Clear Creek Park in Wheat Ridge, Colorado; A spring walk along the river

Clear Creek and one of the bridges crossing it

I haven't been up into the mountains as much this winter compared to last year; in 2010 at least once per week I was hitting the road for solo winter and spring hikes in Boulder or one of the many areas near Mt. Evans.  This winter, I have been opting for staying closer to the metro area, and walking or hiking at parks and trails which are much more accessible for many people.  Both hiking up a peak and walking down a popular trail have their advantages; but I must admit I enjoy hiking peaks much more. 
With that said, the smell of spring is definitely in the air along the Front Range and walking next to a babbling river with ducks, fish and dogs playing in the water reminds me of growing up in Michigan.  Spring there has the smell of thawing water and fresh grass; and walking next to Clear Creek yesterday I could smell the river and feel the sense of spring in the air.  However, with the dry conditions in Colorado, I am hoping that we get at least one more blast of snow or a lot of rain. 

NREL Trailhead on South Table Mountain, Golden Colorado

Belle looking for deer

I was prompted to hike at the NREL trailhead after a reader posted a comment asking about the mileage of the trail system there.  Since this trail is near to my house, I decided to head on over for a hike and find out; plus I was eager to see if the dusting of snow we received helped the foliage start to bloom.  I didn't see any flowers, or even cactus flowers, but there was a tiny tint of green on the mountainside, unfortunately if we don't get some rain or snow soon, this spring and summer are going to be very dry. 

If you haven't hiked this trailhead, its definitely one to check out; its close to the metro area, great for trail running, easy to moderate mountain biking, or just a great hike with views of the city, front range, and often you will see lots of deer that frequent the area.  Plus, there is always something interesting going on at NREL; which is heavily patrolled especially on top of Table Mountain.  (this does not interfere with your hike, there is a fence and boundary)

Flatiron Vista, Boulder Colorado; large trail system creates short or very long hikes

Views of the Flatiron Mountains

It was a cloudy day in Golden when I decided that I needed to end work for the day and get outside for a little hike.  I grabbed the dogs and my supplies quickly and unfortunately, hastily (I forgot food) then we jumped into the car and drove up Hwy 93 toward Boulder. 
I had a hike in mind, the Flatirons Vista, it's a trailhead that I have been to many times, but not recently.   The trailhead has been re-done with a nicer bathroom, different trail map and gate system, and a larger parking lot which can accommodate trailers for horse trailer parking. 
Several years ago, Josh and I hiked here with Rock, we had planned on a 2-3 hour hike, but somehow it turned into at least double that when we crossed the river on the backside of the trail just below the mountains; but there was no place to re-cross the river and loop around.  We were pretty far out, and just kept assuming the trail would loop back across the river.  We ended up hiking for hours and eventually had to follow the river out the Hwy 93, then walk back along the meadows near the highway.  Needless to say, we were pretty tired and annoyed that we missed the 4:30 closing of Coors that we had planned, but it was an adventure that we still talk about. 

ROAD TRIP: Hiking in Kauai; Kuilau Trailhead 2.1 Miles; an easy day hike from Lihue



Views of the foliage and mountains along the trail

 As much as I love to hike and travel, I don't have unlimited money or time to do so as much as I'd ultimately like to.  And I began to consider having guest bloggers who can write about hikes and trails in an area they have been; so that more content can be added to my blog, and maybe by chance, you are going to one of these places and want to know where to hike. 

Recently, my parents spent two weeks traveling around Hawaii, (lucky!) since my father is an avid hiker, I asked him to review some trails that he visited.  Unfortunately, he pulled a muscle in his leg and only hiked once; on Kauai.  Here is his trail report and the two photos he took on this hike. 

The Dome Trail to Mount Morrison; Red Rocks Park, 7,877 feet

Views of Red Rocks from early in the trail

Mount Morrison is one of the most prominent peaks in the Denver metro area, and its situated directly behind Red Rocks Amphitheatre with it's amazing and unique red rock formations.  For many years, access to the top of the mountain was closed, but in recent years the fences have been taken down and hikers can stand on top of the summit taking in the amazing views of Denver and the areas to the south.   
There are several routes to the summit, including the southern route which I hiked last April with the dogs; all of the trails to reach the peak are rated a Class 2 on Summit Post, another great resource for hiking in Colorado. 
If look up at Mount Morrison, near the summit, you can see the large boulders and rock formations called The Dome a large rock outcropping.  These rocks make for a Class 2 hike near the peak, which means using your hands and scrambling a little bit to get over the large rock formations and up the steep incline. 

