The winter of 2025-26 has been really warm and dry in Colorado and in much of the western states. The snowpack in Colorado is at the lowest level it has been at since the 1940s when the snowpack measurements were first recorded.
In December we decided to make reservations for Crested Butte over the Easter weekend. We’ve gone skiing in early April before (Keystone in 2019, Steamboat Springs in 2013, and even Snowbird in Utah in 2003). Of those trips only Steamboat was a bit scant on snow. Snowbird and Keystone had epic levels of snow those years.
So we were looking forward to good skiing at reduced lodging rates and with thinner crowds than in the prime of ski season.
The only problem was the snowfall levels across Colorado were incredibly low. So low that many resorts have closed early or shut down a number of runs. Even Crested Butte closed part of its terrain early due to low snowfall totals.
A week before our trip we saw video of bare ground under the ski lifts and all over the slopes. Rocks, grass, and baby trees. Was it even worth trying to ski? I planned to pack our hiking boots just in case we needed an alternate plan.
Well, mother nature came through for us. Crested Butte received 20 inches of snow the day before we arrived. Enough snow to basically return the runs to a pretty decent shape for a good day of skiing.
So we got out on the slopes post-snowstorm in 50 degree weather on closing weekend. And we had as much fun as I can remember having on a day of skiing.
Warm enough to ski in a hooded sweatshirt without a coat (some skiers were wearing even less). Crowds thin on the slopes and no lines to ride the lifts. We were down and up more times than I can remember on one day and skied more trails than I remember in one day too.
Six hours of skiing with only a short break for lunch. My son now old enough to go on his own or with me as he pleased. My wife able to enjoy the resort, have coffees and meet us for lunch without crowds or cold weather. By the end of the day we were plenty sunburned and tired but pretty darn happy.
As usual we also saw a lot of wildlife in our short visit to Crested Butte too We saw a fox right outside our hotel room, some moose just down the street from the hotel, and some bighorns and a heron on the drive back home.
And we made a morning stop at Paradise Cafe (but it wasn’t quite as good this time).
Overall though, it was a good trip. We vow to NOT wait until the end of ski season next year.
And I think we’ll visit Crested Butte in the summer too.
When autumn arrives in Colorado, we love to visit the high country to enjoy the vibrant colors that light up the mountain sides. One of the best places to enjoy the leaves of gold is Rocky Mountain National Park.
My 19-year-old, college student son Daniel and I spent the prior night in Estes Park, right outside Rocky Mountain. I had planned out the trip in advance and got Bear Lake Road reservations on August 1st, the moment the reservations become available for dates in September (they are gone within minutes for weekends in the summer and fall). We stopped briefly to get some gas and a quick bite of fast food breakfast, then entered the park at first morning’s light.
After passing the checkpoint to verify our access reservations we drove up to the parking area near the Glacier Gorge trailhead (which leads to Sky Pond), but unsurprisingly the small parking area was already full. We then continued onward to the much larger Bear Lake parking lot further up the road and found it was already completely full as well. We were far from the only early morning hikers ready to enjoy the fall colors.
On the drive up I saw a small parking area just below Glacier Gorge and told my son to drive back down to it, hoping that there would still be a place left there while cars passed us heading up to the full lots above. Sure enough, there was a spot left for us at this little parking area about 3/4 miles below the trailhead. A little extra hiking wouldn’t hurt us a bit.
We started down the trail and made fairly good time as we passed by Alberta Falls in the first mile, then The Loch at about 3 miles, the first of the lakes along the way to Sky Pond.
The trail passed alongside The Loch and after another mile we arrived at the point where the trail becomes a bit more challenging. You must climb a small cliff alongside Timberline Falls with cold water tumbling onto the rocks along the way. We made it fairly easily to the top of the cliff where we were rewarded with the sight of The Lake of Glass.
Many hikers mistake the smaller Lake of Glass for Sky Pond, but the trail continues onward past some boulders that obscure the path at the outset. Following alongside the Lake of Glass we ascended a bit further to arrive at Sky Pond.
