Alderfer/Three Sisters Park

Alderfer/Three Sisters Park boasts 770 acres of open space. Ever since Evergreen was settled, the four rock formations called the Three Sisters and The Brother have been landmarks providing spectacular views of the Bear Creek Basin. Over 10 miles of trail lead you around the Three Sisters and up to The Brother and connect to Evergreen Recreation District property.

Castlewood Canyon

SquareTop Lakes Trail near Guanella Pass

We drove to the top of Guanella Pass 11,700 ft and parked at the summit. Here we begin the climb up. The vegetation was so different above treeline. There were lichens, grasses, and scrubbrush.

Because this hike is entirely above treeline, this hike had entirely different vegetation than what I was used to.

We can see SquareTop peak  13,794 elevation in the distance.

This was the first dried up tarn (or mountain pool) we passed by.

Some parts were steep, but it leveled out in spots too.

We passed a stream along the way.

We finally made it to squaretop lake.

Coming back down we enjoyed the views of neighboring peaks.

Burning Bear Trail near Guanella Pass

This trail starts off easy and level parallel state road 62

Here's the creek that we follow and cross off and on

There are beautiful views at the start of the hike.

Here is the view from a meadow about halfway to the cabin.

The trail narrows and starts climbing.

At one point you hike right through a cow pasture. Some of the land is private you will see as you drive to the trailhead.

This cabin is at the 2.2 mile mark and is a good place to turn around. If you continue , carefully watch for this stream crossing to find the rest of the trail. (We got lost for a while and retraced our steps) The trail is wonderfully marked by blue diamond markers the whole way. We kept looking for that blue diamond and found the trail.

After this crossing, the trail gets quite steep for one more mile to the top of the ridge.

This is the anticlimatic top that is marked by this old stump and triangle metal markers. There is no view and the trees do not open up to see anything. :(

Heading back down we stopped to finish our sandwich to this view. I found some old brick ruins from an old house. Bring a collapsible stool if you have one. See Doug sitting on his.

Heading back down , the aspens were in their golden glory.

When you get to the boardwalk, you are almost back.

We drove north after our hike over Guanella Pass and saw great colors. This road eventually took us to hwy 70 and Georgetown.

Abyss Lake Trail

This was a beautiful hike down south past Bailey on route 285  instead of heading toward Boulder today. We did not hike all the way to the lake but did five miles round trip.

This Trail started off County Rd 62 near Grant . 
The beginning of the trail was kinda boring and flat.

There were lots of rocks and small boulders to maneuver around. 
I was glad I had my poles.

We hiked through shaded trees gradual ups and downs.

We crossed this adventurous creek that was a fun change.

 

Just ahead the gorgeous scenery came into view. Lots of aspen trees and pines with flecks of gold here and there.

Here is where we stopped for lunch. A well deserved reward at the end of the hike. Note the waterfall to Doug's right.

 As we hiked there was a creek running with us. We kept our eyes open for Moose since there were willows and water  but no luck.