BV A Hiking Paradise

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We were definitely finding that there would not be a lack of hiking choices in the area around Buena Vista. There are more than 50 mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet (14ers). AllTrails lists 88 different hikes to these peaks and nearly 40 of those hikes are within an easy drive of BV. That might be a good thing if we were 30 years younger, but we know our limitations. A 15 mile hike with 5000 feet of elevation gain just wasn’t in the cards for us. But there are still hundreds of options in the area so it’s just a matter of picking one that sounds interesting and go. The one we pick sounded reasonably easy and pretty. The Interlaken Trail is a 4.6 mile out and back hike with about 200 feet of elevation gain along the southern shore of one of the Twin Lakes about a 20 mile drive north of camp. It’s at an average elevation of 9200 feet, so it shouldn’t be too extreme for us.

A Low Twin Lakes

It is a pretty trail although the drive to the trailhead is rather rough for the last half mile - glad we drive a Jeep. The water level is down quite a bit simply based on how much of the shore is exposed. This trail is part of the lengthy Colorado Trail (segment 11 if it matters) as well as the Continental Divide Trail. We ran into many other hikers and a couple of mountain bikers along the way but it was a very nice Saturday so maybe crowds could be expected.

Interlaken Trailhead

Mushrooms Galore

Just past the 2 mile mark is the Interlaken Resort or what’s left of it. The resort was developed between 1879 to 1883 and was quite a popular tourist destination for 20 years. The resort closed when a dam was constructed that dropped the lake water level. Around 1980 efforts were taken to stabilize the buildings that could be saved and today, there are still numerous buildings on the site. The private cabin of the resort’s owner is one building that is open to the public. It has been nicely restored and even has some furnishings. The building has very beautiful details in the woodworking and hardware. Exploring the several floors was an unexpected treat at the midpoint of our hike.

Nicely Restored Cabin

Inside Cabin in Great Shape Too

Possibly Old Hotel?

We enjoyed our lunch in a shady spot amongst the buildings before heading back to the car. There are several options to continue the hike to the west but we didn’t find a loop trail that went around the lakes so we simply backtracked. A very pleasant and easy short hike.

View to the West

Serene Lake

The following day brought us back to the same trailhead as for the Midland Hill hike several days ago. This time we plan to do the rather simple Bridge to Bridge Loop. It’s a 2 mile loop trail that follows along both sides of the Arkansas River between 2 bridges. The trail along the western side of the river is quite well developed with lots of places to stop and watch all the people out enjoying the water. Along this stretch of the river, the falls and rapids look quite natural but it turns out that it was all carefully engineered and constructed to create BV’s whitewater park.

Fishing Raft Approaches Rapids

There was a wide range of activities taking place - rafters, kayakers, surfboards and fishing rafts. While watching one group of kayakers in one of the “playholes”, the three of them were taking turns trying to stay in the surf as long as they could before being spit out of the wave. During the one woman’s turn, she did fairly well at first but got flipped upside down after 20 seconds or so. Normally they are able to upright themselves and come back around for another try but she seemed to be having difficulty performing the flip. She was under for some time before she slipped out of the kayak and both started floating downstream. Her husband recognized her predicament and quickly went after her while the other guy that wasn’t with the couple took off after her runaway kayak. We caught up with them several minutes later and she was fine and the kayak was retrieved.

Kayakers in "Playhole"

Rafting Trip Passes By

We snickered at the sign on the downstream bridge regarding the proper dog allotment for hikers. Coming back up the eastern side of the river was a much more primitive trail with lots of places where we need to scale a few feet of boulders to continue on. From our viewpoint on this side of the river, we watched a father with 3 kids come down to the river. The two youngest kids had flimsy tubes and no helmets but were sent upstream a bit before heading into a calm section of the river to go thru some rapids. Having just seen what can happen to a kayaker, we were nervous about what we were seeing. We watched both kids make it thru the whitewater and seemed to enjoy it. This was a nice walk but I suppose if there weren’t people out on the river, it might not have been that memorable.

Dog Allotment Sign

Kid Hits Rapids

Surfers in River

Last week we had ridden the mountain bikes up CR 371 about 6 miles before turning around. We enjoyed it so much that I checked into the CalTopo website and determined that this road potentially goes nearly 14 miles from camp. More importantly, it seems to maintain a relatively consistent grade of just over 1% which might make sense since it follows an old railroad bed. We decided to bring along lunch and go for a ride to see just how far we could go. We stopped again at Railroad Bridge Campground to get a closer look at the old bridge.

Old Railroad Bridge

From Further Upstream

At one of the spots where the rapids are rather intense, we saw a couple of rafts go by and they all seemed to be having a good time. Around the 7 mile point, we came across some people bicycling the opposite direction. They mentioned that there were a couple of bighorn sheep up ahead. We didn’t have a good idea of how far ahead but within a half mile, we spotted two large males less than 50 feet from the edge of the road. With all the time we had spent in Colorado and Rocky Mountain NP, we hadn’t come across any of these until now. We stopped to watch them for 5 minutes. They did notice us but seemed unconcerned about us being so close. They were simply grazing on the tall grasses.

