary ass road. Yes, please, and thank you, I'll be doing that next time. 

Shafer Trail

Shafer Trail, look, it was just very cool, alright?

Most of my pictures are from the Grand View Point Trail. It was an easy hike, which we definitely needed at that point in our day.

In recent years, I've developed a bit of vertigo when getting close to cliff edges. I'm not afraid, but I do get dizzy. Rather than letting this hold me back, I've taken to getting on my butt to get out to the edge.

It's just canyons, as far as your eyes can see. It's amazing.

I loved this view so much, I did it twice with two different camera lenses.

Same spot on Grand View Point Trail, different camera lens.

This doesn't even really capture the gorgeous color of it all.

And it is SUCH a drop, just RIGHT THERE.

My sister is terrified of heights but I convinced her this would be an amazing picture and she would thank me later. I think she was swearing at me during this picture.

We stopped other places but I honestly don't know what I did with my pictures? I think I may not have offloaded them from my camera. Here, have another picture from Grand View Point Trail.

Canyonlands National Park

After hitting the Arches Visitor Center and getting some snack, we switched drivers and decided it was time to head into Canyonlands National Park. 

I know these national parks looks close together, and they ARE, just not as close you THINK they are. Canyonlands is a bit of a commitment to get into, and oh, it's so worth the commitment. But first: prepare. Once you are in the park, plan on staying in until you are done. Bring your water. No, bring more water than that. Being snacks, again, more snack than you thought. Make sure you have a full tank of gas. As we were driving in, there were multiple signs to the effect of "there's no food, water, gas, or place to stay in here. You sure about this? You got everything you need for a day? Okay, cool, let's go!" 

We only visited Island in the Sky; there are two (three if your count the river) other districts of Canyonlands (the Maze; Needles). Turning onto Island in the Sky Road after leaving Arches took fifteen minutes. It then took a bit more than half an hour from that turn to actually get into the park and to the Visitor's Center, and that was with no traffic and no line for entry. We decided to drive all the way down to Grand View Point with no stops (planning for stops on the way back), and that took another half hour. Like I said: time commitment. 

Canyonlands was such a stunner. The colors are vivid and contrasting; there's a similar feel to the Grand Canyon but the canyons are many, so many, and they are everywhere, and they are open and vast, rather than tall and deep. It feels like there's no end in sight, and you just keep looking at canyon following canyon until your vision can't take anymore. Canyons, mesas, buttes, arches... it's just everything, everywhere, all colors, all at the same time. 

We drove to Grand View Point, and hiked the rim trail. We knew we might only have time or energy for one to two hikes in Canyonlands (remember, at this point, we've basically been awake since yesterday morning), so we wanted to pick our best hikes. 

Grand View Point trail did not disappoint. It's two miles, walking from the point of Island in the Sky along the rim, and you have views of the canyons and mesa from both sides. If you've got a fear of heights, I would try to overlook trail and assess how you feel. You can stay plenty far enough back form the big drops, but it's impossible not to see the drop. It was beyond words. The color, the silence, the views. We frequently stopped for pictures and to just sit on the rim, looking out into the vast beyond. We shared the trail with other people, but even though it was steady traffic, it was not overwhelming and there were still moments of solitude. I saw someone flying a drone, which pissed me off, but I didn't happen to cross paths with them. NO DRONES IN THE PARKS, PEOPLE ugh I am off my soapbox now. 

This hike did not feel particularly strenuous to me, and All Trails rates it as easy. I noticed some people struggling with stairs, but I think that might be more of a product of elevation--which I definitely noticed but YAY all that training has paid off and the elevation change gave me zero trouble. This trail has no shade--they day we hiked was cool (high 40s, low 50s) and honestly, I would not want to be there when it was much hotter. It would be easy to overheated and become quite ill. 

Other trails and overlook points we hiked: White Rim (also amazing, highly recommend) and Shafer Canyon Overlook. We did quite a bit of the "jump out of the car, race up to overlook for the scenic view" type behavior, because we were rapidly running out of gas, the human variety. Our car was fine. The same commentary applies for all of Canyons--vast, overwhelming beauty. We desperately wanted to stay longer, but also did not want to drive four hours back to SLC in the dark. We stayed in Canyonlands for about 3.5 hours and it was no where near enough. It was like licking one small lick of your favorite dessert platter. I can't wait to go back here. 