With the jagged Shark’s Tooth piercing the sky above the lake, we knew we had arrived. Years before, when he was a seventh grader, we had tried the very same hike but had been turned back at deep snow at Timberline Falls. This time, at the right time of year, we had succeeded and could cross this bucket list Colorado hike off our list.
On the hike back we saw some pika hiding amid the rocks and some trout swimming casually in the Loch. The weather was pleasantly warm and and we would be well ahead of any afternoon rain that might move in.
It was a pretty easy-going hike for the both of us, and a good way to usher in the fall.
Last weekend we went for a camping trip at Red Feather Lakes in northern Colorado. Red Feather Lakes is about an hour west of Fort Collins and 20 miles south of the Wyoming border.
I booked this camping trip about two weeks before when I saw that there was a site available at the Dowdy Lake campground. I have long heard from fellow campers here in Colorado that it is a real gem and it didn’t disappoint.
The lake was beautiful and serene and our campsite was right next to the lake shore. Our goldendoodle Honey went right into the water for a swim and even surprised us by swimming after a duck in the lake.
Our tent was again absolutely worth the investment and made the experience more comfortable and fun. After getting set up at the camp site, we hiked around the lake on the shore trail and enjoyed cast-iron pizza and smores for dinner.
The next morning we ate a simple breakfast before heading out on a 7 mile hike to Mount Margaret. The trail and views were comparatively mediocre, but the dogs enjoyed running around freely with only a scattered few other people on the trail there and back.
Afterward we packed up to avoid a rain storm that was coming and headed home. We are planning to return next May for a longer stay. We’ll also be sure to bring the dogs!
Our last day of the trip we had intentionally left fairly open as far as our itinerary. We had gone to the visitor center the day before and saw that there was a ranger-led hike at Taggart Lake on the southern end of the park at 9AM.
Since we had never been to Taggart Lake this seemed like a good activity for the morning. The ranger-led portion was just to the lakeside for about 2 miles. Then we could continue on our own to complete a 4 mile loop back to the trailhead.
Instead of the usual cereal and protein shakes in our cabin, we decided to have a hot breakfast at John Colter’s Ranch House. It was a nice change of pace on a less busy day. Yes, we save quite a bit of time and money by not dining out every meal, but sometimes it’s good to have pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Taggart Lake
It was about a 45 minute drive from Colter Bay to the Taggart Lake trailhead (with another stop for air in my right-front tire). Once we arrived we waited for the ranger to appear along with the rest of our group then started the guided hike.
It was a bit windier and chillier early in the day as a cold front began to move into the area. That was ok though, it was still a very nice day and we had just gotten really lucky to have such ideal weather the whole trip.
As we made our way along the route the ranger would ask questions of the group. We answered most of them. And he had no qualms about letting us answer them all :).
We’ve been teaching our youngest to not feel embarrassed about ‘showing off’ his knowledge and intelligence. Some kids at school made him feel awkward in science and other class for being a nerd or know-it-all. Let them feel stupid all day long.
So we answered the name of the plant with the yellow flower as ‘arrowhead balsamroot’, that grizzlies love to eat moths, and every other assorted question the ranger had. We also walked into the forest off trail with the permission of the ranger to remind us to take time to let our senses appreciate nature free of all the noise and distractions of life.
As we continued from the lake shore around the loop we saw plenty of vistas of the Tetons, wildflowers, and butterflies, but no significant wildlife.
The Taggart Lake area leads upward to many more trails that I might try in the future such as Delta Lake.
Jackson Hole
I know the town is called Jackson, but everyone calls it Jackson Hole. Which sounds cooler.
We decided to have lunch in JH since we were fairly close to the south entrance and hadn’t been in JH since 2010. Back then we stayed in Jackson, which I realized was pretty distant from the park’s main areas and a bit unsatisfying if you want to enjoy the park.