Rafting Crew Passes By

Bighorn Sheep Along Road During Bike Ride

Staring Match with Bighorn Sheep

We continued on and at the 8 mile mark, the road takes a left hand turn, crosses the river and heads towards US-24. The dirt road does keep heading north although it becomes a much narrower gravel road. Since there were no sign telling us to turn back, we kept on going. Just before we get to the 9 mile mark, there is a locked gate across the road telling us it is a private road. We had seen a few primitive campsites with picnic tables just before this gate so we headed there for lunch with a view of the river below.

Our Bike Ride Ends Here

Lunch Spot Along River

View to Northeast from Lunch Spot

After our break we proceed to the campground knowing we have over 8 miles of a gradual downhill to look forward to. As we came around a bend, we saw a large dump truck in the middle of the road emptying a large load of gravel. We hoped that once he pulled out we would be able to negotiate the pile and keep biking. As the truck pulled away, a road grader came out from behind the pile and started to smooth it out filling in a low spot. It only took him a few passes before he was complete and he pulled over to let us by. Now I know why this road is in such good shape, it actually receives maintenance. We ended up with a 17.5 mile ride that we enjoyed quite a bit.

Overlooking Arkansas River

Load of Gravel Dumped

Grader Smooths Out Gravel

One place we really wanted to get to from our stop in BV was Monarch Pass. It is where US-50 crosses the Continental Divide. It holds a special place in our hearts since that is where we crossed during our cross country tandem bicycle trip back in mid July 1991. It’s about a 42 mile drive from camp so it wasn’t too far of a drive. We turn onto Route 50 and have 18 miles to drive before getting to the pass. Along the way, I kept looking at the scenery to seeing if anything sparked a memory from that bike ride. I guess the specifics of a 7 week journey over 31 years ago have faded because nothing seemed familiar. We had put together a rather elaborate photo album shortly after completing the trip so we still had those memories but the album is squirreled away at my sister’s house in Ohio. Fortunately I had turned the album into a narrated video and uploaded it to YouTube so we were able to watch it again prior to coming here.

View from Pullout While Heading to Monarch Pass

As we turned into the large parking lot at the pass, some memories of this place came back. The sign has been updated but it’s still in the same location. Our first goal was to recreate our picture from that trip. I pulled out the tripod and got an updated picture. We have changed quite a bit in the last 31 years and we know we would never be able to accomplish this trip on a bicycle. I feel our current mode of transportation works much better for this stage of our life. Here is a link to the video montage of our cross-country photo album.

Re-creating Our Phot from Over 31 Years Ago

I didn’t remember there being a scenic tram ride at the pass during that trip, but we didn’t have a lot of time or energy to expend on tourist activities on our ride. Since the tram is still in operation and we have loads of time, we decide to give it a try. It’s only $10 per person for seniors so it doesn’t break the bank. The ride is just over 1/4 mile and gains 700 feet. It’s not the fastest tram and actually comes to a stop to let people on and off. Chris isn’t fond of heights but managed to survive the ride up.

Base of Tram Ride

Watching Trams from Below

Our Tram Car Awaits

Looking Back at Parking Lot

Another Car Heads Down as We Head Up

We head outside to check out the views. And what views we had! Being above tree line and having a very clear day, we could see quite some distance. We can see the nearby ski area we drove past on the way up. There are lots of communication towers near the top and a crew actually had a lift vehicle and were changing out some of the electrical components in the antennas. There are some hiking trails out of here but we decide to save some energy for a different hike.

Tram Support Towers at Top

View to East of Ski Area

Communication Towers

View to the West

View to the South

After spending time wandering around the top, we head back to the upper tram building to check out some of the displays and go up to its observation tower. There is both an inside and outside area so I guess if the weather is inclement, it’s still possible to come up and stay dry. The one corner of the building has a line painted on the floor designating where the Continental Divide crosses. We spend about an hour up top before hopping onto the next tram for the slow ride back down. A short walk up the Monarch Crest Trail allows us to get a good view of just how steep the terrain is beneath the tram.

Heading Back to Upper Tram Tower

Chris Straddles the Continental Divide

A Good view of the Steepness at Tram

We sit in the car and have our lunch before heading out for a hike. Old Monarch Pass Loop is listed as “easy” in AllTrails. It’s a 3.2 mile loop with just over 500 feet of elevation gain. If it was near sea level, I might consider it an easy hike but it is at ~11,300 feet so calling it easy is a stretch in my book. One bad thing about this hike is it’s on the opposite side of the road. Some cars are moving pretty fast while many are chugging along as they crest the pass. We manage to make it across without incident. We head in a counterclockwise direction to find a cache just a bit up the trail. The trail starts out extremely steep. So steep that we go a hundred feet and have to stop to catch our breath. There are dozens of stacked Timbers from a recent cut. It’s not clear how these were created on the side of such a steep hill. We presume they will be burned when the conditions are suitable. After we find the geocache and continue up the trail and it levels out a bit. The views are good over here as well.

