Finally getting around to posting the first of three boxes that I
planted in Colorado while out visiting family this summer.
Colorado Columbine

Planted: 6/30/03
Planted by: Ginger Blue
Location: Boulder, CO
Trail: Gentle, gradual climb uphill and down (500-600 ft gain in
elevation)
Time: About 1 hour (2 miles round trip)

Getting There:
From Route 36/Route 119 (28th St.) turn onto Mapleton Ave.
heading west. Take Mapleton Ave. for 2 miles to the Mt. Sanitas
Trailhead parking area on the right.

Clues:
From the parking area, cross over the cement bridge to the
trailhead. Go straight past the junction of the Mt. Sanitas Trail
which starts on your left. Take the next left onto the Valley Trail,
a wide, evenly graveled trail, which is widely used by dog walkers
and baby strollers alike. If you arrive in June or July you will be
able to enjoy a variety of wildflowers as you travel along the
valley. Continue on this trail for a mile until it meets with the
Dakota Ridge Trail. Turn right here and head south on the Dakota
Ridge Trail. You will see the Valley Trail below you to your right.
As you cross again under the high tension wires, stand below the
middle wire (ignore the thinner higher wire). Count 135 paces as you
head down the trail. A sleeping boulder about 12 feet long is
sheltered from the sun by ponderosa pines. At the base of its NE
corner lies the Colorado Columbine.
Continue along the Dakota Ridge Trail passing interesting
rock outcrops on your left. A couple of connecting trails on your
right will take you back to the Valley Trail. If you continue on
until the Dakota Ridge Trail turns left toward the city take a right
here heading back to the Valley Trail. If you go straight at this
junction, at the top of the hill you will find a manmade stone
shelter on your left and stone arch on your right. From here a thin
trail will take you back to the Valley Trail.

Note: a pace = a left footfall