SubscribeDate of Trek: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Quick Summary: A lollipop hike through Apex Gulch west of Denver
Description
A lollipop loop that begins at the base of Apex Gulch near Golden, Colorado. The trail follows a small creek up the gulch before crossing into a small wooded area known as the Enchanted Forest. The trail winds through the forest before returning to the main trail and returning you to the trailhead.
This is multi-use trail that is popular with mountain bikers.
| Distance | 5.4 mi / 8.69 km | Starting Elevation | 6168 ft / 1880 m |
| Lowest Elevation | 6168 ft / 1880 m | Highest Elevation | 7362 ft / 2244 m |
What You Will See
Where You Will Go
Details
| Has Facilities | no | Has Food Available | no |
| Facility Info | Food Types | ||
| Has Restrooms | yes | Has Drinking Water | no |
| Restroom Type | porta-potty at trailhead | ||
| Hours | 1 hr before sunrise to 1 hr after sunset | Parking Spaces | 100+ |
| Fees | none | ||
| Trail Usage | hiking,equestrian,biking / mountain biking | Pets Allowed | yes |
| Terrain | rocky/uneven,dirt | Pet Rules | on a leash |
| Foliage | deciduous,evergreen,prairie / grassland | Wildlife Possiblities | elk, mule deer |
Trek Report
I wasn’t really impressed with this hike. The scenery was nothing special when compared to other hikes in the area such as the Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks. There aren’t many panoramic views of the area and much of the trail is though fairly open and barren terrain. There is a small creek running through the gulch, but it heavily overgrown in most spots and hard to see. I did hike this trail early in the spring before anything had a chance to green up, which may have contributed to my negative impression of the place. It’s possible that the area could be filled with wildflowers later in the season and it would have been much prettier had the aspen been leafing. There were also many fallen trees across the trail in the forest, making travel difficult in spots. Hopefully, trail maintainers will remove them later in the spring.
The trail was heavily used by mountain bikers so I had to be constantly alert and prepared to get out of their way. There are several blind curves where the bikers appeared suddenly from behind me on the way out. Since it was down hill, they were moving quite fast and I only had moments to step out of the way. Be careful.
On a positive note, I did get to see several mule deer and a herd of elk on the trek. That’s always exciting!
