See linked document for full description of this hike. From the trailhead of the Race Track Trail, we walk south into pinon/juniper forest, quickly climb to the top of the first ridge, and ascend gently toward Methodist Mountain on the ridgetop with increasingly better views as we climb. At 0.75 mile, we climb more steeply to the next tier of planation surfaces in lovely forest with occasional views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. At 1.2 miles we come to the edge of a beautifully eroded hidden canyon, Castle Gardens, and walk near its edge for about 0.4 mile to the beginning of the Little Rainbow Trail. We, then, hike west on the Little Rainbow Trail for 0.9 mile where we scallop three planation surface fronts and have outstanding views east, north, and west. The lunch stop will be on the third planation surface at a highpoint just before reaching the Lost Trail intersection. We will be able to enjoy the 360-degree views on this planation surface during lunch. After lunch, we backtrack about a half-mile to the Dead Bird Trail and descent to the vehicles via this trail, with great views in front of us as we descend - the Upper Arkansas Valley, Salida, the southern Sawatch Range, and Arkansas Hills. On the descent, we encounter a gully area and, then, return to the trailhead on broad open forested gentle slopes.
Maximum Participants: 10Registration is required for this activity. Click "register" to reserve your spot.
Links General Info
Registration is not currently enabled. Check the calendar for more activities
Cancel(719) 539-7289