It meets all her demanding standards, and for beauty the goal is as good as it gets and the walk itself is magnificent: Chasm Lake Trail. She leaned into me and offered me a day to think about it. * And could there be good restaurants nearby for a post-hike celebration? * No need to wear blaze orange in October (Her friend was a fashionista.) * A phone number to call a day ahead to make sure the trail was snow free * Challenging enough to be satisfying but not so tough to be exhausting * No fees but a good trail, and one with restrooms, in a wilderness area * A trailhead within two hours drive of Cheyenne, Wyoming * A destination so stunning, so gorgeous, so interesting, so grand as to be beyond words She wanted to take her friend who wasn’t sold on outdoor excursions. She told me she wanted one more hike before the snow flew. Useful comments will continue to be posted. I have moved away from Cheyenne and am no longer maintaining this site. The pika usually makes a short squeaking sound as it initiates its movements.The information in this piece may be out of date. Keep a close look in the marshy area between the lakes for the fast moving Pika, resembling a small rabbit with short ears and the lumbering marmot that resembles a beaver with a fox tail. Many flowering plants of the tundra have dense hairs on stems and leaves to provide wind protection or red-colored pigments capable of converting the sun's light rays into heat. Cushion plants may also have long taproots extending deep into the rocky soil. Cushion plants, looking like ground-hugging clumps of moss, escape the strong winds blowing a few inches above them. Here, many plants are dwarfed, but their few blossoms may be full-sized. as you transition above treeline, you'll be entering the alpine ecosystem. A typical subalpine forest may consist mostly of subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce. This hike begins in a subalpine ecosystem which occupies elevations approximately between 9,000 and 11,000 feet. There are privies located approximately at the intersection of Chasm Lake Trail and Longs Peak - Keyhole Route and also just below Chasm Lake next to a Ranger station (small rock building) in the marshy area, Located on the east face of Longs Peak, The Diamond rises roughly 2400' straight up. This short but strenuous pitch is well worth it as you are quickly rewarded with the absurd views at Chasm Lake.įrom the lakeshore, you'll be able to view the majestic "Diamond," one of the steepest and most iconic rock faces in Colorado. The gentle positive grades give way to equally gentle negative grades before the trail shows its second, and much more drastic character.Īfter crossing the upper reaches of the Roaring Fork River, at roughly mile 3.7, this trail begins to climb very steeply and will require some scrambling up the outer side of the "wall" that holds the lake. This trail contours gently along the south face of Mills Moraine providing excellent views below of Peacock Pool and Columbine Falls along the Roaring Fork river. Continue on Longs Peak Trail for another 0.8 miles to the Chasm Lake Trail. Shortly thereafter, you'll reach a junction with Jims Grove Trail and begin to emerge above tree line. Longs Peak Trail continues ascending above Alpine Brook, eventually crossing it at mile two. It is moderately steep as it switchbacks its way to a junction with Eugenia Mine Trail, roughly 0.5 miles in. The trail is rocky and has steps created by trail crews the whole way. Start hiking up the Longs Peak Trail from the trailhead.
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