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TriP Reports

Coffintop Mt via Hall Ranch (Boulder area, Colorado)

9/29/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
Looking down St. Vrain Canyon.
Trip date: May 17, 2020
​Caltopo map here: caltopo.com/m/F76S

This trip would be the first in a trifecta of off-trail hikes in the Boulder County/Larimer County Foothills.  The first two were in the Boulder foothills near St. Vrain Canyon in the Boulder foothills.  I chose these hikes to stay away from other hikers during COVID-19 and to stay within regulations during COVID times.  Each one got better than the last and allowed me to see scenery I'd never seen before.  Sometimes being grounded is good for you.
Picture
Double figure-eight.
I'd noticed a pull-off near Little Narrows in St. Vrain Canyon on my way back from Cony Lake back in March that fit just 1-2 cars.  There was no trailhead there and I knew my chance of coming into contact with someone was very small.  ​
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Parking near Little Narrows. Deadman Gulch looks like fun too.
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Coffintop Mt (left) and Mt. Meeker in the distance (right).
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I think this might actually be a very old Native American game blind.
After crossing the game blind I moved into Hall Ranch.  Clearly they liked the game blind idea and just built a nice wall.
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Looks like invaders made it across Hadrian's wall (upper right). Or maybe just a fat deer.
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Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak in RMNP from Antellope Park in Hall Ranch.
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Looking west from near UN 6822'. I would eventually return via the grassy area on the left.
Near the start of the approach to Coffintop I saw signs of earlier times.  I'm imagining a yosemite sam type miner bathing.  
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Anybody see that movie "Gummo"?
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Small outcropping on the ascent of Coffintop Mt (see "outcropping" on caltopo map). Looking back towards Hall Ranch.
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An old, unmapped service road near the start of the start of the climb up the NE slopes of Coffintop Mt. I don't think I followed this for very long.
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Ralph Price Reservoir from Coffintop Mt. Indians Peaks and RMNP washed out in the distance.
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Looking back up the west slope of Coffintop Mt.
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Racoon.
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This is a fairly common beetle around here. I like the coloring. If you know what it is, let me know.
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I'm fascinated by this spillway at the mouth of Ralph Price Reservoir.  
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After the spillway I found some trails in the Button Rock Preserve (run by Longmont) on the way to Hall Ranch.
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For Hall Ranch, these deer look surprisingly healthy
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Looking northeast.
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So that's why Hall Ranch has so many deer...
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Indian Lookout Mt.
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From left to right: Blue Mountain (7888') and Beech Hill (6541').
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3 Comments
David
11/6/2020 09:08:17 am

This makes it clear that there must be many many very nice trips that are seldom traveled in this section of the mountains. if this were in Illinois,it would probably be a national park!

Reply
Rich
3/28/2022 11:38:25 am

Ha, I've seen both that bathtub you found and Gummo, that gave me a chuckle. I live near here and have been all over these areas but your tracks gave me some new terrain to explore. Have been eyeballing the ramp down to the west from Coffintop for awhile; great to have some beta on it!

Reply
Travis Briles link
3/28/2022 02:13:54 pm

Ha, every once and a while I'll actually think back on this Gummo throwaway joke I made here and wonder if I took it too far. Good to know at least one person got it. :)

Reply



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    Travis Briles

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  • Home
  • Climate Change and Colorado Wildfires
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  • Skills/Gear
    • Intro, External Sources and Misc.
    • Food and Water
    • Shelters
    • Backpacks
    • Sleeping
    • Clothing
    • Winter Camping
    • A Shoe Odyssey
    • Foot Care
    • Maps, Navigation and Weather
    • Off-Trail Route Planning
    • The Perfect Headlight/Flashlights?
    • Misc Small Stuff
    • Photography/Camera
    • Gear Repair and MYOG
  • Places
    • Flatirons
    • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Indian Peaks Wilderness
    • Lost Creek Wilderness
    • Gore Range
    • Glacier National Park
    • Wind River Range
    • Utah
  • Plants and Wildlife
  • Contact
  • To Do
  • About