One thing we saw was that there was an off road vehicle trail--a Jeep trail. In fact there are quite a few opportunities to use a 4WD, high clearance vehicle and do some "scenic auto touring", as the NPS website calls it. It looked AMAZING--we could see some far off Jeeps, looking like tiny specks--on the list for the future. 

Also on the list for the future is going to Canyonlands before sunrise and watching sunrise there. A popular place for this is Mesa Arch, but I really want to see sunrise at Grand View Point trail, along that rim trial some where, or on the White Rim trail.

Arches National Park

This past week was the whirlwind trip to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, plus a side of Great Salt Lake State Park. I want to preface this by saying, WHEW that was an adventure, from the start and the crazy flight times to the driving through the night to the adventure itself. 

This part is just going to be Arches. 

My sister (JE) and our friend (D) rolled into Salt Lake City around the same time as me--12:30 am. We met at baggage claim, rented a car, packed up, and started the drive to Moab around 1:00 am. It's a 3.5 hour drive, and that drive is a doozy in the dark, especially when you've never driven it before. We talked and planned and took turns napping.

We rolled into Arches at 5:15 am, and slid into the park prior to reservations being required, which was our major goal, since we did not manage to snag a timed entry ticket. We made our way to the Windows section, and parked at the trail head there. By 5:45, we were out of the car and walking around, and it began to lighten up. We hiked the trail while the sun was rising, and experienced Turret Arch and the North Window Arch for sunrise. We actually watched the sun rise through/in North Window, and, oh. It was magical and lovely. 

We hung out there for awhile, going  back and forth between Turret and North Window, watching the sunrise and just listening to the silence and the birds and feeling the massive temperature difference between the shade and rays of sun. We continued on the rest of the loop on the Primitive Trail portion, and while it was easy, it was also easy to lose the trail. JE and D would have been lost-ish if I had not been there. Some experience here helps with recognizing how to follow trail markers and cairns. There were a few spots of minor rock scrambling that were fun, and the views were sweeping and wonderful. 

We saw literally two other people. Sunrise hikes for the win, y'all. 

We then did Double Arch and Cove Arch via Parade of Elephants. I thought Double Arch would be cool, but I wasn't expecting to be completely captivated by it. It just really struck a chord with me and I was mesmerized. When I saw someone scrambling up, the words "Fuck yeah!" popped out of my mouth and up I went. Again, since it was so early in the day, we saw maybe five other people. We hiked on via Parade of Elephants to Cove Arch, and then back to the car. 

We did the quick Balanced Arch viewpoint hike, and stopped at many pullouts along the way. Since we were trying to cram so much into one day, we opted to skip Delicate Arch, and just do the view point hike. If you are trying to check the box and see Delicate Arch, just know that the view is a big distance from the actual arch, so it's quite tiny. If you really want to see it, do the hike. We were ambivalent about it, so we were fine with the tiny sighting. 

From there, we stopped at Fiery Furnace pullouts and oh boy DO I EVER want to do that when I come back. We headed back to Devil's Garden, and just meandered, hiking parts of random trails but with no real goal in mind. We were getting close to our go-time for switching to Canyonlands, so we did not want to get too deep in. 

As always, the Visitors Center was fabulous, and I recommend as many of the pullouts with interpretative signs as possible. There's just so much to learn. 

I can't wait to come back here with JK and the kids; this is a very kid friendly place, and it's wild and interesting and easily accessible for kids, with so much to keep them interested and moving. 

I definitely would love to do another sunrise here. I would like to do sunrise at Delicate Arch, and then go right over to Devil's Garden and spend the rest of the time there, hiking the various trails. I also want to do Fiery Furnace, and hit a few of the trails closer to the visitors center. 

All in all, highly recommend. It was a quick sampler, but it was wonderful and enticing, and I can't wait to go back. 

Short Recap: Spring Break 2022

We did our spring break in Chicago and Indiana Dunes National and State Parks, along with hikes in Fort Ben State park. We had a blast, and my foot survived. The weather cooperated NOT AT ALL. It didn't matter when we were in Chicago--we were inside at the Museum of Science and Industry--but it was either raining, sleeting, or outright snowing for the rest. 

