Spring time, time for hike

It was Spring time already and there wasn't any snow in Denver. Warm and nice weather and Cherry trees were almost blossoming these days. It felt like a good time to drive up to the mountains for some hiking. It was still chilly up there and the snow was still everywhere. But still it is a really good feeling to walk on the trail, breath fresh cold air and to forget about all the noise of the big city and to have some electronic detox...

 

One April Saturday I went hiking to Mount Falcon park, one of the closest places to Denver where you can escape the city. Just a half hour of drive and you find yourself at an elevation of 8000 feet and temperature 10 degrees below compared to the foothills. Fresh air infused with the smell of the hundred year old pines (or even older) and constant breeze are added to the mix for free.

 

No surprise this place is always busy with people - hikers, joggers, bikers... you can meet them all. But still the park is big enough and rarely feels crowdy. Just a perfect place to have some good time...

And don't be surprised, even when the snow has melted in Denver, here you still have enough of this white cold blanket. But not everywhere. If you look at the south slopes you can find the snow was here, but not anymore. The sun had melted it and cleared the slopes... Not completely, but still the different between the slopes is big and, actually, pleasant.

We went along the trail and enjoyed the views around us. We never took the Two Dogs trail before and decided to explore it. That was a nice narrow way up and down and we liked how it runs between the pines. And we stayed for a while at the end of the trail looking at the Denver panorama lying in front of us. It was amazing to see how the Dinosaur Ridge cut the valley between mountains and horizon to two parts.  

We spent some time looking around and enjoying these awesome landscapes. Red Rocks Amphitheater, a mine and just slopes and valleys...

Finally we turned back and at the trail fork turned to the right to see the Summer White House ruins. John Walker, who owned this land hundred years ago, started this project but never finished it. He wanted to build a castle where the President of the USA could enjoy Colorado and nice mountain views around. But in 1918 the lightning hit the building and it was burned to the ground. Walker was occupied with some different projects at this time so the Summer White House was abandoned and never happened. Now you can see the ruins, but also you can enjoy amazing panoramas which the President can't see :-) It is possible because Walker moved out of Colorado and left his estate to the city of Denver on condition it will be used only for recreation purposes. So, thanks to John Walker, we have a nice park here!

After this point we returned back to the parking lot. Two hours and four miles of hike in the mountains can recharge batteries for anyone and we felt ready to start next week.We planned to come back here in a while to see the wildflowers in bloom. As I mentioned before, this is a great place to escape the heat of the downhills and have a break in the Summer.

Pictures were taken on April 06, 2014.