Walker Ranch (April 2008)

Written by ceddammit

Today’s ThrowBack Thursday is a brief one, as I’m still trying to get caught up after my trip to Michigan, while simultaneously preparing for my next trip (back to Colorado). So, go ahead and climb into the Way-The-Hell-Back Machine as I fill ‘er up with grain alcohol. Today’s trip takes us on a hike around the Walker Ranch Loop. The ol’ Walker Ranch is actually the western (or upper) part of Eldorado State Park. As you may recall from our previous visit to Eldorado State Park, there’s a railroad meandering its way through the cliffs near the top of Eldorado Canyon. The valley floor at Walker Ranch is much higher than in the “main” part of the park, so this is where the railroad transitions from being cliff dweller to just drivin’ upstream alongside a creek. See for yourself (or for some random passer-by):

Railroad transition from cliffside to…
…the bottom of the valley

I should point out there are three different points where you can join the Walker Ranch Loop trail. Four if you count the trail that comes up from the lower part of the park. But believe me, you don’t wanna go that way! On this occasion, I parked at the southwest parking lot and entered the loop going counterclockwise. Going this way, we leave the railroad and ascend a bit, to get these views:

Next, the trail virtually plummets into South Boulder Creek Canyon. The canyon is much narrower here than in the lower portion of the park. It’s basically a small gouge out of the wider valley floor. This section of the trail has steep, usually wet, wooden stairs – not recommended for those of you with balance or gait issues! I don’t remember why I didn’t get any pictures of the stairs, but have a look at the canyon you could fall into:

After crossing the creek at the bottom of the canyon, it’s time to climb the other side. Here’s a little of what I saw after completing that ordeal:

Looking across the park at the cliffside portion of the railroad
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Look closely…there’s a cybernetic pine squirrel in there.

At this point, we’re about half-way around the loop. There’s plenty more to see, but the sun is setting. We must not dilly-dally, as the Rocky Mountain Vampire Sheep will soon be out. Cheerio!

One final thing. Look at the size of the dog at the bottom of this sign:

Leave a comment