Fort Ben hikes: Camp Creek, Harrison Trace, Walnut Grove trails. We often had to jump off the trails and onto the paved trails due to mud, and we were basically dancing in between raindrops. 

Indiana Dunes: We visited both the state and national parks, an it sleeted on us. We had to keep things short and sweet, which was a real bummer, because we LOVED it. We are planning a weekend return trip. Hikes included: West Beach Succession Trail, (national park), part of the Portage Riverwalk, part of trail 9 (state park), part of trail 10 (state park), part of trail 3 (state park), and part of trail 4 (state park). 

The Indiana Dunes National Park Visitors Center was GREAT. The kids loved it--they loved reading the information, getting brochures, talking to the ranger on duty, and watching the info movie. The movie got them very excited to come back and do more in the late spring/summer/fall, when the weather is better. They did the junior ranger program, and marched off with their books. The ranger on duty was just pleased anyone had tried any hiking at all in that weather, and thought the kids were troopers. 

Picture Post: Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak

Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, in pictures. Brace yourself, because there is almost nothing of Pikes Peak--the visitors center and the cog railway were both under heavy construction, and all the views were obstructed at the top. 

Of course, SOME of us like the construction vehicles (ahem, JD).

Kind of sort of a view.

Don't let the lack of pictures scare you off BUT MAYBE this drive up the mountain should. I am kidding, it was spectacular. I love stopping at the pull outs and scrambling around. 

Although it turns out I am a very anxious passenger on this ride up Pikes Peak, I still love it. LOVE IT. It's such an adrenaline rush. Also there are brake check stops, where they take the temperature of your brakes and sometimes make you pull over if you brakes are overheating. That's how steep the incline is.

Like I said, I love stopping at the pull outs. We did a bunch of short, one mile hikes at a ton of stopping points. 

After Pikes Peak, we went on to our house in Garden of the Gods. This view was 50 yards from where we stayed. Seriously. 

We actually hiked this trail in the late evening our first night there, but the view were, uh, limited then.

There was something so magical about this section. It was like walking through a long hall, approaching a god's throne. 

We kept going but then the kids got goofy and there are many silly kid pictures.

The famous Kissing Camels, on the main track of sights to see.

If you zoom in on the wall, you will see a surprise.

This is just amazing and it really made me wish I could join those climbers on the top. Zoom in on the peak! What an adrenaline rush that must be. Yes, please.

Balanced Rock, which hangs over a main road in and out of the park. It's often quite busy there.

The tree is not dead-dead, it's only MOSTLY dead. Joke compliments of my niece.

The Siamese Twins rock, which was part of a really great hike. 

Real talk, that red dust is brutal. Look at JD's butt! Also, look at the awesome piggyback assist device we have.

At one point, we took a break and sat under an outcropping for snacks. It's hard to believe you are in a smaller park in the middle of a city with that view. Also, our butts were totally covered in red dust after this break. 

Finishing up our hike and our time at Garden of the Gods. We hiked the kids into exhaustion that day with 2 three mile hikes, then drove them home starting at 3 am the next morning. They slept hard in the car for a long time.

The Almost Trip: Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Well, we will just chalk this one up to a missed trip, and save it for planning purposes I guess. I was defeated by a combination of the Midwest weather and my own forgetfulness. 

I was driving to Buffalo NY for a baby shower, and the route between my place and Buffalo takes you directly through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I've been meaning to stop for years, but we are always racing through on our way to family, usually with increasingly hostile small humans in the back (the trip to Buffalo is at least 8 hours), so we've typically just pushed through. This time, though, it was just me and EJ, so we thought we take our time and stop mid-trip for a hike.

Life did not cooperate.

A storm swept across the Midwest, starting with dumping rain all over us for more than 12 hours, then having the temperatures plummet. Our backyard is still covered in ice. We received a generous helping (for Indiana) of snow to sit on top of that ice. The storm then perfectly traced the route from my house to my sister house, dropping buckets of rain, ice, and snow all along the way. We delayed our departure time to let the roads clear up, and even then, the road to Buffalo was littered with semis and cars off the road in ditches, being rescued by tow trucks. It was very slow going and dicey in some parts. 

