An hour in the mountains

Last Sunday was hot. It was hard to breathe in Denver even in the morning, so I decided to  go somewhere... somewhere where the air would be cooler and not so stuffy. Mount Falcon was the first place that came to my mind and I didn't think long about it. This park is only 40 minutes away, and the high altitude helps keep temperature down too. So soon I started on the trail, which at first was wide and flat...

 

The highway winds through the hills and disappears... Every time I hike here, I stop at the same spot to admire the vistas.

A few minutes down the trail and the view is different from the first one (but probably it's because I was looking in a different direction ;) ).

 

The snow-capped peaks at the end of June seem like something of a miracle, but they are so far away that you'll need binoculars if you want to get a better view. It's unbelievable how different the park looks in the summer. The same hike in spring is not really the same ;) , click here to compare - It's nearby and a nice place to hike...

 

Another thing that I like about this place is that you only need to turn 180 degrees if you want to see something different... A wide meadow, for example...

Snow caps again and I think that on my next hike I need to go somewhere higher, where the air is cold and crisp... but... it will be the next time... next time...

The trail was no longer wide and flat anymore, but became steeper and narrow...

But the reward for climbing it is a bird's eye view of Denver. Downtown seems really small from top of the Mount Falcon and also hazy due to the hot air enveloping the city...

But all you have to do is to turn around and... Mount Evans peeks from behind the pine branches.

I didn't plan to spend a lot of time there and soon followed the narrow trail down the hill and back to the parking lot...

The trail passes through a meadow that I admired at the beginning, but now it has become even wider and more beautiful...

Just about an hour in the park refueled me with energy and helped me get through another hot day in the big city.

The pictures were taken on June 22, 2024.