Four More

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

“Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”

— John Muir

Phase 1: Shanahan Ridge Full Loop

View fullsize

Under cloudy skies and a pleasant breeze, S and D sauntered up the Shanahan Trail to see what they could see. Notably, the flowers have changed: last month’s sunflowers have gone to seed, and the western wallflowers have given way to midsummer yarrow. Further up the trail, late-summer monarda have started to bloom, and mountain harebells nod and chime under the canopy of trees.

Thanks to the relatively cool evening, we ascended all the way to the Mesa Trail, making this a four-mile route, rather than the usual two. Despite the pleasant conditions, we didn’t see many people, though we passed numerous cows in the fields along the final stretch back to the trailhead.

Phase 2, 3: The Park

Question of the Night

• What trails intersect the Mesa Trail?
  The Mesa Trail runs 13.2 miles north-south through the Boulder Mountain Parks; as such, it forms kind of a highway, intersecting numerous east-west trails along its route. From north to south, these include:

  • McClintock Upper

  • Four Pines

  • Enchanted Mesa

  • Kohler Mesa

  • Skunk Canyon

  • NCAR Trail

  • Bear Canyon NCAR

  • Shanahan North Fork

  • Shanahan South Fork

  • Upper Big Bluestem

  • Shadow Canyon South

  • Homestead

  • Towhee

  • Lower Big Bluestem

  • South Boulder Creek West

View fullsize

View fullsize