We decided it was best to drive through, and I waved to CVNPS on the way, figuring we could stop on the way back.

You know what's helpful for hiking in a national park in the snow and ice? Your microspikes and trekking poles. You know what I forgot? My microspikes and trekking poles. I looked around Buffalo at various stores, and while I could have easily bought extra trekking poles, microspikes were nowhere to be found.

EJ and I thought we might give it a try, but one look at the trail head convinced me that was a bad idea. Ice was the reigning theme, and the last thing this trip needed was for the only adult, driver, and sole source of EJ's ability to get home to bite it on the ice because we tried to hike without the right equipment. 

Sometimes, that's part of the adventure--the miss. It's always part of learning to hike and have more adventures--knowing when to make the right call, knowing your limits, and knowing the limits of the people you have with you. EJ and I have a funny thought somewhat disappointing story that is part of a larger trip where we had a great time, and we have a plan we are looking forward to pulling off. I will remember my gear and hope for better weather, and there are no injuries, which seemed pretty likely.

I can't wait to hike Brandywine Falls, though.

Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak

Garden of the Gods was our multi-day stopping point on our way home from our October 2020 journey; it was also the first place we went on our honeymoon, and this was the first time we returned since then. Once, freshly married, well rested, and otherwise bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; the second time older, wiser, and with more children and much less sleep. 

I liked it better the second time.

The first time, we did what I think most people do--drive in, do the visitor's center, walk the paved paths and see the cool rocks. If that's all you do, it's still otherwordly and interesting. You see amazing things and learn cool history, and it's all very accessible--it's a great place no matter how you tackle it. 

The second time, though--this second time was something more for me. There's a decent amount of easy to moderate hiking all through Garden of the Gods, and since we just came off much higher elevations, it was all cinch. Our hiking was extremely facilitated by the fact we stayed at a VRBO that was literally on the park boundary, so we just hiked in all the days we were there. 

Both times we've been, we've also done Pikes Peak. We've only done the drive up, hang out, drive down thing, with some stops and tiny hikes at a few places. 

Stay

We loved our VRBO house this time around. We stayed in a house right by the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site, and we hiked in through there.

Hiking

There are 21 miles of hiking in Garden of the Gods, and we often combined trails at intersection points.

South Garden Parking Lot--we did the Ute Trail, Niobrara Trail, Ridge Loop, and Old Colorado City from this parking lot / trailhead. We rarely were around people, and it was easy hiking with fantastic views. Some times you are meandering through a grassy plain area, looking at the wild rock formations, and then suddenly you are IN the rock formations. It was the best of both words, and these were the trails we actually most often took from the backside, hiking in from our rental.

From the Trading Post area: We did a slightly shortened version of The Scotsman Trail, which gives you some big highlights of this side of the park (Balanced Rock, Siamese Twins, The Scotsman, and a bit beyond before looping back.

Accessible Trails: These are paved and real stunners. We treated them more like easy strolls and exploring, and we got to see a bunch of rock climbers, which really set the kids' imaginations on fire. Get here from the main parking lots. 

Hikes for the future at Garden of the Gods:

1. Buckskin Charlie Loop
2. Full Scotsman Loop
3. Full Cabin Canyon and Central Garden Trail Loop (about 4 miles total)
4. Complete Outer Loop of the Park
5. Bretag Trail combined with Palmer Trail

Eats

Basically all our meals on this trip were at home, with the notable exception of ice cream at the Colorado City Creamery and high elevation doughnuts at the top of Pike's Peak. The last time we were here, we stayed at a B&B and snagged take out, so I am afraid I am of no help on this point. Other than the ice cream. Ice cream is always a good choice. 

To Do List for the Future

I am absolutely, 10000% going to sign up for rock climbing lessons and sessions next time we are there. You'll find that's probably a theme for me--it's something I really want to try generally--but it's even more true here. There were people! Climbing up these gorgeous red rocks! Standing on the peaks of rock fins! It was so cool.

