Hiking and Biking Rocky Mountain NP

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We are finding our site here at Winding River RV Resort to be quite nice. Our neighbors have several hummingbird feeders visible from our rig and they seem to get quite the crowd. They are fun to watch. The views from the site continue to impress us. The views of the nearby mountains are quite the sight, either looking out our front window or stepping outside. Sometimes the morning fog hangs over the Colorado River just a half mile away.

Fog Over Colorado River from Campground

We were looking for another hike in the area and the East Inlet Trail sounded promising. It is within the national park but not accessed by going in the nearby entrance station. Instead we drive into the town of Grand Lake and head to the west side of the lake to a rather large parking lot where the trail starts. We have our time entry permit, but we’re getting there just before the 10 AM cutoff. It wasn’t clear how the permit works for one of these unattended entrances. Signs tell us we need the permit so we put the printed copy in our pack and head off.

East Inlet Trailhead

Less than a tenth of a mile in, we see a park ranger heading back to the parking area. We said hi, commented on the nice weather and he went on his way. No request to show him our pass. About a third of a mile in is a split in the trail to see Adams Falls. It loops back around to the main trail so we take the detour. The water is coming down from the valley and is flowing pretty well thru this narrow channel that makes up the first half of the falls. It then takes a 90 degree turn and rushes thru an even narrower slot carved out of the rock making an impressive noise. We then continue on the side trail as it comes back around to the East Inlet Trail. The view from here is pretty with just a glimpse of Grand Lake.

Adams Falls

Falls Make a Turn

A Glimpse of Grand Lake

This trail heads all the way out to Lone Pine Lake about 5.5 miles from the parking lot and gains just under 1800 feet in elevation. We definitely knew we didn’t have that much of a hike in us but we figured we could proceed up the trail as far as we could knowing the return trip would be all downhill. It was a beautiful hike. To the south of the trail was a large meadow with the creek that feeds Adams Falls snaking thru the valley. At each turn I was convinced that we would see a moose out in the marshy area but one never materialized.

View Across Valley to Mountains

Creek Wanders Aimlessly

Our timing of late June was nearly perfect for wildflower viewing. Much of the trail has a rock ledge to the north side and there were pockets of flowers in cracks and crevices all along the way. It looked as if some master gardener had been assigned the task of planting flowers in the rocks for the enjoyment of visitors.

Rock Garden

Looking Downstream

Looking Upstream

As we proceeded up the trail, we start to get some views of some of the rocky hills to the north. There was a small creek coming down from the north with a good amount of water. We were glad to have the bridge to cross over with dry boots.

Distance Rocky Hill

Bridge Over Small Creek

We made it out to the second primitive campsite along the trail - Lower East Inlet Site. We stopped for a snack on one of the fallen trees. We were just about 2.5 miles out by this point and scattered afternoon showers were in the forecast so we opted to turn back. I think we made a good call because halfway back to the car, we could see dark clouds to the west and even heard thunder. Even though we aren’t above tree line, we don’t want to be hiking in a thunderstorm. It started to sprinkle as we made it back to the area of the falls so we didn’t get too wet in the process. There were actually a fair number of people heading out as we came back which surprised us a bit. This was one of our favorite hikes. It wasn’t at too high of an elevation (~8500 feet) so breathing wasn’t as difficult. The trail was in excellent shape. There were excellent views and the wildflower were outstanding.

Red Columbine

Last Dry Photo of the Hike

We take it easy the next day to get some tasks done. The cell coverage in the campground seems decent but data speeds aren’t great. We head to the library in Grand Lake only to discover their Wi-Fi wasn’t much better. So off to Granby we go. They have a nice large library and reasonable Wi-Fi. Later that afternoon, it was fairly nice and I wanted to check out the campground and Jeep trails just behind camp. There is a large fenced pasture just a few hundred feet from our site where some of the horses for the riding stables hang out when they are off duty.

Have Any Carrots?

The ATV trail to the west of camp is called the North and South Supply Creek Trail. The whole loop is nearly 12 miles and connects to many other forest roads and trails so it’s clear why there are lots of rental ATVs coming and going from the nearby business. I hoped that I wouldn’t run into much traffic being after 6 PM. The first 1/3 mile of the trail is way too steep and rocky to even attempt to bike up. The ATVs and Jeeps really do a number on the road conditions and leave lots of loose rocks, gravel and fine sand.

