James Peak Wilderness

As we headed north on the Peak to Peak Highway, we approached Rollinsville, CO. If you blink your eyes, you run the risk of missing this sleepy, little town. We did catch a sign for "Rollins Pass" and took the left turn westward towards the mountains. We had no idea where this would take us, but figured we could always turn around.


The road wasn't bad even when it turned to dirt. About 6 miles in, the real pass began and it was definitely a serious 4X4 road. Fortunately, the nicer dirt road kept going past the pass, so we opted to continue on that. The road finally reached a dead end at a large dirt parking lot. There were at least 60 cars in the lot. Apparently this place was no secret. There was also a huge building with a grand entrance that said "Moffat Tunnel" (more about that tomorrow).


We found a sign indicating we were in the James Peak Wilderness and a trailhead, but no map or description of where the trail went. We could see beautiful yellow aspen trees, so we marched on the trail for a half mile or so. Along the way we found huge boulders for climbing and then met up with a river that was great for rock-hopping.


A hiker finally came along and we asked where the trail went. I guess only a few miles up the trail there were six or seven mountain lakes nestled up against the mountains that form the Continental Divide. Definitely something to go back and check out someday.


A favorite moment of our hike was when Zoe found the perfect walking stick. It had a little branch that stuck out and served as the holder for her pet dog carrier. It was cute to see how proud she was of her discovery.


A least favorite moment for Tanya was when Dad & the girls found large rocks to throw high in the air so they would make big splashes in the water next to where Tanya was resting on a rock. We laughed a lot, but she did not.