ROAD TRIP: Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge; Melbourne Beach, Florida

Pelican Island; the first wildlife refuge in the United States

My grandparents have been spending their winters in Melbourne Beach, Florida; a barrier island off the eastern coast of Florida, since the 1980s.  The area was suggested to them by my other grandmother, Mary, who lived in Melbourne Beach and ran a small motel when my mom was a child.  And as a kid, my family would come down to Florida most winters to get away from the freezing cold in Michigan, but since Josh and I moved to Colorado 8 years ago, we haven't visited the Sunshine State. 
One of the first things that I noticed about Melbourne Beach, that probably wouldn't have occurred to me in my youth, is that the island has numerous parks and trails for hiking, biking and wildlife viewing.  So, I was really glad that my Aunt Chris and Uncle Rob asked if Josh and I wanted to go check out Pelican Island and take a hike, or we could go to Ron Jon's Surf Shop, they added.  Josh and I both echoed 'hike' and we were on our way.  

Apex Trail; a great place to hike or bike near the metro area

Start of Apex Trail

Apex Park is one of the more popular trails in Jefferson County Open Space; the park is open to hiking, biking and equestrian riding.  If you avoid Apex because of the crowds you are not alone, because of the crowding and different speeds in which people use the trail; Jeffco put in place an odd-day directional traffic for bikers in several areas along the trails.   They also created a new trail along the front/east side of the mountain.  You can check out the new changes here.  I have hiked at Apex several times since the changes, and it makes the hiking experience a lot more fun, and much safer too!

Fairmount Trail from Golden to Arvada; a great way to commute on foot!

Muddy and flat gravel trail, but it wasn't icy

After starting a hike at Mount Galbraith only to turn around shortly after icy trail conditions stopped me in my tracks.  Since the dogs and I hiked only a short time on the Cedar Gulch Trail, I decided to find another place to hike nearby. 

The dogs and I got back to the car and drove out of the canyon; I decided to turn left or north toward Boulder on 93.  Then I made a right turn at the light 58th street and started hunting for a trail.  I passed an entrance to one of the neighborhoods and noticed a trail, but decided to keep going on 58th.  After a couple of minutes I came across a trail directly across the road; I made a U-turn and parked in a small dirt space beside the road.  Again, I heard the happy whines of two doggies ready to get outside and hike, although this trail is more of a stroll than a mountainous hike, but it wasn't icy and that was good enough for me!  

Mount Galbraith Park, Jefferson County Open Space; A short hike on an icy trail

Icy trail at Mount Galbraith

One of my favorite Jefferson County Open Space Parks is Mount Galbraith for several reasons; great views, this is a hiker only trail so it's less crowded without bikers/equestrian riders, and I always find an abundance of wildflowers here in the spring to photograph.  Plus, Mount Galbraith is one of the first trails my husband and I hiked when we first moved to Colorado over 8 years ago and whenever I step on the trail I think of how excited I was when we first did this so many years ago. 
It had been a long time since I did the 4.2 mile loop here and I was excited to hit the trail, but it didn't take long to realize that the trail was really icy and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hike the loop with the slick conditions, but I kept pushing forward.  After about 400 yards up the mountain I came across a group of hikers who were coming down; they all had crampons and hiking poles in both hands.  They said it was really icy the farther up the trail went, and crampons were a needed; they also questioned if my dogs could handle the hike, which I thought was odd.  The dogs are way better on the ice than I am, and surely they both could hike days longer than me. 

Belmar Park, Lakewood Colorado; A great place to walk the dogs!

One of the lakes at Belmar Park

The warm weather this week has made it almost irresistible to not go outside and enjoy it!  But with severe cold temps, a significant amount of snow and now bright sun during the day and cold temperatures at night make for some muddy and icy trail conditions.  To keep yourself safe from falls on the ice, it's a great time to explore your local parks and trails in the metro area.  Belmar Park offers over 4 miles of trails for hikers, bikers and equestrian riders that wind around Kountze Lake over several hundred acres of land between Alameda and Mississippi near Wadsworth St.