On the Road Again

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After spending 256 nights in Arizona and staying put at Juniper Ridge Resort for the last 4 months, it felt good to be back on the road again and heading east. Our trip to Florida for the upcoming winter will take 5 weeks and be a rather roundabout route. Our first three nights will just be simple overnight stops in New Mexico because that state has some fairly strict Covid restrictions in place. All state park campgrounds are closed to out of state residents and visitors from other states are to quarantine for 14 days. So even though we could have found some great places to stay and check out along the way, it just seemed more prudent to pass thru without a lot of sightseeing.

Our first stop was in Grants NM where we had stayed last fall immediately after the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque. Next was an Elks Lodge in Las Vegas (NM not NV). The state restrictions didn’t allow for the lodge to be open, but the few camping spots next to the parking lot were still accessible. Our last stop was just before crossing over into Colorado at Raton Pass Campground. Our friends Lorraine and Michael have been staying there for the past few months to keep out of the heat. They had even posted a picture a few weeks ago of an early dusting of snow. It was nice to sit and chat with them since we hadn’t seen them since January at the Newmar rally in Quartzsite. We did experience near freezing conditions our night there, but no snow!

The next stop was at a private campground just outside Great Sand Dunes National Park. This stop wasn’t exactly on our route but there isn’t much else nearby this National Park and we figured this would be the best chance to spend a little time here. It’s about 70 miles west of Interstate 25 and is a pretty drive. It was great to see some Colorado mountains again. As we were heading up the road to our camp, we could see the sand dunes to the north. There are some larger mountains nearby and with no real discernible features on the dunes themselves, their scale is difficult to grasp. Great Sand Dunes Oasis campground nearly borders the park. There is also a campground within the park but isn’t really setup for rigs as large as ours.

We’re here for two nights so that will only give us a full day to explore, but we arrive early enough at camp and get setup with plenty of time to head into the park to get a feel for what is there. This is our first NP visit during Covid and weren’t positive what to expect. The indoor portion of the Visitor Center is closed but they have attempted to make some of the features still available. For instance, stamping our NP Passort book isn’t allowed, but they hand out stamped stickers we can place in it. This has the added benefit of not inadvertently having the stamp upside down! At the rear of the visitor center, they have some of the more common items (postcards, t-shirts and hats) hanging on the window so visitors can still pick up their souvenirs in a safe manner. The view from the visitor center of the dunes is impressive and we are just able to make out small specks on the sand - people!

Great Sand Dunes as Seen from Visitor Center

We take the very short drive to the Dunes Parking area. For late in the afternoon, there were still quite a few people here. We had watched several YouTube videos of other people visiting this park to get a sense of what was in store for us. The first thing that seemed different was the fact that we didn’t need to wade across Medano Creek. Coming this late in the year, the creek has dried up so that was a plus. Footwear is another consideration. Walking on the sand dunes, it’s nearly guaranteed you’ll end up with a shoe full of sand. We aren’t big on barefoot walking so we wore our normal hiking boots. Another advantage of coming in late September, the weather is cooler, so we ended up wearing long pants. The combination of ankle high boots and long pants acting like gators actually did a very good job of keeping the sand out.

At Start of Dune Climb

For many people that visit this place, their only goal is to walk to the top of the highest peak. Others will rent sand boards (think snow board for the sand) and try their hand at skiing down a dune. Fortunately we are older and wiser and don’t feel compelled to do the same thing. Okay, the “older” part of the saying is likely the one that holds us back more. The first eighth mile or so is relatively flat and just like walking on the sand at the beach except there isn’t that sweet spot just far enough from the water where the sand is firm. This sand is quite loose even making the walk on the flat section a challenge. Plus the park is at about 8000 feet in elevation, so the air is thin.

Well Tracked Sand Dune

Even though our goal was to just stop here and take a look, we found ourselves continually going a bit further at each point we stopped for a breather - which was quite frequent. A young couple was along one of the ridges we went up. They had their boards and would occasionally try to ski down. He was apparently more skilled than she was. But the girl was a bit more entertaining in her attempts to just stay upright for more than 30 feet or so. It was a bit breezy as we continued up and the dunes were being reshaped as we walked.

