Hike 12: Fountain Valley Loop

Saturday was such a nice day that I decided to do two hikes. Because I had gone to Chatfield in the morning and had some errands to run directly afterwards, I figured I would continue to stay local and head to Roxborough State Park for a sunset hike.

I knew I would be cutting it close time wise, but I wanted to see the moonrise that evening for the impending Snow Moon. Roxborough had been staying open later recently, but they were closing at six due to the mushy conditions from snow the day before.

When I got there the parking lot had plenty of spots and most people were on their way out. The trail itself is listed as easy on AllTrails as easy and I would say that’s a fair rating. It’s about 2.3 miles and I think I tacked a little bit on to check out the Lyons Overlook.

It was really nice hiking in solitude and the sunset made for some amazing views with the rock formations. When I arrived at the Overlook there was another group hanging out, but they left soon after and no one else came for the 20 minutes I was up there. I got some much needed nature solitude time ❤️.

As I began to head back to the trailhead, the snow moon started to rise. I don’t think I’ve ever so desperately wanted a camera more than I did this night because I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful this was. For whatever reason, after this wonderful hike, it really irked me that my iPhone could not capture the moon anywhere near close to what I was saying. Just tells me that this is something I’m really interesting in pursuing. One day…

On my way out of the park the moon was so beautiful that I even pulled over by a lake while driving and took some more pictures. Yes, I am that guy 🤷🏼‍♀️. So much so, that I also decided to stop at Chatfield (yes, the same place I’d hiked that morning) on my way home to see the moon from the top of the dam. Well worth it.

It started snowing again so I was really, really happy I got two hikes in on Saturday. It’s not that I don’t enjoy hiking in the snow occasionally, I just really dislike windy and overly cold hiking. Not for me. Looking forward to a proper mountain hike very soon, though and may have to give in and battle the elements. Happy hiking!