After a restful evening in the tent, we awoke and ate breakfast, packed up camp, and then headed a short way up Long Draw Road to hike the Trap Park Trail. Named for bear traps that had once been set in the meadows there, it was a pleasant area of scenic beauty, easy hiking and abundant wildlife.
We parked at the lot at the end of a short, but rough road. At the parking area was a nice clump of columbine in bloom.
Besides the columbine, there were many wild strawberries growing near the parking lot. Sierra picked a handful as a pre-hike snack.
After enjoying a few strawberries the hike started with a climb up an old rocky road.
Eventually the road leveled out a bit and climbed gently through a wooded area with a stream tumbling down a steep escarpment to our right.
Soon enough, the climb ended and views opened up to a beautiful mountain meadow fringed with rocky peaks.
We crossed a stream with thigh deep water,
then started to make our way further up the grassy park.
Even Rosie seemed to appreciate the scenery. She walked off leash, stopping every now and then to look around.
Noelle lagged behind a little bit, stopping frequently to look for birds. She was able to spot this Wilson's warbler in a thicket, bringing insects to its young hidden away.
We continued further up. The views were just amazing.
While the habitat seemed perfect for moose, we didn't see any on our walk. At a second significant stream crossing, less than 1/4 mile from the end of the trail we stopped and ate a snack. Then, we started to make our down the trail the way we had come.
It was a great, easy hike. One that you could even do with small children.
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