Three Shots Merged of Sand Boarding Attempt

Looking Across Dune Ridge

At one point we saw what looked like a huge sink hole in the sand. We didn’t seen anybody go into it but from the footprints and sand board track, it was clear some had. Initially we couldn’t see the bottom so we continued up some more with the hopes of seeing how deep it was. The climbing was slow going but we eventually made it to a vantage point where we could see bottom. From here we could also see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains much better. They form a semicircle on the north, east and south side of the dunes. We considered circling the large pit to head back down but realized that even well away from the pit, the sides were rather steep. Sliding down into the pit might be fun, getting back out - not so much! I estimate we made it about one fourth or one third of the way up to the highest peak. Even from here, the few people up at the higher peaks looked like ants.

Bottomless Sink Hole?

Dunes with Mountain Backdrop

Still a Long Way Up

Can See the Bottom of Pit

Coming back down proved to be much easier. We noticed an interesting phenomenon walking along the ridge of a dune. Our steps created mini-avalanches that moved the sand a few feet downhill. For some reason (maybe moisture content?) the sand that slid down the hill was a darker color that the undisturbed sand making for some interesting patterns even as the wind blew the sand back up the hill and quickly obscured our footprints. From a few hundred feet away I noticed a group of people down in the dry creek bed that seemed out of place with the rest of the visitors. At first I thought maybe it was a wedding party getting some dramatic late afternoon pictures although in a rather remote location. It did turn out to be a photo shoot or possibly a training session. The photographer was directing the model and several stage hands to set up for the perfect shot. I had taken my GPS along for the walk and we ended up with a 2 mile hike. When I came back to upload the tracks into Google Earth, I discovered that the imagery it has is nothing like that of what we walked. I might need to see if there is some sort of periodic aerial shots that show how the dunes change with time.

Mini Avalanches from Footsteps

Photo Shoot

Our Tracks Overlayed on 2013 Dune Imagery

We still had a little time before sunset so we drove out Medano Pass Road. It is a primitive road requiring 4WD and high clearance in spots. We only went a quarter mile or so for some pictures figuring it wasn’t wise to go too far by ourselves on a challenging road at sunset.

View Along Medano Pass Road

View from Visitor Center as Shadows Lengthen

Sunset Over Dunes from Campground

For our full day in the park, we looked for more of a conventional hike. The novelty of dune walking was already gone. There aren’t a lot of hiking options within Great Sand Dunes National Park but there are several others in the surrounding area. We considered doing the Zapata Falls trail several miles to the south of the park, but we got conflicting information as to whether we needed to have some sort of Colorado permit to hike on the land. If so, it was going to cost us $30 per person! We decided to do one of the hikes within the National Park. The Dunes Overlook Trail at 2.7 miles round trip sounded nice so we headed back to the park and started at the trailhead near the Piñon Flats Campground. The actual trail starts at the back of the campground. It looks like a good campground if your in a tent or small trailer and definitely convenient to the dunes. It was a pretty trail with a mixture of evergreens and aspen trees near their peak of fall colors. It’s not a terribly steep trail at first and the views of the dunes to the west are impressive.

Fall Colors on Display

Large Pine

Just before the mile mark is a intersection with the overlook portion of the trail to the right. The next half mile is steeper and rockier with a series of switchbacks. The views kept getting better as we climbed. A small valley was ablaze in yellows and gold from the aspen trees. At one point it seemed like we were at the end of the trail and surprised there wasn’t a more open view to the dunes. Fortunately my GPS had the trail marked and we discovered a large pine tree had blown over and was hiding the last portion of the trail. I’m glad we figured it out because the views were spectacular. They had a couple of log benches to sit and just enjoy the views.

View from Higher Up

A Pocket of Aspen in Valley

Peaceful Sitting Spot at Overlook

Vast Dunes

When we got back to the main trail, we decided we had more than enough energy to continue up the Sand Ramp Trail. For a bit the trail parallels the Medano Pass Road and we would occasionally hear a Jeep heading out on an adventure. In a half mile, we intersect the road at a place called Point of No Return - sounds kind of ominous. There are a couple options: continue on the Sand Ramp Trail, go the short distance to the Sand Pit or walk the road. We go with the first option. It’s continues to be a pretty hike with the 13,297 foot peak of Mt Herard in the distance.

