Hermit Park Open Space: Kruger Rock Trail

My days off have been changing a lot, due to a lack of staff at work. This week I have off Monday/Tuesday. Unfortunately, Noelle does not have the same days off. Still, I felt I needed to get out for some time outdoors. Sierra and I opted to head down to Estes Park to do some hiking, camping, and mountain coaster riding.

This morning we made the drive down to Cheyenne where we stopped for breakfast at Perkins. After a short interview for work, we made the rest of the drive down to Estes Park. We drove up Highway 36 to the Hermit Park Open Space, operated by Larimer County. We parked at the Kruger Rock Trailhead and started our hike.

It's a pleasant area with well-maintained trails and nice views. 

Our trail traversed some meadows dotted with wildflowers like fleabane.

Soon, we crossed into Roosevelt National Forest and followed a ridgeline with awesome views west into Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The trail was not difficult, but we still stopped to take plenty of breaks.

As we continued on the views, especially of Long's Peak, continued to get better and better.

Towards the summit is a chute that you scramble up.

And then, you have the views from the summit itself.

We relaxed and enjoyed the views for a bit before making our way back down the chute.

Then, it was a pretty easy hike back down to the car. Once back to the car we were pretty hungry. We opted to go into Estes Park for lunch (ice cream for Sierra and a beer from Rock Cut Brewery for me). As we walked around town we strolled along the Big Thompson River and even dipped our toes into the icy cold water.

Then, we headed back to Hermit Park to set up our campsite in the Bobcat Loop.

There's a nice big rock we can climb from our campsite.

It offers nice views of Kruger Rock and the surrounding area.

It's a nice campground, and I would love to return with Noelle at some point!