If it had been running, we would have done the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, but alas, the entire peak was under construction while we were there, and it was honestly all a mess. I was glad we had memories from our honeymoon of how outstanding it can be, because otherwise, it was disappointing. We would have loved to get our train-obsessed little one on the railway, so that's on the list for next time. 

Speaking of Pikes Peak, that's one I would like to do again, for the third time in my life, but I want o hike parts. I would love to take a shortened summit route, or even just point-to-point hike part of the trail with a vehicle pick up. I'd also like to spend more time hiking the trails at the lower elevations and points of interests.

Rocky Mountain National Park

 We've been back to Rocky Mountain National Park quite a few times--honeymoon, anniversary, quick trips, etc. None of those times were quite so epic as October 2020, when we went to RMNP for a week and a half, and then stayed a few days at Garden of the Gods. This part will cover RMNP, and we will save Garden of the Gods for later. 

Deciding To Go

It was pandemic times. We had planned a glorious trip for March 2020--Zion, Escalante, Grand Canyon, Saguaro--which, well. We all know what happened to plans in the United States in March 2020. By the end of July, we were more comfortable with what safety precautions were needed and our itch to travel was at an all time high. Driving to our original plan was just too far, but Estes Park? That seemed doable. EJ, our oldest, was in virtual school. JD was still in daycare. So, reader, we went for it. I took two weeks off; JK planned to work remotely a bit; EJ would do some school. We were going to drive it, rent a cabin, and just hike around.

Getting There

Whew, driving from Indiana to Colorado was something else. JK and I decided that if it was just us, we would have a grand time either way (making a long trip out of it, or just barreling straight through). The kids had other ideas. They slept until Missouri, they were well behaved until 3 pm, and then it all disintegrated, understandably. 

The drive is EASY. Get on I-70. Drive until you hit Denver. We stopped in Denver and stayed at a hotel--Denver was as far as the kids could make it, and we knew there was a giant train station in downtown Denver that would delight the very soul of JD. Sure enough, we had a leisurely morning, stopped in bookstores, explored downtown, and yes, sat on the platform and watched trains for quite some time.

The drive from Denver to Estes Park is gorgeous--mountains, twists, turns, and then, suddenly you open up on to Estes Park and it's just stunning. We had some time to kill so we got ice cream--yes, in October, and it was snowing--before checking into our VRBO.

You don't need 4WD in summer, but we were sure glad to have it in October. There were a few times where it snowed and sleeted while we were up over 12,000 feet on winding roads.

Staying There

We've stayed in hotels, in B&Bs, and in VRBO-style cabins/houses. So far, our favorite was the cabin we stayed in for this trip. We almost exclusively tend to rent or otherwise stay along Tunnel Road, aka Highway 66 in Estes Park, and that's where our cabin was again. You generally get great views here, it's an easy shot to the market, super close to Beaver Meadows Entrance, there's a coffee shop and a great barbeque place, the river is right there, AND, most important to me (us), the road dead ends. At that dead end is a small parking lot that's almost never full, and you can hike right into the backcountry to RMNP.

My next place that I want to stay is the YMCA of the Rockies. Depending on how many of us there are, we will do a cabin or stay in the lodge. You should seriously check them out--they get rave reviews, there's lots to do on the grounds (rock climbing! fire pits! axe throwing! a pool!), you can hike into the park, and they do things like guided hikes. 

If I get to take a solo trip this year, YMCA of the Rockies is absolutely where I am staying. I like supporting a beloved fixture of the community that I love generally. On a trip by myself, where I really want to hike, I appreciate the guide--not because I am not confident in my hiking and map abilities, but because my parents did not raise a fool. One wrong footstep is a broken ankle, no matter how prepared you are, and I would rather would have someone around.

Hikes

We've done a fair number of hikes in RMNP, so I'm going to share the hikes we liked best... so far. 

