Because it was already close to noon and we weren't sure what to expect on the trails, we picked a local one- the Anne U. White Trail in Boulder. Anne Underwood White was a local writer and open space advocate who donated 20 acres for the creation of this trail. The path follows Four Mile Canyon Creek through a narrow canyon hemmed in by dense forest and steep rock walls. The trail is shaded by a variety of trees including ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, cottonwoods, and willows. I recommend taking deep breaths while hiking here- it smells amazing!
There were definitely some muddy areas on the trail, but overall it wasn't too bad. There are about 20 places on this hike where you cross the creek to continue on the trail. Some of the spots were easier to cross because there were large stepping stones, but other areas were trickier because the rocks were spread farther apart and many of them were very slick. This kept some people we saw from even finishing the hike. Not us! We made it until the end! :)
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| Muddy trail conditions from late spring snow storms. |
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| A more difficult area to cross the creek. Jim has triumphed! :) |
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| Large stepping stones made it easy to cross safely in other areas of the trail. :) |
Highlights from the hike:
-We stumbled upon natural art! On a trailside stump somebody put together a collection of rocks, pine cones, pine needles, twigs, some kind of bone, and a little frog key chain. It was like finding treasure! :)
-Near the end of the trail there is a small waterfall that empties into a pool. It was marked by cairns, man-made piles of stones used to help mark hiking trails. It was a very pretty spot that had a very Zen-like feeling to it. Would be a great place to have a picnic, meditate, or read a book.
-We spotted a couple of wildflowers even though it is early in the season. I am sure wildflowers blanket the ground here in the summertime.
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| Star Lily, Leucocrinum montanum |
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| Yellow Prairie Violet, Viola nuttallii |
This was a relatively easy hike. I brought my pedometer hiking for the first time so I know we took exactly 8,349 steps from start to finish- about 3.4 miles. I loved that it was close to home, yet offered that secluded wilderness feeling. I definitely want to come back here in the summer. It would be great for a hot day because of all the shade provided by the trees and it would be fun to splash and wade in the creek! I am sure it is much busier in the summer months so we would have to leave early as parking is extremely limited. There is only room for 5 cars to park! Keep this in mind if you plan on hiking here and I hope you do! :)
Great article!! :)
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