Boulder, Colorado

A Small-scale City
with Big-time Charm

By Jenn Director Knudsen

We prepared diligently for our second hike. Located on the edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park is Moraine Park. From Boulder, we drove west on U.S. 36 through the small towns of Lyons and Estes Park, gateway to the national park (an entrance fee is required to enter).

We putt-putted about five miles farther and parked at the Fern Lake Trailhead, inside Moraine Park. We hiked the Cub Lake circuit, a roughly six-mile trek that climbs from about 8,100 feet to nearly 8,700 feet.

We knew we'd require lots of water, high-energy and protein snacks and layers of clothing. Our packs started out heavy, but the extra weight was well worth it; neither of us got too cold as the altitude rose, and neither of us got dehydrated while hiking.

Along the way, we passed aspens, willows and cottonwoods; beaver ponds; Cub Lake itself (with an impressive bloom of Yellow Pondlillies); and were treated to stunning views of steep rock faces.

Herds of elk book-ended that hike; though they were off in the distance both at the beginning and end of our walkabout, they moved with such speed and ease that we experienced moments of feeling quite vulnerable to the park's protected wildlife.

We returned to Boulder the way we came, and we stopped briefly in Estes Park and bought some out-of-this-world chocolate. We felt not an iota of guilt after our trek!

My trip was well-timed, as the Denver Art Museum's highly publicized new building, the Hamilton, opened only two weeks prior to my visit.

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