1. Bierstadt Lake. There are two ways to get here--the shorter way, which has a ton of switchbacks and feels like you are clawing your way up through rocks on the side of a mountain, and there's the longer way, which starts at Bear Lake and is a more gradual increase. Reader, we hiked the short way. Honestly, I wouldn't trade it. It was exhausting and we were sucking wind for sure, but the views off those switchbacks were amazing. Then we plunged into a forest, only to be confronted with what felt like a hike through a creek bed full of rocks on the way up--so vertical that it felt like a scramble. Yes, the kids did it, even JD, who was 3 at the time. The reward is a mountain lake that's isolated. I felt like I was alone in a divot at the top of the world. I definitely want to try the other routes, but I did love this.
2. Moraine Park. Every time we drove past Moraine Park, every time, the words "want" and "to" and "hike" and "THAT" were tumbling off my tongue. I am sure I got annoying. But it's this gorgeous giant meadow surrounded by rising land around it. Every time I've been there, animals like to hang out, and there's a meandering stream running through it. I got my wish rather abruptly in October 2020. My brother had flown out with some of his family to see us and stay for a few days. On our way back down Trail Ridge Road, we drove past Moraine Park, and he blurted out "I HAVE to hike that." So out of the car he and I tumbled, leaving behind our spouses and children, with one hydration pack between us, in the sleet/snow. Promises were made to return a few hours later to pick us up, and off we went. It was magical. It's fairly flat, so it could be a good first day hike. You weave in and out of the tree line, alongside the stream, and in the middle, the elk were bugling. There was no sound but the elk, the stream, and the sleet hitting my coat. It we had more water (and we're getting fairly soaked and snowed upon), we likely would have picked another trail that led off it and kept going. This is an all time favorite of mine, and I can't wait to have the kids do it with us.
3. Bear Lake - Nymph Lake - Dream Lake - Emerald Lake. This is an easy way to hit four mountain lakes. The hike is not hard around Bear Lake, and then you can tack on the hikes to other three lakes. It's about 3 miles from trail head to Emerald Lake, and an elevation gain of 700 ft. This is definitely a busier trail, though the numbers decrease the further you go. It feels very quintessential--lakes, trees, mountains, at a very low (or "low" depending on ability) barrier. 
4. East Portal / Wind River / Emerald Mountain / Sprague Lake. These are lumped together because we've done all or parts of these trails, some times jumping trails at intersections. This is why we love our Tunnel Road stays so much--the trail head is at the end of the road, and we can hike to Sprague Lake, up Emerald Mountain, or on a much longer hike over towards Estes Cone and Lily Mountain. Sometimes, we just go up here and hike the trails aimlessly, just enjoying the backcountry. It's so quiet. SO QUIET that the silence fills your ears and you start hearing everything. Sprague Lake is a real stunner for sunrise, too. Emerald Mountain is a hard climb (or at least, it was for me, since I stupidly did it on the first day there--altitude adjustment is a thing, people), but oh man, the views are something. Gosh, I love this trail head.
5. Lily Ridge / Lily Lake / Lily Mountain. This was a surprise for us, though it shouldn't have been. It's an incredibly easy lake to access--it's right there off the parking area, and yet, it did not really register with us that it was there until we drove past on way to Allenspark for family pictures. We went here after a huge day--hiking up above tree line, my hike with my brother around Moraine Park, and then this area. Lily Lake trail is a great, accessible, flat trail around the lake. It's a real stunner. If you're in the mood for a hike rather than a stroll, Lily Ridge Trail is what you want. It's rated easy, but my heart was pounding on the way up--could have been wiped out from the rest of the day, though. It's short, but take your time and take in the views. Best to have a map for this one, because parts of the trial are over rock and it's easy to lose the trial (but you can always see where you need to be, so don't worry too much). We did the hard climb first, rather than last. There's lots of rocks, some almost scrambling, and the view payoff is fantastic for very little effort. The Lily Mountain  climb is fairly demanding--4 miles, 1300 ft elevation gain. Fun fact: Lily Mountain itself is in Roosevelt National Forest, and the trail head is a bit before the Lily Lake Parking lot. Because it's in a National Forest, you can have a leashed dog with you. Make sure you have a map--the trial is dicey at the start. It's a workout, and there's a scramble at the top, but my God, the views. It's so worth it.
6. Alpine Visitors Center. It's not a hike--not really. It's walking up a staircase, but damn, if you are a flatlander like me, it's a HIKE at that elevation. We did this on our honeymoon and I didn't make it. That's when we first found out I get altitude sickness. People on the path were encouraging me to keep going but I could barely hear them--all I could hear was my head pounding, feeling like it was going to explode, my vision was weird, and the only thing I knew was that down was safety. After careful preparation, I was thrilled to climb this staircase with no problem in later years. Every time I've been back has been in the snow--snow pelting my face, 60 MPH winds, fog, and still, it's gorgeous. You're in the alpine. You're above the tree line. You are at the top and you can see everywhere (unless your eyelids froze to your face or your brother threw a snowball into your face). A similar experience is the Tundra Communities Trail
7. Ute Trail. There's lots of areas and ways to use the Ute Trail, so take your pick. There's rich and important history to it that gives you a little extra chill as you are walking. If you can, consider having someone drop you at one point and pick you up at another, doing a point to point hike (unless you are feeling some of the longer, 8 mile type hikes). We liked Poudre Lake to the Alpine Ridge, and taking the Ute Trail from the Alpine Visitors Center to Forest Canyon pass, with a pick up there. The Ute Trail gives you a lit of everything, below tree line, above it, alpine meadow, trees, lakes, rocks.
8. Alluvial Fan. Our family is a big fan of the Alluvial Fan trail and area (heh). The Alluvial Fan trial itself is accessible; the waterfall is very pretty, and the views as you turn around and look back are, of course, stunning. What makes this place so cool is how it came to be--an earthen dam gave way and flooded the park, leaving behind a whole new landscape--boulders displaced and scattered around in a field of rock, trees and earth ripped out, etc. The trail is very short and easy, but the kids went nuts over the boulders, climbing on top of boulders three times their size. We spent a huge amount of time here, given how short the trial was. If you are surefooted and careful, you can do what we saw others doing (and what we did)--hike up the side, on the rocks and boulders, climbing up alongside the tumbling water (rapids might be more accurate?). We hiked up quite a way with EJ and eventually found a narrow place to cross and descend. It was a huge hit and favorite memory. This area in particular is a stunner in the fall--there's huge groves of aspen trees, so leave from here and wander up towards Endo Valley, then hang out at that picnic area, exploring. I think this (Alluvial Fan, Old Fall River Road, Endo Valley) is a great first day or two activity--flat-ish, more exploring than strenuous hiking, easy pay off on fun and views, and neat history.

