Fireman Hill
We had just finished Castle Gulch and we were back at the Upper Kiosk. We planned on finishing the trail network by running Fireman Hill downhill. We had heard of some changes but we didn't know what the trail looked like now.
We headed for the overlook, skipping the overlook bypass this time. There was plenty of room to park at the overlook this time, which was nice. We hung out for a bit, enjoying the views and the nice weather. It was sad to see the burn area on the next hill over. You could really see for a long distance into the front range. We could even see DIA from up there.
After leaving the overlook and coming back to the main trail we came to the part where they had started to map out the new trail with posts and cable. When Carnage Canyon was closed they started working on a new, challenging trail to replace it. Work has stalled, though, and the trail is not finished or available to motor vehicles.
The future trail seems to loop away from the Fireman Hill trail and then come back to it. The loops are small but some appear to be challenging with big rocks. Only time will tell if the effort was worth it, if it opens at all.
We relaxed there for a little bit and then headed downhill. The rocks were just as fun as ever. We were surprised to see a legal bypass around a rocky section marked with a forest service sign and the word "bypass" because those aren't usually marked. It wasn't much of a bypass and it didn't avoid all of the rocks, so there really isn't much of a point to it. No one needed the bypass.
Once we got to the bottom of the hill the trail was easy as we went through a series of switchbacks that took us to Five Points. Endo Hill was completely gone and overgrown. It was a dangerous obstacle so it won't be missed much by us, but it was sad to see the option gone. Posts and cable make only one path down to the bottom of the hill.
After Fireman Hill we did a bit more of Left Hand Canyon and headed out. Though some of us did a bit of Nugget Hill we didn't finish it, but that was all right. A few burgers in Boulder hit the spot and it was a great day. It should be a great season!
Reports from Other Days: 2
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Fireman Hill. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
