I woke up at sunrise this morning and walked to the pond on private property across from the entrance to the campground. I noticed a heron rookery on the south shore of the pond!
Then I went back to camp for breakfast and to pack up before heading to the trailhead at the Hessie Trail, just west of Eldora Ski Area. There is limited parking, but we were able to snag a spot and started our hike with a walk on the road.
At a road junction, a right takes you to the Fourth of July Campground and Trailhead.
We went right to the official Hessie Trailhead (only rugged, high-clearance vehicles could make it to the trailhead).
Soon we passed through the old townsite of Hessie.
Then, we crossed a branch of Middle Boulder Creek on a sturdy bridge
before starting the fairly steep climb up the trail/old road.
As we ascended, intermittent views of the cascade creek were offered.
There were also lots of wildflowers in bloom, including Wood's rose.
The trail forked several times, but each junction was signed for Lost Lake.
Soon enough, we arrived at the very pretty lake.
We relaxed, snacked and enjoyed the scenery for a while. Then we started to make our way back to the trailhead.
We noticed some columbine blooming in a shady area.
When we reached the road, we saw the shuttle in action.
Because there is limited parking along the road, a free shuttle is offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between Nederland High School and the trailhead. Once back to the car, we drove into Nederland for lunch at Busey Brewery and Barbecue.
After a stop in Boulder for ice cream, we made the drive home through thick Front Range traffic.
No comments:
Post a Comment