Nebraska National Forest: Soldier Creek Wilderness Trooper Trail Loop

 This morning I drove north as the sun rose over the prairie.

I headed up to Crawford, through Fort Robinson State Park, and over to the Soldier Creek Campground for my hike into the Soldier Creek Wilderness. Noelle and I had backpacked here before, back in 2009 when we were working seasonal jobs at Wind Cave National Park.

I parked the car, grabbed my pack and got Rosie ready for our hike. We would be hiking the Trooper Trail Loop and the walk started with us entering the wilderness 

and a descent down to the namesake creek. 

Much of the beginning part of the hike was down in the valley formed by Soldier Creek.

Eventually, the trail climbed up to the top of a ridge with great views of the surrounding landscape.

The area has burned at least once before, but there were areas of tree, ponderosa pines up on the ridges.

The first half of the trail headed northwest, but once we made the turn we headed mostly southeast back towards the trailhead. After the final descent, we followed a low area back towards the trailhead.

It was a fairly long, but very enjoyable hike through a part of western Nebraska that I need to make it back to. 

Laramie's Pilot Hill Recreation Area: Jacoby Ridge Rural Trail

 I've been trying to hike/walk every day at least one mile. Unfortunately, I've missed one day since I started this endeavor; the day I had my coloscopy procedure. I think this is a permissible day to miss. This morning, Rosie and I woke up in Laramie and decided to get in a quick hike before we headed home after our ski trip. We opted for the Jacoby Ridge Rural Trail in the Pilot Hill Recreation Area on the east side of town and close to the house we stayed at.

It's a gravel trail and while it is not the most exciting trail I've ever hiked, there were some nice distant views of the Snowy Range and other distant mountains. 

Snowy Range Ski Area: 2026 Ski Trip

 Sierra and I spent the last two days skiing at Snowy Range Ski Area as part of our annual ski trip. Unfortunately, Noelle was unable to ski as she is still recovering from shoulder surgery. With lower snow totals than in years past, the skiing was a little iffy on a few of the runs (particularly the Seminole Trail on the far east side of the ski area). However, we made the best of the ski conditions and had a great trip. 

Blue Sky and Indian Summer Loop

 I headed back down into Colorado for another hike in the Fort Collins area. Again, I made my way through Wyoming as the sun was rising and stopped to take a photo along the side of US-85.

I arrived at the trailhead for the Blue Sky Trail at the north end of the Horsetooth Reservoir and hit the trail.

After a short distance the trail passes under the road the leads to Horsetooth Mountain Open Space.

 On the other side of the road the trail heads due south along the lower slopes of a low ridge.  There were lots of great views across the small valley.

I followed the Blue Sky Trail to its junction with the Indian Summer Trail, a loop the climbed part way up into the foothills for a bit, before descending back to the Blue Sky Trail.

The views looking south on the Blue Sky Trail were pretty great. There were nice views of Horsetooth Rock and the surrounding foothills.

After my hike, I headed over to Zwei Brewing. What a great place! I can't believe its the first time I've been here in the 6 plus years I've lived in western Nebraska. 

Foothills Trail and Ridgeline Loop From Reservior Ridge

This morning I headed out early to do some hiking down in Fort Collins. My destination for the day: the Foothills Trail and Ridgeline Loop from the Reservoir Ridge Natural Area Trailhead near Horsetooth Reservoir. I started the drive in the dark, but the sun was rising just as I hit Cheyenne and so I made a short detour to photograph the sunrise at the Wyoming State Capitol.

Besides the capitol building, there is a statue of Robert Burns nearby that made for a nice subject in the rising sun. 

After a short stop to pick up breakfast, I headed out of town and south into Colorado. I arrived at the trailhead, a small, gravel parking lot just off the road the traverses the east side of the Horsetooth Reservoir. I hit the trail, climbing up a ridge with some nice views of the reservoir and surrounding foothills. 

From the ridge the trail descended down the side opposite the reservoir for a bit, before climbing back up to the ridge and eventually crossing the other side of the road and more closely following the shoreline. There were many views of the man-made lake over the next few miles. 

Eventually, the trail made its way south to the Rotary Park Trailhead where I found the Ridgeline Trail and followed it north back towards the trailhead. The trail followed the road closely and there were interesting views of the curving roadway and distant hills. 

I made it back to the car pretty early in the day and decided to head over to Stodgy Brewing for a beer before my drive home.

First Day Hike 2026: Summit Road/Saddle Rock Loop

An annual tradition continues! Today, Noelle, Rosie and I went for our annual hike to start off the new year. With the Scotts Bluff Summit Road closed to motorized traffic, we opted to hike up the road and down the Saddle Rock Trail. It was unseasonably warm and dry.

Here's to a great 2026!

Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

 We had a great Christmas in Wisconsin, but it's time to head home. We decided to break the drive up into two days instead of one really long day. We're staying in Chamberlain, SD after a wonderful dinner at the Dakota Cuban. Our first stop for the day (after driving through thick fog) was the beautiful Falls Park in Sioux Falls. Here's what we saw: