DESTINATION Generic 56 Photosets
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| Hiking | 2.00 Miles |
500 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.00 Miles | | | |
| 500 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was an "Explore" Day with a couple of little Hikes...I found this Hike in a Handout at the Telluride Visitor's Center and it intrigued, so I decided to check it out. The Drive into the Town of Ophir was very Scenic and I found the "TH" without any Trouble...
The Trail for the most Part is an Old Road and crossed a Bridge over Howard Fork Creek. After that you start climbing up, paralleling Waterfall River in spots....The Description of this Hike is a little Vague and other than one Sign at the Start, there were no others, so I did some exploring on other "Routes" as well, finding the Town of Ophir's Water Supply Site...
Like every other River I've seen, both the Howard Fork, and the Waterfall River were running Fast and Strong. Almost a Mile in on the Main Trail/Road, there is a Fork in the Road, with one Fork going down into the Valley and crossing the River...I could see Switchbacks going up the other side and it appeared that this was the Route that would take you to the Base of a Waterfall as per the Description...When I get to the River, I realize that I won't be crossing that today...The "Bridge" if you could call it that, was underwater and in heavy current...So I backtracked and followed the other Fork where eventually the Road is supposed to turn into a Trail and take you all the way around the Amphitheater that is at the End of this Canyon. And then, it's supposed to tie you back into the Switchbacks on the other side of the River...It did turn into a Trail but apparently, at least for now, it is not maintained...It descends back into the Valley where the River flows and with some apparent Flooding at some point, became impossible to follow, both due to No Trail or too much Debris and Brush. I finally gave it up and turned around... Apparently, somewhere along the Back of the Canyon there is a "Bench" to negotiate that has a little Exposure, but I never made it far enough back to see that... Maybe they'll get some Work done in there before I see this again...
I would like to see it again, as it looks like it would be gorgeous to go all the way around that Box Canyon....I could see spending a lot more time in there in the Future and it looks like there are some wonderful Destinations over the Ridge on the other side where the Switchbacks are as well...
According to the Description, the "Short Loop" going across the Creek is 2 Miles RT with 1900' Elevation Gain...Hmmm, would be interesting to actually run a True Track of this....From eyeing the Switchbacks on the other Side, there is some Elevation Gain and I think even the Short Loop would be over 2 Miles...But who knows, since I don't have a GPS...I estimated for my Stats...Again, the Description is pretty Vague. It's one short Paragraph that includes the Driving Directions... And if the Description is Vague, the "Map" is even more so...  But apparently this is a fairly new "Trail" and is deemed to be a "Gem", which, if they put a little more work into it, could be absolutely be True!
I look forward to trying this one again in the Future as it was another Beautiful Area and worth the Return...On the Way out, I saw what looked like some Rocks on the Road, but when they all moved, I knew what I had...I had a small Photoshoot with a "Family". It was way fun and topped off a nice little Excursion....And then I was off for more "Exploring"....  |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
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