Niwot Ridge ~ November 2005

Location... Niwot Ridge lies at the edge of the Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. The ridge divides the popular Brainard Lake Recreation Area from the Green Lakes watershed basin and provides spectacular 270 degree views of the surrounding peaks - Mount Audubon, Paiute Peak, Mount Toll, Pawnee Peak, Shoshoni Peak, Apache Peak, Navajo Peak, Arikaree Peak, Kiowa Peak and Mount Albion.

The Route... The trailhead is located at the the University of Colorado Research Station, off Hwy 72, near Ward, CO. The total length to the summit of Niwot Ridge is about 6.5 miles with 2,819 feet of elevation gain. The trail is actually a 4WD service road that is very easy to follow until you reach tree-line. Once above tree-line, the road is difficult to follow since it is covered with deep wind-blown snow. But at this point it is almost easier to pick your own route. Just watch out for the small stakes plotting out the research being done in the area. Most are covered with deep snow, but some get exposed in the wind scoured areas. These areas should be avoided.

With hopes of photographing the dawn light across the Indian Peaks, we arrived at the trailhead at 4:00am. This meant that I had to leave my house in the suburbs of Denver just after 2:00am! An early morning to be sure. After gearing up, we set off on the snowy trail under a crisp, clear sky with the moon and stars shining brightly. The trail rises steadily through the dense alpine forest for about 3.5 miles. The hiking was fairly easy across firm snow-pack covered with 6"-8" of fresh, soft snow. Post-holing was occasional, but we left the snowshoes in the truck at the trailhead. Just before reaching tree-line there is a 1/4 mile, steeper section in the trail which really slowed me down. At this point, it was clear that I was holding my hiking partner back. So we made plans to meet up after sunrise and he forged ahead at pace I couldn't contend with. Along this pitch in the trail you begin to see glimpses of some of the incredible views that await at higher elevations.  At about 4 miles, you reach tree-line and the views begin to really open up. By this time the sun was making its presence known in the East and the skies were taking on the pastel hues of dawn. I found a pleasing composition and began setting up for my morning shoot. The light was wonderful, turning from deep rose pink to peachy orange and then to a warm yellow. I shot several frames before packing up and striking back up the trail. After this short rest, the incline felt good as it forced the warmth back into my frozen toes! Once above tree-line it was fairly easy to pick a wind-blown, hard packed route to the ridgeline. It was even easier for me since I was following Jack's footprints! I caught up with him just as he was packing up from his morning shots from the ridge top. He had outstanding views of Mount Audubon, Paiute Peak, Mount Toll and Pawnee Peak. It was at this point that we figured we should take advantage of a perfect November day and continue on another 2.5 miles to the ridge summit. It was warming quickly to comfortable temperatures and it was uncommonly calm. This part of the front range is known for its almost daily gale force winds! Besides, even from this vantage point on the ridgeline, several of the peaks - Apache and Arikaree - were still mostly hidden from view behind the upper portion of the ridge.

We pressed on, across a saddle where some of the research buildings and weather stations stand, and upwards along edge of the ridge and the watershed boundary. The entire Green Lakes Basin is closed to the public since it serves as the primary watershed for much of Boulder County. The boundary is well marked with signs still visible above the deep snow. We followed the boundary almost all the way to the summit of the ridge. The views to the South of Kiowa and Arikaree Peaks are simply incredible. Jack stopped to photograph these views while I continued to the summit. The views from the summit are probably some of my favorite on the entire front range. There are sharp rugged peaks in every direction. I spent time encircling the perimeter of the ridge, exploring and soaking up the views. Then I found a sunny spot with a rock to rest against and I had a snack while perusing the topo map and learning the geographic features of the area. Jack showed up as I was ready to depart, so I headed down before him and let him enjoy the summit as I had, in solitude. Now the temperatures were climbing into the 40s and the snow had really softened up. Step, step, post-hole. Step, post-hole, step, step, post-hole. Dang! I should NOT have left my snowshoes behind! But the route was entirely downhill, so I made it to the research buildings quickly, stopping only once to shed layers of clothing. After scouting several photo spots that I would like to return to, I waited for Jack along the 4WD service road. When he arrived, we fueled up and began the long slog back to the trailhead. It had been a long, but enjoyable day!