Saturday, March 29, 2008

Pike National Forest


One of my favorite places to go when I want to be in the woods, away from the concrete jungle, is Pike National Forest.

Pike National Forest is southwest of Denver. If you want a scenic drive [Read: taking the long way] on your way to Colorado Springs, you can head through this sanctuary of wooded, spacious beauty.

Here are some links to check out:

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co_pike.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_National_Forest

Friday, March 28, 2008

Interesting Name For A Park...






I don't know who I'd rather meet more; the guy who named this park...or the woman who inspired the name for this park....

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Top Ten Cities in Colorado

My favorite top ten cities in Colorado:

10. Boulder
9. Aspen
8. Grand Lake
7. Glenwood Springs
6. Breckenridge
5. Manitou Springs
4. Salida
3. Estes Park
2. Durango
1. Steamboat Springs


I'll tell you why later....

Monday, March 3, 2008

Excursion of the Week








Perhaps you may have already figured out that one of my favorite places in Colorado is Rocky Mountain National Park. So, for this "Excursion of the Week", I thought I'd share one of my favorite snowshoeing trails in Rocky Mountain National Park:

Bear Lake

This is a popular trail year round--don't be surprised if the parking lot at the trailhead is full!
One of the best things about this spot is that it leads to several lakes (such as Emerald Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake). It is a beautiful area and a relatively easy hike--although if you choose to ascend up further toward Emerald Lake it can be steep in several places. You really can't go wrong with ANY hike in this park! It is absolutely beautiful everywhere you look--like most of the Colorado Rockies!

When you're done snowshoeing or hiking, go check out Moraine Park for elk. You can almost bet on seeing wildlife with each visit--elk, chipmunks, magpie's...If you go in September or October you will be there during the elk mating season...you can hear the elk's bugling and see the male's battling each other of the other's harem--winner takes all! Otherwise, during the rest of the year, the female elk like to hang out over in Moraine Park...while the male's seem to like it over near the start of Fall River Road....

Anyway, here are some links to give you more information about the park itself.

http://www.rocky.mountain.national-park.com/hike.htm


http://www.nps.gov/romo/