Mount Herard Towers in Distance

It didn’t take long to realize the Sand Ramp Trail was much sandier than the earlier part of the hike. The prevailing winds have blown sand from the dune fields and while brush and even trees have started to take root, the trail itself is just like yesterday’s walk on the dunes. After 3/4 miles we decided to turn back and find a place to eat our lunch. When we got back to a large wash we realized it would likely intersect the road which should be easier walking only needing to get out of the way of the dust from the sporadic Jeep going by.

Sand Blown from Main Dune Field

Looking Back at Our Turn Around Point

Deep and Rocky Wash

This turned out to be a lucky break. The wash intersected the road at a legitimate lunch stop. Ponderosa Point had a couple picnic tables in the shade of the large pine trees. Other than Jeeps that seemed to go by like clockwork every 7 minutes or so, it was a peaceful and scenic spot. At one point Chris whispers to me and points over my shoulder. Coming from around a large shrub was a fox. It was rather large. In fact I initially thought it was a coyote based on its size. It was only 30 feet from us and I was worried it was interested in our sandwiches. At no point did it stop or show recognition of our being there although I’m sure it was aware of us. It continued across the road and eventually was out of sight again.

Picnic Tables at Ponderosa Point

Friendly Fox Passes By

After lunch, we walked up the road until we got to Point of No Return. There is a nice overlook here before we take the trail back tot he campground. The hike came in at 6 miles with some great dune views and an honorable mention to the fox.

Another Distant Dune View

Dunes Overlook and Sand Ramp Hike

When we got back to the car, we decided to drive the Jeep down to the Sand Pit. It was just mid afternoon and we had a sense of what the road was like. We had seen the small parking area for the Sand Pit from our lunch spot but didn’t have the energy to hike there. We had no issues driving the road this far. It was a short hike down a sandy hill to water! Apparently Medano Creek isn’t completely dried up, it just doesn’t make it all the way down to the Dunes Parking area. We walked along the creek for a short distance and were curious to see how far it went before disappearing but decided we had enough fresh air for the day.

Medano Creek with Water

Looking Back at Mt Herard

Sometimes it’s hard to gauge just how much time to allot for a National Park or Monument. Obviously if your only goal is to check it off your list, then a day is sufficient. Some of the bigger ones (Glacier, Yellowstone and Acadia) require weeks to do them justice. We likely could have spent an extra day or so here and found more to do, but our two nights didn’t seem to shortchange Great Sand Dunes.

Late Afternoon Shadows from Campground

Great Sand Dunes Entrance Sign at Golden Hour

Our next stop would be Colorado Springs. We hadn’t made any reservations for our stop. There were a couple campgrounds that had so-so reviews but our hope was to get a spot at the Elks Lodge. They have 13 sites with water and 30 amp electric plus a dump station. It sounds like the concern here is they don’t have stay limits and some of the locals will just keep their rig here for the season. We hope that isn’t the case but they do also have a large parking lot and dry camping is permitted. The 170 mile drive was non eventful and we pulled into the parking lot to find a few spots open. When we checked with the camp host, she said a group of 18 rigs had just pulled out earlier in the day! Obviously our timing was pretty good to miss that large gathering. Since we managed to snag a spot with utilities, we plan to stay 5 nights with the hopes of seeing some of the local sights.

We’ve been to Colorado Springs before - back in the summer of 2011. Chris had a one day business meeting in Boulder and I took some time off and flew out for a long weekend stay. I don’t remember a lot from that trip except there was a lot of driving and all our stops were quite abbreviated. One of our short stops back then was to Garden of the Gods. The Elks Lodge is rather close to this park so we should be able to spend the bulk of the day checking it out.

Impressive View at Garden of the Gods

This is a very popular destination both because of the incredible sandstone formations and the fact it is free. There’s about a mile or so of paved paths that meander thru the formations and I suspect that 75% of the people visiting will stay to these paths - like us 9 years ago. But there are many miles of trails that go thru the 1300 acre park and we have a plan to get away from the crowds and see more of the park. We started out walking some of the paved paths to gets some of the virtual and earthcaches before hitting the trails. There were three rock climbers out for a morning climb. We stood and watched them for a brief time. The park also has a great view of the 14,115 foot Pikes Peak.

