The Welch Ditch Flume.
After 130 years of providing water to the City of Golden, the wooden structure fell into disrepair before its recent restoration as a scenic hiking trail. 
#GoldenColorado #ClearCreekCanyon #WinterHike

A view of 13,276 ft Kiowa Peak from Panorama Point in Golden Gate Canyon SP.
#GoldenGateCanyonStatePark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

The Lyons Hogback in winter.
250 million year old Lyons Sandstone forms a prominent hogback ridge along the eastern boundary of South Valley Park in Ken Caryl Ranch.
#SouthValleyPark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

Sunrise in Clear Creek Canyon. 
Hiking the  Welch Ditch - Clear Creek Canyon Loop in Golden, Colorado, after a spring snow storm. 
#GoldenColorado #ClearCreekCanyon #WinterHike

Back on the historic Gilpin Tramway Trail.
A relic of the bygone mining era, the tram was the only narrow gauge railroad in Colorado with two-foot-wide tracks instead of the usual 3.
#BlackHawkColorado #MarylandMountain #WinterHike

Sunrise at Panorama Point.
Morning sunlight shines on the Indian Peaks section of Colorado’s Front Range. 
#GoldenGateCanyonStatePark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

Walking among giants.
A hike through these monumental monoliths of red stone has turned my mountain of problems into a miniscule molehill, at least for now.
#SouthValleyPark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

Located between the Lyons and Dakota Hogbacks, this hidden valley, bisected by the Cathy Johnson Trail, collects large boulders of Dakota Sandstone that occasionally dislodge from the ridgetop.
#SouthValleyPark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

The hike at South Valley Park gets challenging.
Having made it up the west side of the Lyons Hogback, I was surprised by the difficulty of getting through the deep snow and into the secluded valley on the east side.
#SouthValleyPark #HikeColorado #WinterHike

The west-facing edge of Dakota Ridge.
In places, layers Dakota Sandstone have eroded into spectacular cliff formations, such as this one jutting above Red Rock’s Entrance 1.
#HikeColorado #DakotaRidge #GeologyRocks

Mt Morrison view.
The narrow summit of Dakota Ridge offers numerous scenic views, including a stunning vista of Mt Morrison, rising to a height of 7,881 feet.
#DakotaRidge #WinterHike #HikeColorado

Reminders of the mining era on Maryland Mountain.
Gold mining began in the area in 1859 with the discovery of the nearby Gregory Lode and continued until around the end of World War I.
#BlackHawkColorado #WinterHike #MarylandMountain

Frozen in time.
In the heart of Colorado's Front Range Foothills, where gold rush history and pristine nature intertwine in the Maryland Mountain Quartz Valley Open Space Park, an icy stream plunges over an old stone wall.
#MarylandMountain #FrozenWaterfall #WinterHike

A miners’ Necessary House.
Along the Quartz Valley Trail in Chase Gulch.
#BlackHawkColorado #MarylandMountain #WinterHike

Nature’s artistry revealed.
Venturing up this ridge of 250 million year old Lyons Formation sandstone rewards hikers with views of the even older Fountain Formation, whose outcroppings are strewn about the valley floor below.
#SouthValleyPark #HikeColorado #WinterHike

A little morning magic before the gloom and gray of an overcast day.
South Valley Park’s North and South Trailheads are connected by the scenic 1.5-mile long Coyote Song Trail.
#SouthValleyPark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

A snowy hike at South Valley Park.
A hidden gem of geologic wonders, this JeffCo open space park is located at the southwest corner of the Denver Metro Area. 
#SouthValleyPark #WinterHike #HikeColorado

Ridgetop Hawk Watch.
This hike-in site at the top of Dakota Ridge provides volunteer birders front-row seating as they make official counts of seasonally migrating birds of prey.
#HawkWatch #HikeColorado #DakotaRidge

The rocky top of Dakota Ridge.
As the soft Morrison Formation on the right weathers away, it undermines erosion-resistant Dakota Sandstone to the left, causing its top edge to crumble into a trail of broken rock.
#HikeColorado #DakotaRidge #GeologyRocks

Beginning a hike along Dakota Ridge.
The trailhead is just off I-70 at the Stegosaurus Park-n-Ride, about five miles south of Golden and a little over 20 minutes west of Denver.
#DinosaurRidge #WinterHike #HikeColorado