Jackson has changed a lot in the past couple decades with all the billionaires moving in. We drove past the city park with the elk antler arches (which are pretty cool) and parked on a side street.
We decided to eat at the Merry Piglets because we wanted Mexican food. I had heard of the Merry Piglets because of a famous, recent missing person, murder case that ended in the Tetons not long ago. But regardless of that sad notoriety, we just wanted some burritos.
My food was lukewarm when served, and Shelley’s and Evan’s was almost cold. We sent their food back. I was too hungry to stop and think that my food should have been warmer. They got their remade dishes, which were correctly piping hot. But overall, I can’t really recommend it.
After eating we drove back north into the park and along the way we saw a bison herd. Plenty of junior bison as well.
That was pretty cool and made up for a lackluster lunch.
Colter Bay
We drove back into Colter Bay and parked at our cabin. We wanted to go to the two-mile loop trail that leads to a peninsula off of Colter Bay and afterward we could visit the gift shops one last time.
Shelley and Evan had hiked this trail the day before and were able to point out many things along the way, such as the bear claw marks on a tree (a warning to other bears) and some frogs lurking the mud near the Jackson Lake waterline.
Wile we were hiking back a few people told us a black bear was just seen crossing the path where we were walking. But unfortunately, we missed it.
We walked over to the general store to get some ice cream and met an unusually unfriendly, odd looking guy behind the counter. Almost all the staff we met working at the resorts were nice. This guy was not. Oh well.
We stopped at the visitor center and while inside we heard that the juvenile grizzly had just run past the marina. We stepped outside and there was a crowd there, as well as some rangers at the far end of the marina path. The grizzly was in the woods and the rangers seemed to want it to continue going in that direction.
Well, I had seen bears 6 days of the trip, but so far had struck out today.
We returned to the cabin to start packing up in preparation for departure the next day. We rested a bit, then at dinner time made our way over to the Ranch House again for dinner. It was good and we like it. As far as national park eateries go it’s a good place.
Day 9: Tetons and Wyoming
The next morning I got up early to do the morning hike around the loop trail, hoping to see some wildlife along the way. It was a very chilly 30F degrees and other than the random squirrel or bird in the dim light, the animals were not out and about.
I finished reloading the truck and walked to get some coffees at the coffee shop in Colter Bay. It’s always nice to start a drive with some good coffee. And it helped warm my hands after the biting chill of the hike. The weather had certainly changed overnight.
We left Colter Bay and made one last stop at a pullout before exiting the park.
We’d had a great trip and enjoyed ourselves. But we could still stop along the way at anywhere that looked interesting.
As we were ascending Highway 287 to cross the continental dive, it started to snow. June can still be winter in northern Wyoming.
As we made our way back down toward Dubois, Wyoming the temperatures increased and we were back in summertime.
Entering Dubois we saw a sign for the National Museum of Military Vehicles. Sure. Why not?
The National Museum of Military Vehicles
This museum blew us away. We were thinking we would have an hour stop and peruse the museum like most any other. Instead, after two hours we still weren’t done.
The museum is absolutely huge and full of historical military vehicles, rifles, and everything else related to American military history. It is laid our in chronological order and delves into the experiences of war at places like The Battle of the Bulge in WWII, in Korea, and Vietnam.
Included in the exhibits are German, Soviet, Japanese, and Chinese equipment from the various theaters of war. It was fascinating to see and we wondered how this immense, impressive museum had remained under the radar since it apparently opened in 2020.
Whatever the reason, this museum is a definite stop to make in Dubois, Wyoming.
I will be make a video of the museum and will be posting it here when it is ready.
After the museum we were pretty far behind schedule and needed to make up some time on the drive back.
We tried to get coffee again at the Buffalo Bean in Casper, but it had close for the day by the time we arrived. We had to settle for coffee at the travel center down the road (not as good but decent).