Rock Climber Starting Up

Solitary Formation

Pikes Peak in Distance

Once we got onto the dirt trails, the crowds thinned down dramatically. We saw a few other hikers but we were all outnumbered by horseback riders. We saw several groups of 7 or 8 out for a rides. Looked like a pleasant way to explore the beautiful area.

One Group of Riders Pass By

As Another Approaches

As I mentioned there are lots of trails in the park. Apparently too many because we made a wrong turn from our planned route and ended up in a residential area that borders the park. Instead of turning around, we found a way thru the neighborhood and eventually made it back to our intended route. There are definitely lots of other rock formations in the further reaches of the park and it was well worth the hike.

Spotted this One While We Were Lost

The Formations and Views Keep Coming...

And Coming...

And Coming...

In All Directions

We ended up at the south end of the park around lunchtime and used the facilities at the Trading Post and ate lunch in the Spring Canyon South Picnic Area. We did a much better job of staying to the intended trail as we headed north on the western edge of the park - mainly because there are only a couple options. The Siamese Twins Rock formation is one of the named, and interesting, formations not in the heart of the park. It’s pretty clear where the name comes from.

Entrance Sign on South End of Park

Siamese Twins

Framing Pikes Peak

The northern portion of this trail starts to rise and we eventually get in line with the more central rock formations we saw earlier in the morning. I might argue that the distance views of the formations are more impressive than the views from the paved trails. It’s easier to see the full formation from this distance instead of being up close.

"Camels Kissing"

Main Formations at North End from High Up

We ended up on the Palmer trail as it heads back to the main parking lot. It was a 6.5 mile hike - a bit more than intended but expected given our diversions along the way. I might suggest that if you visit the Garden of the Gods, besides doing the paved paths around the Central Garden, head up the Palmer Trail to the west of the main parking lot. In a half mile or so, you will get to experience some better views and you won’t end up spending the bulk of the day doing a hike.

Another Palmer Trail View

Back Near Parking Lot

One feature we had missed on our hike was the Balanced Rock at the far southwest end of the park. We were within half a mile of it on our hike but figured it made more sense to drive there on our way out of the park instead of adding a mile to the hike. Being right on the main road, it was a crowded place. Admittedly you can see it on your drive by, but it is worth the twenty minute stop to check it out from all different angles. It is definitely a big rock! One of the angles shows just how balanced the thing is. Makes me question whether I would be willing to try some of the antics visitors were doing while underneath it. It was a very fun and sight filled day. It was a real plus that the lodge is only a few miles away.

Balanced Rock with Young Boy for Scale

How Does it Not Fall?

As we were investigating things to do in the Colorado Springs area, we realized the third oldest active geocache in the state is just to the southwest of town in North Cheyenne Cañon Park. It turns out that this park has a couple dozen trails to choose from with some highly rated ones. The geocache we’ll be looking for is on the top of Mays Peak - 8285 foot elevation. I found it a bit amusing that the 3.2 mile hike with almost 800 feet of elevation gain is rated as an “easy” in AllTrails. I suppose it’s all relative to what you’re used to. It’s a pretty drive up a twisty road that goes thru the park. We pass lots of other parking areas on the way up that are trailheads for other hikes. Our parking area is at the end of the paved section of road after gaining 1200 feet from the entrance. The parking lot was crowded but there were a handful of spots remaining. Maybe it shouldn’t be too surprising since 17 of the hikes start from this trailhead!

We had brought along lunch but since we had gotten up early, we figured we could get the first “easy” hike in and just eat lunch back at the car. We determined which trail was the one we wanted and started up. The first mile of the hike is up a Jeep road that is actually in excellent condition - possibly because it it a gated road so it only sees foot or mountain bike traffic. We do have a few cyclists pass us on our way up. In my mind, I believe I could bike up this section. It gains about 400 feet in that mile and is a very constant grade without ruts or loose gravel. Of course, I didn’t come back with my bike to see if my mind was right.

Looking Back Down Jeep Road

Mays Peak in Center

Continuing Up

The road section of the hike was okay mainly because of the views we had of the surrounding foothills of the Rockies. At the mile point, there are several other trails to take. We head up one a tenth of a mile to find a different geocache before coming back and finding the Mays Peak Trail.

