Chief Mountain hike

What can be better than staying downhill when the temperature climbs up and hits 90 degrees? Going to the mountains and having a hike somewhere above 10,000 feet is definitely a better thing to do. That's what I did last Saturday ;) I chose a trail I've never hiked before - Chief Mountain. Relatively close to Denver, relatively short and at a high altitude, it ticks all the boxes :). The trail is quite steep at the beginning and climbs between the trees.

 

But after a few minutes the trail makes a couple of sharp twists, and now the mountains peek out at you from between the trees ;)

And on the sides of the path there are many flowers. Mainly those that grow at higher altitudes, simple but bright and beautiful!

The higher you go, the wider the gaps between trees become and more mountains are visible in the distance. Beautiful views too!

The trail is no longer as steep, but pine trees and tall spruce trees still surround it, making it shadowy and cool.

After half an hour you climb above the tree line and can see the mountains without any obstacles. Hills and valleys, sunny and shady sides... You can stay there for hours and admire these endless mountain landscapes so beautiful they are...

At the end of the trail you are almost 12,000 feet above sea level and can see over the ridges. The light penetrates the clouds and you can even see Denver.

When on the top, you can climb up the granite mound and now have a 360 degree view around... And the vistas are absolutely stunning and beautiful. I spend about half an hour sitting on a rock and admiring the views.

But everything comes to an end, and I decided it was time to get down and head back to Denver. I took one last look at the mountaintop and the distant ridges and began my descent. This is an out and back trail, so you don't have an option to take another route on your way back and need to return the same way you came up there. But now you see everything from a different angle, because you move in the opposite direction. No complaints, this trail is beautiful no matter where you are going...

Still a lot of flowers and nice views...

As I mentioned above, this is the perfect hike. It's an easy one and takes about 2 hours to complete. With just over 3 miles and approximately 1,000 feet of elevation gain, it's ideal if you're not up for anything serious but still want some cool air and great views

The pictures were taken on July 20, 2024.