Balanced Rock Road
This trail ended up being a lot more fun because of the downpour we'd been having for quite awhile. We started the trail with the downpour still happening, and the trail was filled with running and standing water. It made for lots of puddles.
The rain let up more and more as we continued. There were some cracks in the road, and those cracks got bigger the further we went, too.
Walt had taken 322A as recently as 2002 to connect to Mount Herman Road, but it was definitely closed. It was pretty overgrown, too. He said it was a fun road and was sad to see it closed.
Balanced Rock itself was pretty cool, and we stopped to check it out. It was still raining, though, so no one got out of their Jeep to see it any better. We continued on.
There were a few places that required a good line over the cracks in the road, keeping it interesting. We went by a few more places that featured some cool rock formations and other "balanced rocks," enjoying the scenery. It was quite a descent in places.
The switchback was very tight, requiring reverse from more than a few of us. The trees got closer, and soon we were at the level bottom of the trail.
We stopped at the final gate, at the big campsite. At this point, it was barely raining at all. We got out to stretch our legs, and we talked and wandered around for a bit. It was nice to get a break in the rain, and the timing was perfect. Everything was very green.
It was frustrating to be so close to Palmer Lake and civilization, but we turned around and went back up the trail. It started raining again (or we drove back into the rain) as we climbed. We saw a couple other vehicles, and it wasn't long before we were back on Rampart Range Road. We turned to head for Mount Herman Road and Monument where dinner was waiting.
This ended up being a fun trail, and the campsite at the end was really nice.
Reports from Other Days: 7
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