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redroanchroniclesOver the weekend, my dog Trudeau and I explored a few local trails. Our first attempt, Fourmile Stock Trail, was disappointing: it was neither particularly scenic, nor was it comfortable to walk (lots of loose rock everywhere, and plenty of noise when the ATVs came out to play). It did spill us out onto a nice gravel road and beyond that, the continuation of a much more comfortable walking trail (it wasn't signposted, so I don't know what it's called)... but of course by then it was time to turn around and go back.
So I was pretty delighted when our next attempt turned out much better. We drove out of Pagosa into the San Juans, looking for the Piedra River Trail. The directions I'd found online were fairly accurate (see below for my own directions, which will lead you to the actual trailhead, unlike the directions I had used) and we found the spot without a problem. The trail forks to both an upper and lower trail; the lower trail is the one you see in my photos, and I'm told the upper trail is pretty awesome, too, and there are ice caves if you know where to look. Which I... don't.
It was a beautiful overcast day, and though I'd packed my rain jacket and more than once heard the ominously close rumble of thunder as we went down the trail (and mentally made note of convenient stone overhangs to dash for if the skies were to open), we never did get rained on. The trail takes you up and down along the course of the Piedra River, and goes from nice open tree-spotted flats along the trailhead (and in the meadows at the bottom, where Trudeau sampled the river and declared it delicious) to narrow little box canyon areas and cliffs. There are a few spots where enormous chunks of the cliff wall had tumbled into the river and looked like enormous dice abandoned by some long-ago giant. The full trail is over 10 miles, but I only hiked about two and a half of them before I turned around to go back, worried by the advancing thunderheads. I'll definitely be going back to explore the rest of the trail... and doing it in the morning, to avoid encountering Pagosa's semi-regular afternoon thunderstorms.
Above is the view from the bottom of the trail, where you finally come down to the river level. There are a few spots here where you can venture into the water, which Trudeau was happy to do, and the view back up is pretty impressive. From Piedra Road, you can actually turn off and walk out onto the bluff you see here to enjoy this view:
This was my first real hike in my new(ish) Vibram Fivefingers red KSO remixes. The trails I ran with VFFs in Humboldt County, California, before I moved out here to Colorado, were mostly through coastal redwood forest, so they were soft underfoot and further cushioned with pine needles. Here the trails tend to be a bit more rugged. The KSOs performed well and were particularly great fun on the sections where we were finding our footing along bare bedrock. I loved being able to wrap my toes around obstacles as I negotiated them; it was less fun on the many sections strewn with loose rock, and I was wishing for one of the Trek models with a slightly more substantial (and treaded) sole. It's a good hike in KSOs though, no trouble with traction, and they were especially great tackling the hike back up from the bottom of the river valley. (One of the truly bizarre things about VFFs is that they turn running up hills from a chore into a pastime. At least, if you're me.) I'm quickly becoming a trail-running addict, but for the most part on the Piedra River I found that I had to go a bit more slowly and take care with my footing on all the loose rock.
I also worked on teaching Trudeau to walk behind or beside me; typically I haven't minded if he's out front, but on a narrow trail it quickly becomes irritating... he stops abruptly to sniff something, and every couple of feet, and I get tired of almost running over him and telling him to go "on by." One of these days I'll figure out how to teach him to get out front and pull when I want him to, and how to stick to me when I need him to. (The local nordic skiing club has a yearly free skijoring clinic; you can expect to be thoroughly availed of that adventure sometime this winter.)
Trudeau and I encountered a few unleashed dogs, but didn't have any incidents (my dog's dickishness is actually improving!), and his stay is even good enough that I venture a few shots with him posed off-leash. He's such a handsome fellow, I couldn't help myself.
I was hoping for a little bit more fall color on this trip, but the Piedra River Trail gets most of its colors from aspens, which tend to just turn yellow and then drop their leaves. The scrub oak and other deciduous plants along the river were just beginning to turn; I'm hoping when I get out again this weekend for some different drives and hikes that I'll find some even more exciting scenery to photograph. But the Piedra River Trail was definitely worth the trip, and a hike down to the river is a wonderful way to spend a few hours.
How to get there: From Pagosa Springs, take Hwy 160 to Piedra Road. Proceed north on Piedra Road for about 17 miles. When you reach the Piedra River bridge, drive just a bit further up the road and take the next available left, into a parking lot which will lead you directly to the well-marked trailhead. You can also park in the turn-offs just on either side of the bridge, but your access to the trail from there is a fairly steep ascent up a rock face; going up that way worked fine for me, but I'd hate to try to get back down that route after a little rain. Horseback riding, hiking and fishing are all allowed, but no motorized vehicles, and the trail seems both popular enough and narrow enough that I didn't picture it as the most fun ever for horseback riding, either.
Area access: The majority of the drive on Piedra is on a well-maintained gravel road. In good weather, a 2-wheel-drive vehicle will get you there without a problem. A bike would probably make for an even better trip. Winter is likely another story. The drive itself is gorgeous, especially with the fall color coming out.
