Easy Access Wildflower Suggestions?

I have a week's worth of vacation I need to use before Aug. 1 so I'm thinking about a quick trip to CO to shoot some wildflowers probably the last week of July. I may be traveling solo, I do not have 4WD (will likely be in a Honda Civic) and no 4WD experience anyway. Are there any easy spots to reach with great wildflowers? Any spots within RMNP, or the San Juans, or near Crested Butte that don't require 4WD and where a girl would be safe by herself? I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks.

Hi Angela,

I've been solo tripping in CO for several years, usually with 4WD, but many of my jaunts don't require it. Grab a Gazeteer map (DeLorme) for great details on roads and the landscape. I use it every time i travel to CO. In the CB area, you can peruse most areas (safely) without 4wd. Try Gothic Rd. just before the town of Gothic. Sometimes there is a field of wildflowers on both sides of the road (i've been there around Juny 8-18 most years and it seems i'm always a few days too early). Also try Washington Gulch Rd. After a couple miles you may need high clearance, but i've gone all the way to the rusty old pickup truck/ mine at the top of the road with no problems. Slate River Road is also nice, but not known for wildflowers.

Kebler Pass (take Whiterock Rd. in the town of CB) is also a nice drive and doesn't require 4WD. You will find Sneezeweed, Columbine, and Indian Paintbrush around the Irwin Lake area. There are also some old cabins up near the Irwin Lodge that might make for nice shots. Sunrise at Irwin Lake is great (park on the north side of the lake). Lost Lake Slough (near the campground) is also nice for sunrise or set. There are sometimes canoes in the water which make a nice foreground with the lake and East Beckwith Mountain.

If you head south of CB toward Almont on Hwy 135 in the per-dawn light you can usually find the valley covered in early morning fog. There is a river running through parts of the town and the early morning mist can be pretty cool.

CB also has the wildflower festival in early july so you could always sign up for some hikes with guides. some guides give photographic tours. Prices aren't too bad for the hikes and tours, plus you can ride with someone who has 4WD or hike to the flowers. Check out the CB Chamber of Commerce website.

Make sure you fill up and know how to change a flat tire before hitting the road! It can be solitary on most of the roads and cell phones usually don't work! Also, bring a sweatshirt, bug spray, hiking boots, and jeans, along with clothes for the warmer weather. If you're out in the early morning and late evening you'll be glad you have the warm clothes.

I'll be in the CB area with a high clearance 4WD around July 15-17 so if you're in the area i'd be glad to show you around. Email me offline for my cell phone #. i'll be staying at the CB hostel. I'll also be heading to Ouray and Silverton areas later that week.

Angela, There is a series of Colorado Wildflower books by Pat Irwin that you might find useful. You might need to cross reference the trailheads as I don't remember it going into much detail about the road conditions. There is one book for the San Juans, another for the High Country (all the other mountains) and a third for the plains. I'd recommend the San Juans and High Country volumes for your purposes.

One easy and safe place I can recommend is Independence Lake. The trailhead is on a paved road, the flowers are reasonably good and should be blooming during your timeframe. See the photo I've linked.
http://www.ladewigs.com/Gallery/v/Colorado/BuenaVista/Independence/Independence_09.jpg.html

You should also be able to get around the Gothic area near Crested Butte. The roads aren't paved, but you should be OK on them.

You should be able to get at least part of the way up Yankee Boy basin in your Civic before getting out to walk, so that is a good option too. Also keep in mind that alot of Colorado's trails are accessible by car, sometimes the hikes are just longer.

And finally there should be several RMNP/NPN members in the San Juans, most of us with 4X4 vehicles and experience. As you get closer, why don't you post a note and see about tagging along.

Mel-

Hi Angela. I've never had much luck in RMNP for wildflowers personally but have seen some nice images over the years from there. I'm partial to Crested Butte. My 2 favorite easy access places are the loop that goes from CB through Gothic to CR 734 and back down the Washington Gulch road into town and the area downstream from Lake Irwin off the Kebler Pass road. In a good year (and there's been lots of snow so this might be a good one) park in the picnic area at Lake Irwin and hike downstream from the lake. There are a couple of nice waterfalls and an abundance of wildflowers. The best stand of wildflowers I've ever seen in Colorado was on the Gothic road about a mile east of where it intersects CR734.

Good luck and good shooting.

Angela, my sister and I (I'm 61 and she's 60) are doing the same thing the 3rd week of July. I'll be driving a 2WD Toyota Matrix, so I will have the same limitations you have. I've been researching this and this is what I plan. Other's comments are welcome.