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed this trip overall, and it was a good change of pace back to a roadtrip after several years of plane travel. I was also glad that we gave ourselves a few more days and this made it a bit more relaxing, allowed us to see and do more, and never feel rushed.
I always have a number of goals for a trip and this trip really met and exceeded in everything we hoped to accomplish. We saw more wildlife than I could have hoped for and all the major ones (bears, moose, wolves, etc). We completed all the hikes that we had planned out. We used our new cooler and hiking equipment to save time and money and to improve our overall experience. We got great photographs and video footage. We did fun activities and still left some places and activities for future visits.
I don’t know when we will be back, but it won’t be six full years again. These parks are only 1-2 days away and I’d be curious to visit in the fall even if visitor services are starting to close for the season. I’d definitely return in June though.
We spent the night in the Grant Village Lodge and woke up fairly early. We wanted to make sure we had time to pack up and carry luggage to the truck and have our first hot breakfast of the trip before a kayak trip that we had reserved on Yellowstone Lake from Grant Marina.
We walked over to the Grant Village Restaurant and found it far less crowded than the prior night. We got seated near the window overlooking the lake and had buffet breakfast. It was good. Much better than what we felt we got the prior night for dinner.
We didn’t have long to enjoy our breakfast before we left for the marina. We got our sunscreen, sandals, and waterproof camera and met the guides at the lake shore.
Kayaking to West Thumb Geyser Basin
I reserved a 3 hour morning kayaking trip to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on a whim a month before our trip. I found it on Viator, and since we would be camping at Grant Campground, I thought it would be a fun morning activity.
Even though we were no longer camping, we had spent the night at Grant Lodge, so we were right there to still go on the kayak tour. Shelley had to bow out of this activity too due to a medical issue, but because we were going to West Thumb Geyser Basin she could travel there and see us from the shore.
The kayak tour was run by Prismatic Tours and I highly recommend it. The guides were knowledgable and friendly, and we talked to them throughout the paddle all the way to West Thumb Geyser Basin about Yellowstone and the thermal features.
The weather conditions the day of our kayaking trip could not have been better. Hardly any wind. A warm morning that steadily rose toward 80F as we proceeded on the water. It was perfect.
As we were alongside the geyser basin we saw water tumbling over the cliff face and into the cold, 40F degree waters of Yellowstone Lake. We put our hands into the water and felt the difference in temperature between the warm layer on top and the colder water below.
Starting off from Grant Marina
In the past we probably wouldn’t have thught of doing a kayaking trip in Yellowstone, but I was so glad I gave this a shot. It was a great experience and a lot of fun.
After returning the the marina we made a last stop at the gift shop in Grant Village, knowing that we were now leaving the park for Grand Teton National Park. We drove south and departed Yellowstone through the south entrance. Til next time, Yellowstone.
Headwaters Resort
After exiting the park we entered the John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway, which sits between the parks. It’s great that JD Rockefeller Jr bought and donated this land and other lands nearby, otherwise it would have been developed into an tacky, ugly area full of tourist traps like you see outside of many national parks.
What does exist in the parkway is The Headwaters Resort which is similar to the lodges in Grand Teton National Park. We wanted a good lunch and stopped at Sheffields Restaurant in the resort.
The interior was uncrowded and chill, the staff was friendly and talkative, and the food and beer was good too.
Looking at the name badges of the staff which listed their home state or country, I thought of my college student son who was doing a summer session back home. Later, when I talked to him on the phone, I suggested he might leave next summer open and consider working at a national park. It sure seems like it would be a fun and memorable way to enjoy a summer break while a college student.
After lunch, we got some fuel and more air in my tire that had the aforementioned slow leak in the prior blog, then continued south into Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Teton National Park
It’s hard to believe possible that two of the top fie national parks in the country are only 24 miles apart. But that is the case. I would never not visit both parks when heading to this area, unless my time was very, very limited.
We have a favorite place to stay when we go to Grand Teton and in my opinion, because it’s a little tucked away from much of the rest of the park and the visitor traffic, it is like a park within a park. And that is Colter Bay.