Difficulty: The Piedra River Trail is mostly an easy hike, with the difficulty increasing to moderate as you go further. If you're not quite up for the exertion, or you're just stopping through the area on your way to somewhere else, stop in at the Piedra River picnic area across the road (signage on the road will point the way); it's a lovely spot with picnic tables, restrooms, and a very nice view.
So I was pretty delighted when our next attempt turned out much better. We drove out of Pagosa into the San Juans, looking for the Piedra River Trail. The directions I'd found online were fairly accurate (see below for my own directions, which will lead you to the actual trailhead, unlike the directions I had used) and we found the spot without a problem. The trail forks to both an upper and lower trail; the lower trail is the one you see in my photos, and I'm told the upper trail is pretty awesome, too, and there are ice caves if you know where to look. Which I... don't.
It was a beautiful overcast day, and though I'd packed my rain jacket and more than once heard the ominously close rumble of thunder as we went down the trail (and mentally made note of convenient stone overhangs to dash for if the skies were to open), we never did get rained on. The trail takes you up and down along the course of the Piedra River, and goes from nice open tree-spotted flats along the trailhead (and in the meadows at the bottom, where Trudeau sampled the river and declared it delicious) to narrow little box canyon areas and cliffs. There are a few spots where enormous chunks of the cliff wall had tumbled into the river and looked like enormous dice abandoned by some long-ago giant. The full trail is over 10 miles, but I only hiked about two and a half of them before I turned around to go back, worried by the advancing thunderheads. I'll definitely be going back to explore the rest of the trail... and doing it in the morning, to avoid encountering Pagosa's semi-regular afternoon thunderstorms.
Above is the view from the bottom of the trail, where you finally come down to the river level. There are a few spots here where you can venture into the water, which Trudeau was happy to do, and the view back up is pretty impressive. From Piedra Road, you can actually turn off and walk out onto the bluff you see here to enjoy this view:
This was my first real hike in my new(ish) Vibram Fivefingers red KSO remixes. The trails I ran with VFFs in Humboldt County, California, before I moved out here to Colorado, were mostly through coastal redwood forest, so they were soft underfoot and further cushioned with pine needles. Here the trails tend to be a bit more rugged. The KSOs performed well and were particularly great fun on the sections where we were finding our footing along bare bedrock. I loved being able to wrap my toes around obstacles as I negotiated them; it was less fun on the many sections strewn with loose rock, and I was wishing for one of the Trek models with a slightly more substantial (and treaded) sole. It's a good hike in KSOs though, no trouble with traction, and they were especially great tackling the hike back up from the bottom of the river valley. (One of the truly bizarre things about VFFs is that they turn running up hills from a chore into a pastime. At least, if you're me.) I'm quickly becoming a trail-running addict, but for the most part on the Piedra River I found that I had to go a bit more slowly and take care with my footing on all the loose rock.
I also worked on teaching Trudeau to walk behind or beside me; typically I haven't minded if he's out front, but on a narrow trail it quickly becomes irritating... he stops abruptly to sniff something, and every couple of feet, and I get tired of almost running over him and telling him to go "on by." One of these days I'll figure out how to teach him to get out front and pull when I want him to, and how to stick to me when I need him to. (The local nordic skiing club has a yearly free skijoring clinic; you can expect to be thoroughly availed of that adventure sometime this winter.)
Trudeau and I encountered a few unleashed dogs, but didn't have any incidents (my dog's dickishness is actually improving!), and his stay is even good enough that I venture a few shots with him posed off-leash. He's such a handsome fellow, I couldn't help myself.
I was hoping for a little bit more fall color on this trip, but the Piedra River Trail gets most of its colors from aspens, which tend to just turn yellow and then drop their leaves. The scrub oak and other deciduous plants along the river were just beginning to turn; I'm hoping when I get out again this weekend for some different drives and hikes that I'll find some even more exciting scenery to photograph. But the Piedra River Trail was definitely worth the trip, and a hike down to the river is a wonderful way to spend a few hours.
How to get there: From Pagosa Springs, take Hwy 160 to Piedra Road. Proceed north on Piedra Road for about 17 miles. When you reach the Piedra River bridge, drive just a bit further up the road and take the next available left, into a parking lot which will lead you directly to the well-marked trailhead. You can also park in the turn-offs just on either side of the bridge, but your access to the trail from there is a fairly steep ascent up a rock face; going up that way worked fine for me, but I'd hate to try to get back down that route after a little rain. Horseback riding, hiking and fishing are all allowed, but no motorized vehicles, and the trail seems both popular enough and narrow enough that I didn't picture it as the most fun ever for horseback riding, either.
Area access: The majority of the drive on Piedra is on a well-maintained gravel road. In good weather, a 2-wheel-drive vehicle will get you there without a problem. A bike would probably make for an even better trip. Winter is likely another story. The drive itself is gorgeous, especially with the fall color coming out.
Difficulty: The Piedra River Trail is mostly an easy hike, with the difficulty increasing to moderate as you go further. If you're not quite up for the exertion, or you're just stopping through the area on your way to somewhere else, stop in at the Piedra River picnic area across the road (signage on the road will point the way); it's a lovely spot with picnic tables, restrooms, and a very nice view.
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Date: 2010-10-07 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-21 07:05 pm (UTC)