Grandeur Peak

I saw the sign for the trailhead easily from the road when I was driving in. I wasn’t sure where to park since there were lots of picnic areas when you first turn in with signs that say parking for picnic areas only. I should have driven a little further up because there was a very small parking lot with a few spaces right at the trailhead. I ended up parking in a turn-out along the main road and walking through the picnic areas to the trailhead.

I started my hike at 6pm. There were lots of people at the picnic areas, but once I started on the trail, I only saw a handful of people the entire time. The trail was in great condition. Lots of green. It started off fairly steep, but manageable. It wasn’t long before I came out of the tree cover and saw the beautiful mountain view around me. I hiked alone, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The weather was perfect, since I chose to go in the evening, and the evening light hitting the mountainsides was breathtaking. The hike was steep, and I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. I downloaded the map on All Trails ahead of time, but the trail was easy to follow.

It took me about 90 minutes to reach the peak. It was absolutely beautiful up there. It would have been amazing to watch the sunset from the peak, but I did not want to be hiking down in the dark. I spent about 10 minutes at the peak before heading down the mountain. It took me just over an hour to get back to my car. I jogged a little bit on the way down because I was worried about it getting too dark. My GPS had me at 6.85 miles total and it took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete the entire hike. I was able to drive down the mountain before it was completely dark.

Perfect way to spend a Monday evening.