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At under 1 mile up and 1 mile back, with just enough elevation gain to make you feel like you’re really hiking and to give you some spectacular views, I think Mt Cutler is the perfect beginning hike.  We took both Will and Ellie on it for their first under-their-own-steam hikes at age 2.  Little ones might need a little prodding along in places but it’s a great place to start, and if you end up having to carry them at least it’s not far!

Pros:  Short, fun, lots of variety, it’s steep enough that it feels like a real hike but you’ll still make it down in time for lunch and naptime.  I also like this one for weekday hikes without Nic and Will–there’s enough traffic on it that I feel comfortable taking just Ellie hiking.  You can see Seven Falls from the south side of the mountain as you near the top of the trail as well as the Shrine of the Sun above the zoo.  If you’re there at the top of the hour, you can hear the bells, too!

Cons:  If you have a fear of heights, this one might get to you.  The trail on the southwest side of the mountain has been widened in the last couple of years, and this makes it much less of a terrifying prospect for anyone with a fear of heights and a toddler, but it is still a good drop down.  This is also a popular trail for people to take dogs on.  Most are very good about taking their pet’s waste with them, but there are occasionally off leash dogs or overly friendly dogs on this trail.  (Little hiker tip:  When Ellie was little we’d prompt her along by telling her she might see a dog if she just kept going!)

Distance/difficulty:  2 miles, 400ft elevation gain.  There are enough steep sections that if this trail were longer, it would be difficult, but at just 1 mile up it’s a great hike for beginning little hikers.  Ellie and Will were both conquering this trail under their own steam at 2 years old.

Directions:  From I-25 take exit 140 for Nevada Ave.  Travel south on Nevada Ave for approximately 1/2 mile before turning right to go west on Cheyenne Blvd.  Take a right at the Starsmore Discovery Center onto N. Cheyenne Canyon Rd.  Drive approximately 1 mile to the marked trailhead parking area on the left.

Trail teaching:

• The trail has seen some hard days in recent years with the heavy rains of 2013 and 2014.  It was completely destroyed in sections and required rebuilding last year (or maybe the summer before?  I’m getting old–it’s hard for me to remember these things).  The back section that used to so terrify me is a little wider now after rebuilding (hurray!) and the hard work of volunteers is an excellent opportunity to talk with kids about trail building, volunteering, and the way national, state, and city parks are funded and how they were started.  This usually leads into a tax discussion with Will.  Who needs school when we can just go on hikes?!

• Erosion–plenty of opportunities to observe that here, particularly if you become Mt Cutler regulars.  We’ve seen the gap between these roots and the trail grow large enough for the kids to pass under!

• You might spot some pyrite if you keep a look out!

• You’ll often experience a good range of temps as you emerge from lower in the canyon onto the south side of Mt Cutler.  A good time to talk about the different types of flora that may enjoy the different areas of shade and sun.

Photos:

Further reading:  This post from Colorado Photo Hikes includes lots of great photos of the trail.

We enjoyed a new-to-us hike this weekend to the Lower and Upper Palmer Lake Reservoirs following the Palmer Lake Trail along North Manitou Creek. The hike to the far end of the Upper Reservoir comes in at just under 2 miles, and the elevation gain on the way up was steady, so it was a good beginning to the hiking season to break in our 5 year old’s legs.

Pros:  Plenty of views of the North Manitou Creek and the two reservoirs, good intermediate distance (I’ve noticed it’s hard to find hikes in the 3-5 mile range), ice cream nearby for an after hike treat.  The ‘ice caves’ are a detour off the main trail that we will check out next time!

Cons:  Infrastructure and wide road keeps it from feeling like a true escape into nature, popularity means it could be crowded on a day with nicer weather.

Distance/difficulty:  Less steep than Mt Cutler (my favorite beginner hike), this is a longer trail (about 3 miles if you stop when you first come to the Upper Reservoir, 4 if you continue onto the back) and so good for stretching out distance with your little hikers.  Ellie at 5 tackled this as her second hike of the season without any difficulty whatsoever–she have easily gone farther.  I’d say this would be great for an experienced 3 year old or a novice 4 year old.

Directions:  The large parking area is at the end of Old Carriage Rd in Palmer Lake (note: no restrooms or portapotties).  From exit 161 of I-25 travel west on C-105 to Palmer Lake.  Take a left on S. Valley Rd and another left onto Old Carriage Rd.  The parking and trail head are at the bottom of the hill.

Trail teaching:  Plenty of opportunities for learning on this one!

• Purpose of dams and reservoirs (and though these aren’t producing hydroelectric power you can certainly talk about how they might–a great segue into some physics with discussion of potential and kinetic energy)

• Lots of granite, quartz and pyrite
• We spotted wild strawberries as well as a few other flowers.  (As always, please let me know if you can identify any of these flowers–I would love to know the names to share with the kids!)

• Discussion of the power of water to erode and sculpt canyons when it is moving quickly, and the way it drops its load and becomes a building influence when the land levels out (you can see this depositing action as the water enters both reservoirs)
• Boulder field-more erosion and rock talk!  This would also be a fun place to let kids scramble around if you don’t work in a hospital and see death and dismemberment at every turn.

Further reading:  Jennifer has a great description of the hike in her post here.