Grand Lake Part 3

Map of this blog's locations click this link to open the map

Winding River RV Resort has a couple other things going for it if you’re not big into hiking but still want to see some of the trails. I’ve mentioned that our campsite is very near an ATV rental business that’s part of the campground. When we are actually at camp, it appears they do a pretty good business. They offer several different sizes and types of ATVs for rental from 2 to 8 hours. Pricing is between $280 to $560, so not real cheap but a much more efficient way to explore the 130 miles of trails in the Arapaho National Forest. If speed isn’t your thing, then you might want to try a trail ride by horseback. They offer both 1 or 2 hour rides, 8 times a day. The stable where the rides depart from is right next to the entrance to the campground so we have the chance to see it a couple times a day. They also seem to be rather busy and often even see the groups on the trails heading into RMNP as we drive by.

Horses Await the Next Trail Ride

We stop by the stable one afternoon to just check some of the horses out. They also have a few small buildings behind the stable that house “Grandpa and Grandma’s Animal Farm”. They have a wide assortment of animals: goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys and miniature horses. We enjoyed the visit until a thunderstorm rolled on and forced us into the stable to see some of the other displays of carriages and sleighs.

Giddy Up

Animal Farm

Sheep and Goat

Pigs Snoozing

Aurora & Beauty

Donkey

Another Pair of Goats

Miniature Horse Looks Out

Fancy Carriage

There aren't only domesticated animals in the campground but also the occasional wild ones passing through. Our neighbor has been here several seasons and has seen moose in the nearby ponds. We didn’t get a chance to see a moose at camp but one early evening I looked out and noticed several campers all looking across the way. I discovered they were watching a large bull elk making its way thru the campground. I headed over to the ATV rental building to get some pictures. Initially it was 300 feet away but kept wandering closer as it was grazing. The occasional passing car forced it to look up but it didn’t seem phased by the crowd it drew. I knew that if it got spooked, I was just feet from the laundry room. It was 25 feet from the dumpster and at one point it found the wrapper of a Lunchables package.

Large Bull Elk

Sticks Tongue Out at Me

Munching on Lunchables

On Monday morning, we had one of our timed entry permits so we head into RMNP again. We wanted to catch a ranger walk at one of the historic sites at 10 AM. But first we wanted to do a short walk in the Coyote Valley to find a virtual geocache placed at a sign along the trail. It was a beautiful morning walking in the valley. We didn’t spot any moose or elk but still enjoyed the walk. The paved trail is maybe 1/2 mile long but a “social” trail continues along the Colorado River. In all, we likely hiked 1.5 miles or so.

Coyote Valley Trailhead

View Along Coyote Valley Trail

Dirt Path Along Colorado River

Just a short drive north along Trail Ridge Road is Holzwarth Historic Site where our ranger guided walk would take place. We pull into a rather crowded parking lot to find two small buses from a community center in nearby town. There were several dozen grade school kids running around or lining up for the one restroom. We headed over to the a cabin near the parking lot to determine where our tour was to begin. The volunteer told us this morning’s tour was canceled and instead being provided to the children. The ranger giving the talk told us we were more than welcome to join the group but being part of a group of 30 boisterous kids didn’t sound interesting to us. We had a few more days so we could catch a different ranger walk.

We head back to the car and formulate a Plan B. The ranger had suggested the Lulu City Trail that starts just 2 miles further up the road. It’s just under an 8 mile out and back hike with 800 feet of elevation gain. It sounded interesting but had we known we would attempt this hike, we would have skipped the earlier hike at Coyote Valley. Fortunately we had brought along a lunch that could be packed in our hiking gear so off we go. The parking lot is huge - nearly 50 spots - so it must be a popular trailhead at times. There are multiple trails that begin here so I don’t expect all of the visitors to be on the Lulu City Trail.

Start of Lulu City Trail

The trail starts out easy enough with only modest elevation gain and in good shape. Along the way we run into a ranger heading back to the parking lot. He informs us that a section of the trail not too far ahead has washed out and the temporary detour is a bit of a challenge. He was right, the narrow trail with flagging was not the easiest to hike needing to step over downed trees and duck under others.