Made it Up the Hard Part

Desolate Looking

After walking the bike up the initial hill, I am able to ride the bike for certain sections but even this is a challenge simply because I’m at 9000 feet elevation and the low oxygen level keeps me from riding very far before being out of breath. It is rather eerie up here with all the dead trees either still standing or on the ground. It doesn’t look like much survived the fire 1.5 years ago and only some things have started to grow here again.

Trees Don't Block Mountain Views

A Bit Further to Go

My real mission was to see if the lone geocache hidden about 2 miles up the trail was still there. It was last found a couple months before the fire and there haven’t been any logged attempts since. I continued to climb and finally found a secondary trail heading toward the cache location. Since this trail isn’t frequently used, all the downed trees make biking impossible. I finally decided that walking the bike and picking it up over each fallen tree was a waste of time. I ditched the bike and walked in the remaining tenth of a mile. I got to ground zero and began my search. The whole area was charred beyond recognition. The cache hint stated it was at the base of a large fir tree. I’m decent with tree identification but not in these conditions. I found the only stump remaining that even remotely looked like a possibility and began poking in the dirt. If the container had been Tupperware, I thought I might find a glob of molten plastic. If it was an ammo can, it may have survived even though the contents likely would have been destroyed. After a 10 minute search, I realized that this fire had burned so hot that whatever was here is now ash. At least the view from ground zero was nice.

Most Likely Former Cache Location

View from Near Geocache

It was getting close to sunset and I was on the east side of the hill so it would get darker even sooner. The ride back down was much more manageable. There were stretches where the loose surface made for tough biking. I wasn’t positive I could bike down the steepest portion with all the loose rocks and dirt but I unclipped one of my cycling shoes and was able to make it without flying over the handlebars!

Surreal Looking Bent Trees

The next day we decide to try a bike ride Chris thinks she is up for. RMNP does not permit biking on any of the trails within the park except for one - the East Shore Trail. This trail starts near the town of Grand Lake and proceeds south along the shore of Shadow Mountain Lake. The parking area was pretty full but we didn’t run into much traffic on the trail. The trail doesn’t start out very promising rising about 100 feet in the first tenth mile with very rocky conditions - fine for hiking, not so much for bikes. But when we get thru that part it improves and we are greeted with some wonderful views of the lake and mountains. Before we actually enter RMNP land, there are some sections that require good bike handling skills and concentration. Hit a rock the wrong way and you may find yourself careening down the rocks into the lake.

View Across Shadow Mountain Lake

The park service did some work on this trail 3 or 4 years ago in order to open it to cyclists and we found once we got inside the park, conditions improved dramatically. It’s a pretty ride with both open and wooded sections and almost always a lake view. There are a couple of wooden boardwalk sections over marshy areas that could have been a foot or so wider to make biking easier but we both made is across without incident.

Trail Intersection

Nice View from East Shore Trail

Bridge Should Be a Bit Wider for Biking!

About 3 miles out, we come to the dam at the base of Shadow Mountain Lake where the Colorado River continues on its long journey. Looking at its flow here, it’s hard to believe what it becomes a few hundred miles downstream.

Overlooking the Dam

Water Heads Down the Spillway

Hard to Believe This Is the Colorado River

Near the base of the outlet was more than a dozen pelicans - apparently this is a good fishing spot for them. While we were watching them, they all decided to fly off creating quite the racket in the process. We explored the nearby Green Ridge Campground before heading back to retrace our steps.

Pelican Party

And They're Off

Pelican in Flight

There is another sign at this trailhead back into RMNP regarding timed entry permits but we figure we will be safe not having one for the brief ride thru the park. We actually made the bike ride back without any problems. Even the very last rocky downhill section into the parking lot could be biked by both of us.

More Columbine

East Shore Trail Above the Lake

We got back to camp and had some lunch before heading over to the Kawuneeche Visitor Center for an afternoon ranger walk. Of course, 15 minutes before it was to start, the afternoon thunderstorm rolled thru and the walk was canceled. At least we didn’t have to drive very far to discover this fact. They will have it on other days and we hope to make it then.