Miller Rock
It had been quite a while since we'd been on Miller Rock, and very few of us had been on it at all. It was time to check it out again and go explore the other spurs we never got to in the past. We called the Glacier View Ranch and they said they'd leave the gate open for us in the afternoon.
We aired down on the highway before we got there. It wasn't too difficult to find the trail with the GPS coordinates so we were soon all on the trail. We started climbing right away and as soon as we got to a wide, flat spot we stopped for a break. It was good to get out and relax for a second.
When we got to the crossroads we found an overheated vehicle though the owner wasn't too concerned. We saw a few other vehicles head down to the ranch while we turned to do forest service road 523. This was a new section of trail for us.
We were hoping for some fun and we didn't really find much of it on that spur. We got to the locked gate and it was very frustrating because we could see the pavement from where we were. Turning around was challenging for the people at the gate but we got it worked out and headed back to the "Y" in the trail.
We joked about getting constantly slapped in the face with trees as we wound our way through them on the other half of the "Y" in the trail. When we got to the section where it got too narrow between trees we stopped at a big meadow for lunch. The weather was perfect and we had a nice, relaxing meal. A couple of people on an ATV came up from the creek and they looked like they were having a great time.
After lunch we worked our way back to the crossroads. The overheating vehicle was gone. We started down the other half of forest service road 252, another spur that was new to us. It wasn't long before we found the overheated vehicle again, this time missing the driver. He was parked at the top of the Rock Hill but we never saw him.
The Rock Hill was a blast. We all took our time going down it and we were often surrounded by hikers. It was pretty busy at times. The top of the Rock Hill was chunky and then it got crazy the farther you went. There were some very tippy sections near the bottom of the obstacle but everyone stayed safe and there were no issues.
It was a quick trip the rest of the way down to the St. Vrain Creek crossing. We found more hikers down there along with other vehicles across the creek. There was another vehicle behind us, someone who was meeting the vehicles in front of us.
We discussed the creek crossing for a bit. Monica pulled off before the creek and she was the only one not to go through it. It was rushing hard and the water was deep but everyone else had big tires and they made it through to the other side. There was enough room over there to let the other group back through and they headed back up the trail.
We had heard from many people about the rest of the trail on the other side of the creek and it sounded best to avoid it. So everyone came back through the creek. Water rushed over Jeffrey's door sills and filled his Jeep up with water on the way through the first time, so the second time he had his doors in. The water was deeper coming back through the creek but no one had any issues.
It was a blast going back up the Rock Hill and for some reason it was easier for everyone. It didn't seem as tippy, so that might have been the reason. We all enjoyed it and we knew it would be a hill we'd see on a regular basis.
Once we got back to the crossroads we finally headed over to Miller Rock. We all parked and hung out while some people in the group hiked up to the top of the rock. The weather was still perfect so we were having a nice time just hanging out and chatting.
The sun was out as we worked our way down to the ranch, and it made the green trail absolutely gorgeous. There were lots of wildflowers and beautiful meadows and we took lots of pictures. When we got to the gate we passed through and locked it behind us as they had asked. We didn't see any people on our way through the ranch but we saw lots of cars. It looks like a really nice camp.
When we got to the road we left Jim and Mark C. as they headed for home. The rest of us went to explore a new area and a new trail. Miller Rock was a great time, especially with all of the spurs. It rained like crazy in town but we didn't get a single raindrop. We'll be back!
Reports from Other Days: 2
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