TEMPTING SPRINGTIME HIKES
SPRING HIKES
One of our springtime joys is hiking. We love to see waterfalls gushing forth was ice and snow melts. We love the see the earth sending up the first shoots, buds, leaves, and wildflowers. We love to see the new baby animals, birds and butterflies. And we love to feel warmth again.
Mountains, coastlines, and deserts each offer their own spring glory.
Colorado offers many spring hike ideas. From its many mountains to its many hot springs, there is a lot to choose from.
Mt. Evans is a beautiful choice. It is the highest summit of the Chicago Peaks in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, standing at 4,271-foot (4350 m) high. It sits within the Mount Evans Wilderness.
The dense spruce and pine forest is edged with fringes of wildflowers. They give way to lush meadows and vast swaths of wildflowers at the summit, where Alpine Forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris) plants with hundreds of blossoms rise only centimeters above the soil surface.
Glacial lakes reflect big blue skies and attract wildlife, including mountain lions, black bears, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and mountain goats. The area also has one of the highest densities of yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) in the region.
The Pacific Northwest is another beautiful spring hiking mecca. Both Oregon and Washington State are graced with exceptional scenery. The Columbia Gorge and the Cascade Mountains are a treasure trove.
The Catherine Creek Trailhead, for example, offers 4 hiking trails, each with stunning views, each with multitudes of wildflowers dancing in the spring breezes.
Dog Mountain delivers some of the best views and the best wildflowers in the gorge. It’s for more advanced hikers, as it is strenuous.
California, from its coastline to its canyons, brightens with spring wildflower blooms. Wild poppies are a particular delight.
While the Santa Monica Mountains are not known for large fields of colorful blooms, you will find lots of variety there, especially bordering the beautiful creeks and streams.
Check out Point Mugu State Park, known for both its lovely beaches and its trails up into the mountains above the coast. While the area was devastated by wildfires in 2013, recent rains have brought a resurgence of wildflowers along the Backbone Trail, that is incredibly breathtaking.
Read more about Spring Thaw all this week on BeautifulNow including The Most Beautiful Places to Be When Spring Arrives. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
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Image: by Mike Skeen. “Centennial State of Mind.” Mt. Evans, Colorado.
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Image: by Sheila Sund. “White Camus.” Columbia Gorge. Oregon/Washington.
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Image: by Matt Santomarco. “The Wildflowers in Boulder.” Colorado.
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Image: by Steven Bratman “Lower Blue Lake.” Blue Lake Basin, Mt. Sneffels Wilderness. Colorado.
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Image: by Zach Dischner. “Thrive On.” Conundrum Hot Springs, Colorado.
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Image: by Genedial. “Mountain Goats on Mount Evans Colorado.” Colorado.
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Image: by Danielle Henry. “Diamond on the Horizon.” Oregon.
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Image: by Sheila Sund. “Columbia Gorge Wildflowers.” Catherine Creek Trail. Washington.
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Image: by Brent Miller. “Looking West.” Dog Mountain Trail. Skamania County, Washington.
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Image: by docentjoyce. “Montana de Oro State Park - California Poppy.” California.
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Image: by Wasim Muklashy. “150% California.” Topanga Canyon. California.
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Image: by Bill Gracey. “Cruisin'.” La Jolla, California.
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Image: by Leigh McAdam. "Boulder's Mesa Trail." Colorado.
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Image: Courtesy of derwoodynck. Dog Mountain. Columbia Gorge, Oregon.
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Image: by Scrubhiker (USCdyer). “Tall Blacktip Ragwort.” Pagosa Springs. Colorado.