Colter Bay
We drove into Colter Bay, a place we had camped at in 2017 and 2019. This time we were staying in the historic log cabins which are, like the lodging in the rest of Grand Teton and Yellowstone, a tad pricey, but worth it for their location in the park.
I made a video of our cabin. If you have a large family, unfortunately, it might be kind of hard since our cabin only had beds for three people (one double and one twin). As with all lodging in Yellowstone and Grand Teton, it helps to book as early as possible.
After unloading our luggage. We stepped outside to see a friendly mule deer.
From our prior visits, we’ve come to expect to see mule deer and squirrels around Colter Bay. In 2017 and 2019 we saw bald eagles along the shores of Jackson Lake from a rented motor boat. This time we were told about a young grizzly that was hanging around the area, but we weren’t lucky enough to see it.
In the afternoon we a walked around the area and stopped by the visitor center. I had a long hike planned for the next day, which left Shelley and Evan with an open morning to plan. They decided to do a ranger led hike that would circle along the lake shore the next morning.
After passing alongside the marina, we returned briefly to the cabin, then made our way to the Cafe Court Pizzaria in Colter Bay. It was good, and just what we wanted for a meal to end the day.
I had what I expected to be a long and hard hike planned for the next morning and we went to bed not long after sunset. I got my backpack, poles, water bottles, and snacks ready to save time in the morning. With everything ready and our plans made, we went to sleep.
My back was already a bit fatigued from the runs back and forth multiple times to Lonestar Geyser, the kayaking trip, and hefting our fully loaded 60 quart cooler up and down from the truck.
I needed my backpack to be loaded with only the things I needed and nothing more. Lake Solitude was my goal for tomorrow and I was not going to be stopped by too much or too little gear in my backpack.
In Colorado there are four national parks and numerous national monuments, historic sites, and recreation areas. Florissant Fossil Beds is a small national monument in central Colorado, just west of Pikes Peak.
Florissant Fossil Beds is a unique and enjoyable place in a relatively quiet spot in Colorado. This December we made our second ever visit to the monument and saw that it had a new visitor center and a more expansive trail system.
We were last at Florissant Fossil Beds in 2012. At the time Shelley was pregnant with our youngest son Evan, who was born in December of 2012, almost exactly twelve years prior to our most recent visit. For Evan, this was his first real chance to visit the monument even though he was phyically there the last time 🙂
We found that in the intervening years a nice new visitor center had been built and we took some time to peruse the exhibits inside, learning quite a lot about the history of the monument and the many fossils that have been found at the site. We learned for instance that more butterfly fossils have been found at Florissant than anywhere else in the world.
Once we stepped out of the visitor center we made our way to the primary attraction that makes Florissant famous: the great, fossilized redwood stumps.
Redwoods?
Yes, Fifty million years ago the climate of central Colorado was warmer and more humid, though the elevation was still quite high. The climatic conditions allowed huge redwood forests to thrive in what is now a dry, alpine environment.
The redwoods were fossilized by a volcanic eruption that happened about thirty miles from the current site of the monument. That volcano is now extinct, but the ash fall that accumulated at their base ensured that the stumps would remain to the present day.
There are several redwood stumps to be seen within a one mile perimeter of the visitor center. Two are only about one hundred feet away, covered by the protective roof. One of these is a triple trunk that originates from a single base.
To see the others, we took a leisurely stroll along the one mile Petrified Forest Loop Trail. Along the way is the most famous of the stumps, called the “Big Stump”. This stump still bears the rusted remnants of a saw blade from a century old attempt to cut into it. Fortunately that attempt failed and the stump remains for our enjoyment today.
I highly recommend visiting Florissant if you are in this area of Colorado. It’s quiet and relaxing compared to many of the more famous attractions in the state and quite interesting. For us it was also kind of fun to bring Evan there so close to his birthday to reminisce and give him the chance to appreciate the park.
