Elevation gain: 1,300 ft (From 8,750ft to 10,050ft)
Distance: 3.1 miles, loop (Note the 2 ends of the loop are about a half mile apart)
Difficulty: Moderate ++, depending upon your fitness level and altitude acclimation, most of the incline is packed into the 1st mile either way you go.
This wonderful panoramic trail was the vision of former Forest Service Recreation Manager Jud Wiebe and it is indeed a vision—from the panoramic view of Telluride below, the mountains beyond, the aspen groves, the foresty vibes, and the wildflowers sprinkled along the trail. You’ll be breathless from the beauty and the thin air.
Ps. There’s a short offshoot waterfall trail here that’s a must do too. Post coming soon.
Getting there: S. Take UT-46 E, CO-90 E and CO-145 S to N Aspen St in Telluride
Difficulty: Hard— steep climb in altitude 10k-12k+
Hematite Lake, you had me at hello with your plentiful wildflowers, gurgling streams, and sparkling gem of a lake. So much quintessential Colorado beauty packed into this short, steep, sweet hike. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Note: The trail is single track consistent incline with few switchbacks; consider poles.
Getting there: US-550 S to Silverton, left on Co Rd 2305 ft, left on Greene St and right in CO Rd 2. The trailhead is 0.2mi before the bridge that crosses the Animas. The parking area is on the south side of the road, and the trail begins as two tracks that lead up a grassy hill. Soon it turns into single track and up and away you go. (There are trails beyond the lake to some mine shafts if you wish to explore further.)
Distance: ~6 miles- if you car shuttle, ~12 roundtrip
Elevation gain: ~700-1k
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, depending on your fitness level
Terrain: Mostly a sweet, smooth single track trail, which is why mountain bikers are taking to it too
What can I say? Pine Valley never disappoints. These two trails are a lovely way to spend a couple hours immersed in nature and the fresh, delightfully cooler air.
You can pick up the Canal Trail in 3 spots:
The Cemetery Trail on the left before town will take you up and merge you with the Canal Trail on the rim, where you make a right. (Car shuttle opportunity–1 car here, the other at Mitt Moody Campground.)
You can take the Gardner Peak Trail to where it merges with the Canal Trail and make a right or left – it’s about the midway point if you only want to do part of the trail.
You can start / finish at the Mitt Moody Campground behind site 5. (A car shuttle is handy if you don’t want to walk the same path twice.)
Any route you choose will be pleasant – the Cemetery Trail and Gardner Peak Trail pack the elevation in the first mile and it’s gravy after that. The most gentle approach is the Mitt Moody start. Under the cover of Ponderosa Pine you’ll enjoy wonderful views of Pine Valley and the surrounding mountains.
If you prefer a a short, paved trail, the Santa Clara River Trail is a wonderful alternative or add on. This family-friendly, 2.6 mile out and back trail runs through the forest along a stream and to the reservoir. It can be accessed at Mitt Moody Campground or across from the Gardner Peak parking lot.
Lovely Lower Calf Falls, Grand Staircase Escalante, UT
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation: ~500 ft
Difficulty: Easy (with a fair amount of thick sand walking)
Highlights: 126-foot cascade into a shallow pool, giant petroglyphs in the distance
I was fortunate to return to Lower Calf Creek Falls in Autumn, and it was spectacular! Traces from the season’s first snow accented the gorgeous Fall colors and seeing the waterfall framed in golden leaves was glorious. So much beauty! And thankfully, with the cold, wet weather, there were only a handful of people on the trail. Can’t imagine a better way to experience this magical place!
As you can see, this amazing gem is definitely worth a visit. Lower Calf Falls cascades over a nearly vertical cliff face into a large pool that is enclosed on three sides by sheer Navajo sandstone walls. Pick up an interpretive pamphlet at the trailhead to learn about the flora along the trail and giant petroglyphs in the distance (too far in the distance to get a good pic).
Summer Slide Show
Without question, Grand Staircase Escalante is National Park caliber and deserves to be preserved and protected. Stay tuned for more posts on this area!
Notes: This is a very popular destination for obvious reasons. Go early / late to avoid the crowds. Off-season in stormy weather will deliver more solitude.
Soapbox: If you bring pets, please pick up their poop! This trail (single track in many spots) and the falls’ area are small and quickly becoming overrun and overused. One fellow watched me watching him after his Labrador left a big poop pile on the trail. He took out a poop bag, and then when I turned away, he tucked the bag back in his pocket and left the steaming pile! ARRRGH! No respect for fellow hikers or nature. They should permit this hike, at least on weekends, and fine those who litter and leave their dog’s poop. Don’t get me started about the imbeciles who bag poop and then leave the full bag. I can’t get my head around people who go somewhere to enjoy nature’s beauty and then defile it.
Getting there: Highway 12 to the BLM-managed Calf Creek Recreation Area. The parking lot has limited parking. Go early, or you may have to park along the highway.
Difficulty: Moderate to hard, depending on your fitness level and route-finding skills
Highlights: Forest, meadow, wildflowers, rock gardens, peaks with panoramic views
Terrain: At times sandy, rocky, sooty, deadfall hopping, and scrambly fun
I found the Gardner Peak Trail in Pine Valley quite grand. Indeed, it may be my new favorite Pine Valley hike. The Gardner Peak Trail delivers on several levels—it’s varied and interesting all the way to the top. It’s a steady, but fairly gentle climb (2k) through forest, through nature’s rock gardens, through a meadow, (and a recent burn area), and on up to a couple of peaks—2 rocky and the one, eponymous, taller tree-lined Gardner. Pick a peak, any peak, and play. Plenty of grippy, rock scrambling opportunities. The panoramic views are a delightful reward as well. The trail is easy to follow and trail run-able until you get to mile 3. After that, all bets are off. It quickly becomes a route-finding (or create your own route) obstacle -course challenge through deadfall, boulders, scratchy shrubs, and more. If you don’t have a Garmin or All Trails, you might settle for the beautiful “false peak” rock outcropping with panoramic views a I did my first time through.
Second time is a charm of sorts. Went back to find the “real peak” —this time with my friend and extraordinary explorumentary blogger, Sue Birnbaum and her husband, who were nice enough to guide me and my friend Robin to Gardner Peak. It’s another mile or so from the false peak and about 800 feet higher. It involves some serious scrambling, deadfall and boulder obstacle course maneuvering, and some fancy footwork. Fun times for sure. (No major exposure or technical areas per se.) Would I do it again? Not so sure. There aren’t any panoramic views from the peak so when I do the hike next, I’ll be shooting for my preferred false peak – see slide show above. I did sign in to make the peak bag official. Interestingly enough, we came across another sign in “station”—one with rock mound around a encapsulated plastic container of old loose pages- – the other with an intact notebook. So I guess that makes 2 false peaks-lol. The next slide show is from my Gardner Peak take 2 . Extra bonus—lots of wildflowers from the recent rains and little Zen streams along the way. Nice to see the area green and thriving after the past fire.
Notes: If you’re going to the peak, I suggest using a GPS or the AllTrails app. Also, be sure to check out Sue’s blog for more detailed notes on this hike. Your feet and ankles might be happier in hiking boots. If you’re peak-bound, pants are recommended to spare the skin on your legs from scratches, scars, and impalement from errant branches, rocks, foreign objects – you get the idea. Mine looked like I had a brawl with a mountain lion and it won. If you have tender knees, a pole or 2 might come in handy on the descent. Dogs & horses are allowed.
At about .75 the Gardner Peak trail connects with the Canal Trail, which is both run-able and mountain bike-able.
On the Loose Live 