Roosevelt National Forest: Mount McConnel Loop

After meeting my friend Nick at O'Dell Brewery in Fort Collins, we headed up the Poudre Canyon and found a campsite at Mountain Park Campground. After another great night sleeping in the tent with Rosie we went for a wonderful hike up Mount McConnel. I had hiked this mountain before with Sierra for one of our Father's Day father/daughter trips. However, I had never completed the full loop trail before. Last time we skipped the "Primitive Trail" and hiked an out and back.

Nick and I started our hike around 7 am with Rosie and June. It was a pretty steep climb right off the bat, but luckily the morning temperatures were nice and cool.

The scenery along the trail is pretty stunning. Great views of the surrounding mountains and occasional views down to the Cache la Poudre River.

We took the short spur trail to the actual summit 

and enjoyed the view from the peak.

Rosie climbed to the peak and somehow got herself stuck up there.

I actually had to lift her down. 

After a short break we started to make our way down, wanting to beat the heat. Again, lots of great views from the trail.

We were back to our campsite by around 10. I took a short break, packed up my tent and then hit the road. On my return I drove through Loveland and Greeley and picked up some beer at WeldWerks.

Red Fox Meadows Natural Area

 After my short birding adventure in the Pawnee National Grasslands I headed west into Fort Collins. I decided to check out a natural area in town that I had never visited before: Red Fox Meadows. It is a stormwater detention site located in the heart of a residential area. Still, there was plenty of wildlife to be seen, including a deer that another visitor to the site thought might be injured.

With plenty of water in the natural area, it was a great place to observe waterfowl. I saw plenty of geese,

and ducks.

There were also great views off to Horsetooth Mountains and the west.

Just like Crow Valley Recreation Area which I had viisited earlier in the day, I felt this site would be worth returning to, particularly during migration.

Pawnee National Grassland: Crow Valley Recreation Area

Last night after work, I packed up the car and Rosie and I headed south to the plains of eastern Colorado to camp at and check out the Crow Valley Recreation Area. 

This morning, after a good night of sleep, Rosie and I headed out on the short trails near the campground to look for birds. While there were a lot of birds chirping, it is quite difficult to photograph them when you've got a dog to control on leash. Here's what I was able to photograph:

Besides birds, the recreation area borders pasture land and I enjoyed watching a small herd of cattle.

There were also blooming wildflowers to photograph.

Crow Valley Recreation Area is definitely a place I would like to return to, perhaps with Noelle during the fall migration.

Fort Robinson State Park: White River Trail

 After checking out Hudson-Meng, Noelle, Sierra and I headed over to Fort Robinson. We decided to check out the gravel White River Trail to look for birds. The trail follows an old rail line.

Being a rail-trail it is very flat and easy to walk 

(or run). 

I wouldn't mind returning with our bikes at some point. 

Amongst the species of birds I was able to get photos of were:

broad-winged hawk!

Benches along the trail allowed for pleasant break spots.

They also offered great views of the distant bluffs.

We walked the western-most 1.5 miles before turning around to head back to the car. I look forward to returning to explore the rest of the trail.

Oglala National Grassland: Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center

The weather forecast for the area to the south and around home didn't look very promising for today. Therefore, Noelle, Sierra and I opted to head north. Being Friday, the one day each week when it is open, we decided to check out Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed.

It was an easy drive up to Crawford where we stopped for lunch at Dairy Sweet. After eating we headed to Hudson-Meng, arriving to an empty parking lot. From the parking lot we walked a trail 

past a spring-fed pond to the Education and Research Center. We signed up for the tour and looked at the archaeological dig site. Some of it has been backfilled, but a nice section of dense bones remains.

After the tour and a bit of self-guided exploration, we headed outside to try our luck at the atlatl. I had tried one before, without much luck. This time our instructor was much better, and we were able to successfully hit our mark.

We then walked the trail back to the parking lot, passing some blooming wildflowers along the way.

We drove back towards Crawford, passing lots of red headed woodpeckers on the way.

Our next destination for the day would be Fort Robinson. 

Badlands National Park: Saddle Pass and Medicine Root Loop

 After our hike yesterday evening, we went into the town of Wall to get gas, make dinner in a city park, and get ice cream at Wall Drug. This morning we awoke in the campground and spent some time observing the wildlife living nearby, including the prairie dogs,

and a killdeer mom with four chicks.

After eating breakfast and packing up camp, we headed east again to the Saddle Pass Trailhead where we would start our hike of the Saddle Pass Trail and Medicine Root Loop. Along the way to the trailhead we stopped at the impressive Toadstool Rock.

We also observed some wildlife on the way, including pronghorn

and bison.

Out hike started by crossing a muddy drainage on a bridge.

After a short hike in a drainage,

the trail climbs the steep and slippery badland formations to the top of the Badlands Wall.

Once at the top the terrain flattens out significantly. We opted to hike the loop in a clockwise direction, starting out on the Medicine Root Trail headed east.

The Medicine Root section of the hike was the least interesting. Still, there were wildflowers to be seen along the way, including plenty of wild rose.

We followed cairns

and a generally well-defined footpath.

As we approached the eastern junction with the Castle Trail, the dramatic formations that the park is known for started to come into view.

At the junction, we followed the Castle Trail west and back towards the Saddle Pass Trail. This section of trail offered the best scenery of the hike.

The final section of the hike, the descent down the Saddle Pass Trail, was the trickiest part. 

We took our time and soon enough we were back at the trailhead for the long drive home.