The weather wasn’t all that great for hiking today, so I
took Emily and Thomas somewhere close:
Pulpit Rock. We’ve lived here for
over 10 years and never been to what I’d consider a local landmark. It’s the rock formation you can see from I25
near UCCS that lots of visitors mistake for Castle Rock. There are a bunch of trails to hike this
area, but it was cold and the kids aren’t intense hikers, so we took the easy
way.
The trailhead is right off the freeway. Take Exit 148 and head west, then turn left
on Pulpit Peak. You will immediately see
the dirt parking lot to the right.
The hike is only about half a mile, and there isn’t one
established trail, but dozens of social trails.
Basically you just aim for the top and keep climbing, although I will tell
you it’s easier to climb from the back.
The scenery along the way is beautiful!
There isn’t any exposure until you get to the very top, and
then only if you choose for there to be.
Of course, we played around for a bit.
We probably spent a good half hour on the ‘summit’ before
heading back down.
There’s a lot of really cool history to this area,
specifically geologic history, fossils, dinosaur footprints, etc. Here’s a link to more information: http://gazette.com/digging-for-the-past/article/6899
This would be a great hike to take out of town-ers on, or for
a quick stretch of legs after Thanksgiving!
Wild Wanderer 