Looking Back at Tram from Hike

Large Piles of Logs

Cool Mushroom

View Along Monarch Pass Loop

As we work our way around the trail, we come upon Old Monarch Pass Road. We follow the road for about a 1/4 mile before continuing on the trail to the south. The views to the west are equally stunning. After finding another geocache, we continue along the back half of the trail and back down to the road and parking lot. It was a beautiful hike but moderately challenging. There was a very nice old converted bus sitting in the parking lot. I’m not sure we are ready to change rigs but this one sure is unique. Monarch Pass was a wonderful day trip for us.

Looking West from Old Monarch Pass Road

Two Passes in One Day

Delicate Butterfly

Tram is Back in View

Great Old Bus Conversion

Since we visited one pass on the Continental Divide, we decided to stop at another one. Independence Pass is along the road that leads into Aspen Colorado. We have several stops we want to do along the way so we might not make it all the way to Aspen but we shall see. It turns out that this pass is also a 42 mile drive from our campground which seems a bit too coincidental. It’s a pretty drive with lots of switchbacks to get to the pass. This pass is nearly 800 feet higher than Monarch Pass. This road has a length limit that prevents longer vehicles from clogging up the road. There are a few trails out of the parking area for the pass but they all seem a bit more challenging than we are looking for. The views from the pass are quite nice and the weather was cooperating.

Chris Poses at Independence Pass

View from the Pass

Winding Road

The trail we did pick for our hike started just under 2 miles from pass. Linkins Lake Trail is a 1.6 mile out and back hike from the rather large parking area. Two other trails start from this area so hopefully many of the vehicles belong to hikers going on one of the other trails. This trail only gains 528 feet but tops out at just over 12,000 feet so it will be a workout for our lungs. The first part of the trail follows a creek that runs from the lake. It was a pretty hike with lots of wildflowers in bloom. We saw several deep blue flowers that we believe to be gentian although we’re not positive since they are a bit different from the ones we had on our property in western NY.

Linkins Lake Trailhead

Pretty Gentian

Split for Another Trail

Looking Back Down Towards Parking Area

It took us awhile but we eventually made it up to Linkins Lake. It’s about a 10 acre lake that was pretty but doesn’t have the great colors like some of lakes in Glacier National Park. There were a few other people up here so we wandered off to the side to get out of the stream of people coming and going. One family had carried a blowup kayak and were heading out into the lake. There were more flowers blooming by the water and some of these looked like gentian as well but yet a different variety. Just as we were starting to head out, a couple shows up and the husband strips down to his swimming trunks and heads in to the lake. I hadn’t touched the water but knew it must be rather cold. I’m not sure I understood the rationale for such an action but he had a reason.

Interesting Flower

Linkins Lake

A Different Type of Gentian?

Unusual White Flower

Another Linkins Lake View

BRRRRR!!!!

The hike back down was much easier and while it’s a rocky trail, it wasn’t so steep to be tricky heading down. Partway down, we spotted a couple of marmots on a large rock not far from the trail. They seemed to be out enjoying the sunshine like we were.

Heading Back Down

Marmots Have a Great View

Our next stop was just 2 miles down the road. The Independence Townsite is an old mining town from 1879. The Aspen Historical Society and the forest service have taken efforts to preserve some of the old building that are still standing. They definitely had a pretty setting although at 10,830 feet elevation the winters had to be brutal. We walked around and checked out some of the place. It looks like some of the building may be opened at times and staffed by volunteers, but everything was locked up when we were there.

Overlooking Old Mining Town from Parking Area

Some Buildings Are In Better Shape

View of More Old Cabins

This Mining Town Has a Wonderful View

The next stop was just over 8 miles down the road. From the descriptions we read, the Grottos Trail was about a 2/3 mile loop with some interesting features along the way. The parking area was rather crowded and we needed to take a spot that only Jeeps or 4x4 trucks could get in (and out of). The first place along the trail were the Ice Caves. Being mid August, I wasn’t expecting any ice but it still sounded neat. The entrance to the cave isn’t the easiest and having long legs is a great advantage. Chris saw what was required and said I was on my own. A few sections of logs were stacked on top of one another to act as steps. They worked but were rather wobbly. Since this seems to be a sanctioned entrance, I might have expected more robust stairs.

Made it to the Grottos Area

Approaching Ice Caves

Logs Positioned as Steps In/Out of Ice Cave

Once inside the cave, I wandered around a bit. There definitely wasn’t any ice remaining but there were some large puddles. I decided I didn’t need wet feet to see the back section of the cave. After exiting, we discovered some of the large gaps in the rock at the surface that drops into the cave. I suspect it’s about 12 feet from ground level to cave level at this point.

Rocky Interior of Cave

Rather Wet in This Direction

View of Split into Cave

We continued along the trail and end up at the Cascades. There are lots of places along the slick rock to get a good view of the Roaring Fork River as it passes thru the rock strewn river bed. It was quite pretty although it required a bit of care to not make a misstep and take a plunge. As we worked our way back to the car it was late afternoon by now and it was still another 9 miles to get into Aspen. We were rather tired and didn’t have any particular site within town we really wanted to see so we simples took the scenic drive back up and over the pass. I’m sure there was lots more to see along this beautiful drive.

Roaring Fork River

Blurred Water

View From Below