Hikes on our list:

1. Ute Trail Hikes. Hiking the Ute Trail to Peak 12150; Beaver Meadows to Ute Trail (we'd like to do this as a point to point).
2. Old Fall River Road--you can drive it in the summer, one way, up only. Other times, you can bike or walk it--pretty sure you can even ski or snowshoe it.
3. Glacier Gorge trailhead to The Loch, Lake of Glass, and Sky Pond. This is a huge one that I would plan to spend all day on. I suspect that JK and I alone could do it in a decent amount of time, but why would I want to do that? I want to spend all the time I can with this trail.
4. Glacier Gorge trail to Mills Lake, Shelf Lake, and Solitude Lake. Some day, I'd also like to give Black Lake, Green Lake, Blue Lake, and Frozen Lake a go.
5. Beaver Ponds, Cub Lake, Fern Lake--this is one of those trails we saw leading off as my brother and I were hiking Moraine Park. 
6. Cache La Poudre River Trail.
7. West side--while we've done some hikes and nature trails on this side, we've not really dug in much. We tend to come over, do a short hike or two, and head back, but that's a complete disservice to the west side, and we are looking forward to some more in-depth exploring. Green Mountain trail; Big Meadows Trail; Onahu Trail; Valley and River Loop; Granite Falls.
8. Wild Basin--I am so excited to explore this area, which we have not gotten to at all. Cascade Falls and Ouzel Lake are on the list, along with others. 

Eats

We loved Coffee on the Rocks, Inkwell and Brew, Kind Coffee, and Mile High Coffee. The Rock Inn was delicious, as was Smokin' Dave's BBQ (also great for huge family style meal take out). The Egg of Estes was great for breakfast. Poppy's Pizza and Grill was perfect for a takeout pizza night. We did a lot of cooking at home, and we used The Country Market. I know there's a debate of over prices and stock, but that was closest to us, and we were not being fancy--we were doing basic grilling and veggies. There are also places like Scratch Deli where they will make a picnic lunch for you--high recommend.

