Today’s Colorado Adventure brought us to Herman Gulch Trail about a 35-minute drive West of Denver on I-70. Not a single cloud in sight we embarked on the Herman Gulch Trail taking us across snow covered plains and mountainous terrain. The hike was about two hours and 1,600 feet above sea level.
In a few weeks this trail will be sprinkled with budding wildflowers, snow being only a distance memory. Herman gulch trail will have over 100 different types of wildflowers in peak bloom (June). It’s a scenic hike that is intermediate level due to steep sections near the trail head that leave you sucking (thin) air for a few minutes.
Denver has temperatures of about 70 degrees today so the cool mountain air was refreshing. Once you arrive at the top of the trail your efforts are rewarded with a spectacular view of Herman Lake. Since we didn’t have snowshoes we couldn’t get all the way to the top. We did about 3.5 miles of the 5-mile hike (roundtrip).
The trail gets a lot of foot traffic due to it’s ease of accessability, about 3 minutes from I-70. Just head west on I-70 from Denver for 35 minutes to exit 218. Signs will guide yo to the trail head.
Every week will feature a Colorado Adventure so you can enjoy my adventures with me.
May your day be full of goodness because that’s what it is all about. : )
The
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
You brought back memories for me from my cross country skiing days; it sounds like it was a beautiful day for a hike. And I loved your ending ‘wishes’ to us all. Thank you and the same to you!
Vali, I bet it is really beautiful in June. I am a gardener so I would love to see the wild flowers.
Carole: This was perfect spring hiking weather. Got to find something to do now that the slopes are closed
Maureen: June IS an incredible month in Colorado we have some many wildflowers it’s hard to believe it’s real! Hiking during this time of year is great fun and next week it will look completely different.
make it a great one!
Where is Herman Gulch? Is it up by Idaho Springs or further west?
I bet the summer flowers will make wonderful photos. Thanks for letting go on a vicarious hike with you.
While Herman Gulch is not quite in Summit County, you can get here from there if you just keep heading westward and upward! Next week I will have lunch with my hiking buddies to plan our summer hikes, and I will add that one to my list. It is nice to know that you can do a good part of it without snowhoes, as I hate walking in them. (Perhaps I need some new, smaller ones.)
If you haven’t done Buffalo Mountain in Summit County, add it to your list. We did it late last year, and while it has a lot of vertical, it is a very rewarding hike. I blogged about it last September.
I am a Realtor in Summit County but I have learned to take time to smell the flowers (literally) and I hike one day a week from May to September/October, whenever the snow stops us. I can take phone calls almost anywhere if I have to, but I prefer to let my phone take messages and return the calls after I am done. It is nice to have a little balance in your life!