I finally counted and I’m actually only 5 hikes behind once I publish this post 🥳. It’s so odd. Not like there’s a timeline for me to complete this or anything...it’s all just for fun. But I really, really don’t like falling so far behind. I’d like to write more about my feels on the particular day or what I was experiencing and it gets a little tough to do that two weeks out.
So, my plan this weekend is to play some catch up. I may not publish everything all at once as editing can get a little tiresome, but I’d like to be putting this out there a bit more in real time. I think it’s particularly important with everything going on right now...it’s not about to make a whole mess of sense for me to be posting about things being a certain way if restrictions have changed or lifted.
It was little man weekend and that always means at least one hike, albeit much easier. B has become downright insistent that the full squad comes out for each and every one, and this day was no different.
I did an AllTrails search the night before and chose this particular trail as it was nearby and relatively short. It’s listed on AllTrails as easy rounding out at 2.2 with a whopping 52 feet of elevation gain. Not something I’d really consider a true blue trail for myself, but throw a small human and two pups into the mix and you have yourself a nice little workout going 😅.
Another reason I selected this trail was because of the giant compass located at the Highlands Point Overlook. With screens everywhere, I get it, hiking may not be THE most exciting thing for a five year old. I want him to look forward to the time we spend outside and like to find hikes that have interesting, kid-friendly features like this.
The parking lot was about 3/4 full when we got there around 11 and I’d say it was about the same when we left. The trail itself was pretty heavily trafficked and does allow for mountain bikes. Given that, things took a bit longer as we were consistently hopping off to the side. Also, if you hit this one up, please make sure to check connecting trails ahead of time as some dont allow for four-legged friends.
We headed westward and it’s a short 1.1 miles walk to get to the overlook. The trail has beautiful views of the front range but absolutely no shade, so prepare to be a a sweaty mess once you’re finished. Or like 10 minutes in if you’re like us 😂.
When we arrived at the overlook B was super excited. The compass itself is a really cool feature for kids to check out. Not only does it have the typical direction labels, but it also has markers indicating the direction and how far away some notable mountains, parks and notable places are.
We had the pups and it was HOT, so this was about as far as our journey took us. On the way back we spent our time between water gulps spotting cactuses and tiny spring time flowers.
All in all, would highly recommend this trail for kiddos, trail running, or mountain biking. Wish it was pup-friendly further in, but one day I’m sure we’ll return to explore and can give the gals a day off. Until next time, happy hiking ✌🏼🏔🥾!
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