Lair o’ the Bear

Hikes

Jun 18

First Colorado Hike

Following a recent move to Colorado, I went on my first hike of the year with my friend Meagan. Choosing Lair o' the Bear as our destination I was excited to see a hidden castle nestled within its trails. The crisp mountain air welcomed us as we navigated the winding paths, surrounded by towering pine trees and the gentle melody of a nearby stream. The trails were reported to be muddy and we were slightly concerned about the potential in-climate weather.

What the bike?

Not long after we started the hike we noticed the amount of mountain bikers on the trail. This is a popular spot to go biking that has some exclusive bike-only trails attached to it. It was news to me that some trails in this state have days for hiking and days for biking. Thankfully there were no set days for this trail - we just need to deal with the nuisance of bike wizzing by.

To our dismay, we found Dunafon Castle and it was completely gated off. We could only see it from afar- this is because the castle is for catered events only. Looks like if you have a spare $8,500 and want a fairytale wedding I am sure this would make memories of a lifetime. For us curious hikers we will sadly continue our hike wishing we could enter the property and look around.

In mid-June, around every turn, delicate flowers were blooming, intricate lichen adorning the rocks, or a mysterious fungus peeking out from the forest floor. We hiked up to Panorama Point where you can see the beautiful overlook of the surrounding mountains and valley. As we neared this vantage point, storms began rolling in lightly misting us with cold rain. The weather made for amazing photos with their momentary ominous clouds.