Butterfly on a Dandelion

Still Some Snow Up There

Colorful Rock

It’s a pretty hike and there are openings along the way that allow views of the series of mountains to the west of the trail. About 2 miles in is the remains of Shipler Cabin built around 1880. This seems to be the stopping point for many of the hikers. The actual cabin is only a few logs tall at this point and we nearly missed it since there isn’t a sign pointing it out. I’m glad this wasn’t our destination since it was a bit underwhelming.

Mostly White

Crater Creek Crossing

Shipler Cabin

Beyond here, the trail is a bit steeper but not too bad. It’s just we know we have about 1.5 miles more before we get to Lulu City and we already have nearly 4 miles of hiking today. As we were getting close to our destination, the trail splits. We are intrigued by a place called the Grand Ditch, but not enough to hike the extra miles. The last part of our trail drops 100 feet into the valley where Lulu City once stood. It was a rather steep and difficult descent but we came this far so we had to push on. I joked with Chris that if we made it to town, I would buy her a drink at the bar!

Only 0.2 Miles to Go

We get to the valley where Lulu City sat between 1879 and 1884. Silver had been discovered nearby and a small town with 200 people formed here. Today there isn’t any visible remains of town. Even the park service sign post denoting the city is in tough shape. We head down to the bank of the Colorado River and find a shady spot to have lunch. The mountain to the west was still hanging on to a fair amount of snow. The river itself isn’t that impressive at this spot. It could easily be crossed with the water barely cresting our hiking boots. The headwater for the Colorado River is still a bit further up but we decided we were close enough for our needs since we still have almost 4 miles back to the car.

We Made It to Lulu City

Colorado River at Lulu City

Nice View at Lunch Spot

After our brief lunch break, we start the long journey back to the car. We hadn’t seen the moose that other hikers mentioned they had seen but we did come upon a couple of birds that were quite interested in our presence as we stopped for a water break. They flitted from branch to branch just overhead checking us out. I suspect they were a pair of gray jays. Referred to as the “camp robber”, these birds are rather bold at stealing food and shiny trinkets from campsites. So in a sense, they were simply checking us out for something to steal. We did spot a small deer just sprouting his antlers. This was a nice hike even if the destination wasn’t all that special, the views along the way were. We ended up with nearly 10 miles hiking for the day, all in the 9000 foot elevation range!

Muddy Trail Crossing

Gray Jay Checks Us Out

Young Buck

The following day back into RMNP to try the ranger walk we missed yesterday. We stop first at the parking area for the Bowen Gulch Trail. This was an area we had spotted moose a few evenings earlier and hoped we might see some this morning. We enjoyed a short walk along some of the dirt roads next to the Colorado River. We find a few old buildings. It’s not clear how they are used but the fire did take down what appears to have been some sort of large shed or garage housing old farm equipment.

Another Colorado River View

Large, Old Barn

This Building Survived the Fire ...

... This One Didn't

We continue up Trail Ridge Road to the Holzwarth Historic Site. Ranger Tim will be leading our hike the half mile to the old buildings. With his long beard, he has a ZZ Top look. We end up with a group of 12 to 15 people for the walk. We stop periodically along the trail and get a bit of a lesson about the Kawuneeche Valley and the Colorado River. We also discover what the Grand Ditch is. We have seen many instances of water being piped out of the Colorado River down along the Arizona & California border. The Grand Ditch took a different approach. It was dug into the side of the Never Summer Mountain Range roughly 1400 feet above the valley floor and the river. The idea being that instead of pulling water from the river, it diverts about 30% of the runoff from the mountains before it even gets to the river. Kind of ingenious especially since it was constructed back in the 1890’s thru 1930’s.

Entrance to Holzwarth Historic Site

Ranger Tim Makes a Point

Crossing Colorado River Again

We make it to the historic site and get a bit more info about the place. A couple used the homestead act to purchase 160 acres here back in 1917. They built a home and several cabins and turned it into the Never Summer Ranch. Visitors would come to stay at the dude ranch and visit the nearby national park. In 1974 the park service bought the 800 acres that the ranch had evolved into over the decades and maintain the building. Some are even used to house volunteers for RMNP. We tour the inside of several of the open buildings and signs keep us out of volunteer residences. It was a neat place to explore and listen to some of the volunteers describe life on the ranch back in the day. On our way out, we spotted a large herd of elk at least 3/4 mile across the valley. I count over 50 in the blurry picture.

At Holzwarth

Volunteer Residence

"Twin #2" Cabin

A Look Inside

Herd of Elk in Distance