High Drive - Altitude 7867

This part of the hike is single track, in the woods as it circles around the south, to east to north side of the peak. Occasionally there is an opening and we can see some great distance views. It is very peaceful although there were a few other hikers heading down as we went up.

Incredible Views Abound

Large Boulder to Get Around on Trail

The last tenth of a mile was anything but “easy”! Very steep and rocky, with large sections washed out from rains. Fortunately it was bone dry right now, but it still made for marginal footing. The top of the peak is actually free of trees probably due to the extremely rocky terrain. This fact does permit some excellent views in all directions. It’s a bit hazy from the wildfire smoke a few hundred miles away, but it is still possible to see Colorado Springs to the east. We spotted the geocache and signed in, had a snack and then headed back down.

View from Mays Peak Over Colorado Springs

Another View From Mays Peak

That initial 500 feet with the loose rocks and runoff ruts was 10 times more challenging on the way down. Luckily neither of us slipped and fell. The rest of the hike down was very easy and relatively quick. Even after completing this hike, I’m not sure I would classify it as easy.

Heading Down Mays Peak Trail

Our Mays Peak Track

Back in the parking area, we found a boulder under a tree and called that our lunch spot. There was definitely a flurry of people and cars coming and going. Most of them were using the trailhead on the north end of the parking lot. Gold Camp Road tends to be the starting point for many of the hikes. This too is a gated road so it’s only foot and bike traffic. Our goal for the afternoon is the Seven Bridges Trail. Listed as a 3.8 mile out and back hike gaining 1046 feet. At least this one is rated as a moderate. There were definitely some fall colors in the woods as we walked along the road.

More Fall Colors Along Gold Camp Road

We go just under 3/4 mile before we hit what we think is the trailhead for our hike. However the sign doesn’t use the name Seven Bridges instead calling it the North Cheyenne Creek Trail. But we have a few geocaches along the desired trail so we can surmise we are going the right way. Turns out the Seven Bridges name comes from the fact there are that many bridges on the trail that cross the creek as it works it’s way upstream.

Bridge #2

Bridge #3

It is a very pretty hike. A bit more crowded than the one we did this morning but not overrun with hikers. It basically goes up a fairly narrow valley. Not as narrow as a box canyon but narrow enough and with steep enough sides that you only have the choice to go upstream or downstream. The water in the creek is not very high at this time of year. I would suspect in the spring and early summer it might be really flowing. At bridge number 1, we saw lumber that looked like the remains of a higher number bridge that had washed out previously.

View in the Valley

Small Water Fall

Rocky Side Slope

We made it to bridge number 7 and found the cache hidden nearby. The chipmunks here were rather inquisitive as I sat down to sign the log. They must have thought I was sitting down to eat because they nearly swarmed me! One got a bit too close and as I shooed it, the thing bounded off the rock, jumped on my knee and on to another rock. I could feel his tiny claws dig in. There was also a very pretty blue jay looking around - apparently a Steller Jay.

Another Water Fall

Stellar Jay Front Shot

Pretty Plumage

Of course we couldn’t turn around at bridge 7. The trail continues for over another half mile before it intersects with several other trails. We didn’t have that much energy left, but there was another geocache less than a quarter mile away. So we went for it until it was clear it was on the opposite side of the creek. I knew crossing the creek wouldn’t be too bad but I needed to slide down 20 feet of loose gravel to get to the creek. I handed Chris my camera and Camelback so I had fewer things to deal with. I made it safely down the one side, over the creek and up the other side and actually found the cache. As we headed back down the trail, we could tell we had successfully worn ourselves out. We took it slow and eventually made it back to the car with over 5 miles for the afternoon hike.

Beyond Bridge #7

1/20 Second Exposure

1/15 Second Exposure

Rocky Section Across Valley

Seven Bridges Track

As we drive back down the switchbacks in the road, we pull into the Helen Hunt Falls parking area (no, not Helen Hunt the actress). We walked over to the falls, snapped a picture and decided we were too tired to even make the short walk to the bridge over the falls. It’s days like this that make us realize we really need to make it back to Colorado for several months in order to do all the hikes we would like to try.

Helen Hunt Falls

We actually need to take the next day off from sightseeing and hiking. Glad we are staying 5 nights because we still have one more day trip planned before we leave. More on that in the next post.