Friday, March 15, 2024

Guernsey State Park: Tunnel Mountain Trail

Today was forecasted to be a nice day weather-wise, at least for western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. Colorado, where we had originally planned to go, is a different story. After breakfast we set out west to Torrington, Wyoming, where we stopped at the Bread Doctor for some baked goods. Then, we headed to Guernsey State Park for a hike of the Tunnel Mountain Trail. 

After eating our bakery treats in the car, we hit the trail with slices of sourdough bread for energy.



The trail meandered through a low area for a bit, crossed a dry wash on a bridge,


then headed towards some railroad tracks 


before climbing up the north flank of Tunnel Mountain and paralleling the tracks. We caught a glimpse of the end of a train hauling coal out of the Powder River Basin.


We then continued our ascent and caught a glimpse of the mountain's namesake tunnel.



From there, the trail descended for a short distance before climbing 


up to the summit of Tunnel Mountain 


with great views overlooking the Guernsey Reservoir.



From the summit, the trail made a steady descent 


down to the park office. There were some nice views on the way.


We took a short break at the trailhead near the park office, then started to retrace our steps back to the car.


We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of another train just as it entered the tunnel! 


It was a scene that Sierra said reminded her of a model train layout. 

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