Colorado has many terrific national park sites and we decided to try our best to visit as many as we can in 2025. We think we can visit all four national parks in 2025, and we’ll hit many of the national monuments as well. We’ll share our journeys as we go.
Could we really go through the year without a single camping trip? No. That would be wrong. Human beings need to get away from the comforts of a climate controlled house and experience the outdoors. Tents force us to do that.
We love Steamboat Lake State Park in Routt County, Colorado. It’s a beautiful lake not far from the Wyoming border surrounded by mountains and forests and not a lot else. It has a marina that rents kayaks and paddleboards.
Of course we kayaked. We also tried fishing. No bites. But I was happy my 11-year-old wanted to try it and we’ll give it a go at another lake.
We also cooked every meal at the campsite. Usually we have a couple meals and then drive into town for a restaurant meal. This time we tried making cast iron skillet pizza and brought a portable charcoal grill for steak and chicken, as well as our gas stove for pancakes and to heat water for morning coffee.
The Milky Way was visible in the night sky and I did my best to photograph it with my phone, along with numerous critters large and small.
Overall we enjoyed it a lot. We all need to disconnect more. Tent camping means dealing with freezing nights and hot days and making due with whatever tool works because you forgot something.
I definitely don’t feel done getting out into the mountains this year. And hopefully camping. The weather is going to change so we’ll have to go soon. I always feel good coming back to regular life after roughing it or challenging myself on trails. That’s the reason we do it.
This past August weekend I decided I needed to do a bit of Colorado mountain hiking before the short season ends. August is the prime month for 14er hikes since the weather is warm and the snow cover has almost entirely melted off of the peaks.
I didn’t have time to make a multi-day trip so I decided to return to a peak that I hiked back in 2018: Quandary Peak. Quandary Peak is located just south of Breckenridge and is the 13th highest peak in Colorado at 14,265 feet. It is probably the most climbed 14er in Colorado due to its accessibility and relatively short 6.5 mile round-trip trail distance, but its still a good challenge with a 3300 foot elevation gain.
The last time I did this hike there were numerous mountain goats nonchalantly hanging out near and on the trail. The presence of the goats is another factor in the trail’s popularity. Unfortunately on this hike the mountain goats were nowhere to be seen. Pikas, however, were abundant, as you can see in the photos below.
Also, having completed six 14er hikes now, I’ve never encountered wind as strong as what I encountered on this hike. A very strong westerly wind was blowing right down the trail and really added to the difficulty. The prior time I did the trail the wind was minimal and it was much easier, even if a light snow was falling at the summit.
The vernal equinox is today and that means that the scales have tipped in favor of more daylight each day as we make our way toward summer. Where I live in Colorado the ground is still covered in snow and we’ll likely continue to have snow off and on into May (and some years into June), but summer is inevitably coming.
This is a pasque flower which is usually one of the first flowers we see in Colorado in early spring. It’s name actually means ‘Easter Flower’ since it usually blooms around Easter time. They are a symbol of spring time as well. I photographed this pasque flower on a spring hike and I’m looking forward to a little more time outdoors as the season progresses.
We have not yet seen the first pasque flowers (at least not in our area), but surely they will come. As will the warmer temperatures, early morning sunshine, thawing rivers, and eventually long, enjoyable summer days.
We went to Crested Butte to enjoy a ski weekend and got more fresh snow than we could have ever imagined. Back at our house temperatures dipped to frigid sub-zero temperatures, but in the Colorado Mountains epic snow came pouring down.
Over three days Crested Butte got around four feet of snow. Never have our kids experienced powder like we had at Crested Butte on MLK weekend.
When it was time to leave we actually had a bit of a challenge finding an open route as almost every mountain pass in the state of Colorado was closed due to avalanche danger. We ended up driving on a southerly route after Monarch Pass closed and made it across Cochetopa Pass before it was closed.
It was a bit stressful but after backtracking several hours and spending a night halfway we made it home.
