Rattlesnake Gulch

Rattlesnake Gulch, Eldorado Canyon State Park, Colorado (9/10/2008)

This is Trip #22 ("Rattlesnake Gulch Trail") in the "Boulder Area: Plains & Foothills" section of the book Afoot & Afield: Denver, Boulder & Colorado's Front Range (First Edition).

This was the third of four hikes we did over two days in Colorado the week of September 7. Eldorado Canyon State Park is just outside of Boulder, about 40 minutes north of Denver. The park is popular with rock climbers, and we saw several far up and off in the distance. This hike, and the next, were within view of a railroad cut high up into the mountain a long time ago, on Moffat Road. The railroad serves the Burlington Northern Sante Fe company as well as Amtrak. On this hike we actually climbed to railroad level, which was pretty damned high, and saw an Amtrak pass by while we were still far below it. On the next hike (Eldorado Canyon), we saw a freight train pass by.

This hike also visits the ruins of the Crags Hotel, which was in business on the mountain from 1908 and 1912 before it was destroyed by fire. Another short jaunt took us to the Continental Divide Lookout, where the view was spectacular!

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