Lastly, You Need Pie. No serious, the Estes Park Pie Shop is right, and you need pie. From them. Immediately. Every day.

Random Thoughts and Tips

Altitude issues. As noted, I got (and likely still can/will) get altitude sickness. I know there are medications and "this one weird trick" type tips that people give, but none of that was going to cut it for me. Here's what I did. (1) Exercise and train. Swimming, intense spin classes, as much walking and hiking ahead of time. The swimming really helps me build up my lung capacity, which I think helped the most. Basically, fitness helps. (2) Plan your days--start easy. We planned short, flat, gentle hikes for the first few days. More exploring, rather than challenges. (3) So much water. All the water. Constant hydration. Like Mad Eye Moody, but water instead of vigilance. Also sunscreen. (3) No alcohol. I know, I know, you're on vacation, and you want a beer after that hike. For me, I am pretty much zero alcohol in the mountains. One glass of wine, one spiked seltzer in the mountains is a recipe for the worst hangover ever for me. So I don't. My mountain indulgence is hot chocolate or tea, with plenty of water to rehydrate. (4) Take your time. If you are a flatlander, there's only so much you can do to prepare. Plan for hikes to take longer, and really, there's no drawback to that. Take in the view! That's what you came for, not some athletics feat where you hike a mountain in record time (unless that's you, then go on with your badass self). Sit on a rock. Take a break. Take some pictures. Ponder.

Maps. If you're hiking, get good, detailed maps. Physical maps are great, if you know how to use them. Maps on your phone, say from All Trails or a similar type, are also great. Make sure you've downloaded them and your phone is fully charged, if you are going that route. It's saved us many a time from veering off onto another trail accidentally and taking a road not intended.

First aid. I don't hike with a basic first aid kit, and I have absolutely used it--on myself, on JK, on the kids, on random hikers passing by. I got a great compact one off Amazon that I replenish, and sometimes JK hikes it with it hooked to his belt.

Pictures. First off, we treated ourselves and got professional family pictures last time we were out there. We found a great photographer, paid for half an hour of her time (a mini session), and walked away having had fun and with great family pictures in the freaking mountain. Highly recommend. Second, we bought a lightweight, easy to use mirrorless camera. JK fell in love with it and he's become our family picture taker. We dropped $500 on it, but man, that little machine was worth it. The pictures are amazing, form the mountains to soccer games. Third, I got some Moment lenses. Basically, they are souped up lenses that I attach to my phone and they really enhance the quality of my phone pictures. I have a zoom, a wide angle, and a filter that helps adjust for super bright light. Those three things have made some great photos right off my phone. Last, take your time. Take the picture. But also enjoy the moment--don't worry about capturing everything. It's impossible.

Location and seasons and timing hikes. We've been in RMNP in summer, late summer, and fall. Perhaps I am biased because of the time spent and depth we got to experience, but my favorite is the fall. We've gone in September and October (most recently, after the reservation system was in effect), and in the later parts of October, there were less people, the aspens were still gorgeous, we will had some 50F-60F days, and we had some snow. Summer had its own beauty--more flowers, the streams and waterfalls were fuller, the weather was nicer, and the greenery was stunning. There were considerably more people. If you are a hiker, its easy enough to get away from the people, but have fun getting in the park.

As far as location goes, we've obviously stayed only in Estes Park, with wanderings over to Grand Lake area. You get devotees of both, and I am excited to do more exploring on the Grand Lake end soon. What's really calling me, though, is Wild Basin. It's quieter, less explored, and, well, wilder. The road is dicey and the parking is limited. The wildlife and plant life are abundant.

Timing hikes is key, especially if you are going above the tree line. Thunderstorms out of nowhere are a real things, and you do not want to be caught caught above the tree line in one. Also, check to make sure areas of the park you want to visit are open, and have not been closed due to congestion or recent fires. 

Other things I want to do:

1. Back country hiking and camping.
2. Camping at Moraine Park campgrounds.
3. Visit in winter to cross country ski and snowshoe.
4. Summit a few of the lower peaks.
5. hike across the continental divide.
6. Take rock climbing lessons from one of the local outfitters.