We spend Sat nite with friends in Parker, Sunday Garden of the Gods or Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Monday afternoon, a half day photography tour of RMNP with Paul Sausman, then back in the park on our own Tuesday morn. I would like to do Mt Evans, then Maroon Bells for sunrise. Next, scout Crested Butte and Keebler Pass and Ohio Pass and spend the night in Gunnison or Montrose. I want to do Last Dollar Rd (need help on this one. Some reports say 2WD is ok, some say high ground clearance. I don't mind a little bouncing, but is this doable in dry weather?). Lastly, a Jeep tour to American Basin.

Might be too ambitious for a week. I can adjust if necessary. Any thoughts from the locals?
Thanks,
Mike

Mike: The northern half of Last Dollar Road is ok for 2wd assuming dry weather, any rain lasting more than 1 hour will make you want to be someplace else, but the first 3 miles from the pass down to Telluride is definitely 4wd or 2wd high clearance with a willingness to use your brakes to the point of overheating. In Colorado, using 4WD in low gear is a huge reason to have 4WD. It ensures you will have useable brakes afterwards since the gearing will allow slow descents without much braking needed.
Trying to do Mt Evans one day and Maroon Bells for sunrise is a big bite of time, assuming you want to get some sleep in between. From Mt Evans to Maroon Bells you're talking approximately 4.5-5 hours of drive time. Then MB to CB will be another 2.5 hours via 2wd roads. Then CB to Lake City will be 2 hrs, one way, then another hour (4wd) into American Basin plus add some photo time and you're talking 1 very full day just for American Basin. If accessing American Basin from Ouray figure on 2-3 hrs drive time one way (4wd much of the way).
I would suggest tossing the Last Dollar Road (best in fall for aspen)as it has few good wildflower patches. CB and AB will be best for wildflowers, although Mt Evans can be very good for alpine wildflowers.

Lots of good suggestions here already. 2nd-3rd week of July is a great time for Shrine Pass, just off of Vail Pass. Head up I-70 to Vail Pass, exit at the top and take the easy dirt road straight rather than veering left into the parking lot. Park at the large trailhead parking lot not too far down the road and hike up the trail. Be sure you make it all the way to the top - it's less than 2 miles. Some of my shots from last year in that area are still up at my preview gallery - the first five are all from Shrine Ridge.

RMNP's best flowers are the alpine flowers found quite easily on the Trail Ridge Road in early July. The rest of the park's best flower areas are very long hikes.

Mt. Evans has some good wildflower patches; Summit Lake should still be in good bloom in mid-July, and the Mt. Goliath Natural Area gardens will still have a selection of flowers, too. The Alpine Garden area might be slightly past prime, though. It's also a good time for wildlife photos.

Mike - To back up Don, there's always a temptation to over-plan visits to Colorado (and the SouthWest in general). Ease up a bit - it's a long way between destinations, and you'll enjoy yourself more if you're not stressed about a middle-of-the-night drive on unfamiliar roads. I live not too far from Mount Evans, and Maroon Bells is quite a haul even if you shave 3/4 hour off by going over Independence Pass in the dark.

Thanks, Don and Les. Guess I didn't look at the map very well. It's only a couple of inches. I've got to simplify this a little. I just want to do EVERYTHING.

Sorry to hijack the thread but I thought some of my ideas might apply to Angela's trip.

Stan,

If you don't mind a little communal living, the CB hostel is a great, inexpensive place to stay. I've stayed there for years. It less of a youth hostel and more of a grown up hostel. http://www.crestedbuttehostel.com/ you also may want to do a google search for Crested Butte Lodging. There are a variety of choices, from cheap to ritzy. If you're into photography, i suppose it doesn't quite matter where you stay, since you'll be hanging out in the wilderness anyway!

I second the CB hostel...when I stayed there it was relatively empty, but it's within walking distance of the "old town" CB...was clean...and did seem more of a grown up hostel...cost about $25 when I was there.

I also highly recommend Mt. Evans...very worth the drive and the short hike to the top. I've never been up there when I didn't see wildlife, especially mountain goat kids, and depending on the year there have been carpets of buttercups (or what looked like buttercups) at Summit Lake. One of my favorite places, even more so than RMNP. Hope you all enjoy your Colorado trips...but as said before don't over plan...

Stan, to tell the truth, the peak wildflowers above CB are usually a week or two *after* the festival, which times itself more for the flowers near town. I think you'll be fine.