[Centennial Trailhead] Red Rocks + Anemone Trail Part 1

AUG 28, 2024 WED 10:05 am

24c | Sunny | 36% humidity | 6,072ft highest point |

I’ve been in a depressive episode lately and stopped hiking for a week or two. That was definitely not helping me, so I made it a point to get back into the habit this week.

I chose a place I’ve never been before, which is always exciting.

Parking lot rating

Saw cars lining both sides of the road as I approached the trailhead, which is typically a bad sign, but there were surprisingly not one but two open spots in the lot when I arrived. It was kind of annoying to maneuver into them, though.

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The trail begins with a short staircase, with a peaceful stream at the top. From there, it opens into a prairie as you begin your gradual ascent into the foothills.

A POI off the trail: a hydroelectric facility

Looking backwards, you can see a strangely textured rock formation up on a hill.

Some kind of raptor overhead. Not even Google Lens knows what it is.

I am really engrossed by this view. You can even see Highway 36 (Denver Boulder Turnpike), the road I drove here on, in the distance.

Things get more forested as you go further up into the hills. At one point, you can see parts of Boulder Canyon Drive down below, which is a winding road that goes through the mountains and has access to Boulder Falls. I’ve been down it a few times, so it’s weird seeing it from above.

A house under construction near the road

Above is a view of different branching paths from an earlier part of the hike. It makes me think of past decisions made in life, how each choice has lead to your current circumstances, and all the other possible outcomes that could’ve happened instead.

It’s the Bird Zone

A weird one that looks kind of like a Red Breasted Nuthatch, but smaller. It keeps bouncing around the branches, going upside down. Google Lens says it’s a Pygmy Nuthatch.

A woodpecker. I can never remember which kinds have which names, like Downy, Red something, Pileated, whatever.

A couple of Pygmy Nuthatches doing some ground foraging next to the path.

Enough loitering, the mountains are beckoning…

There’s a sort of “lookout area” off the main trail called “Reflection Point”, so I decided to check it out.

What a view. There’s a pole absolutely covered in stickers.

I spent a minute gawking at this (it says “John Paul was here 2024”) because I confused John Paul with Jake Paul. Apologies to John for mistaking them for a menace to society.

When I looked at AllTrails (my hike tracking app) to continue, the remaining time said 1 hour, 40 something minutes. Uh… I had spent so long stopping to take photos thus far, that I would no longer have time to hike the full trail today. I had like 30 minutes to get back home to wake Kiwi up. I decided to turn back now, then return next Wednesday to finish this.

Did that stop me from taking even more photos on the way back? No. Here are some fruiting Prickly Pear cacti. I’ve seen the fruit for sale at Whole Foods. I need to try it sometime.