Cirque Du Sore Legs – 2023 Hiking Recap

In June 2023 my friend and coworker Janice made it a goal to become more active and start hiking. She roped in our other friend (and coworker) Taylor and myself into the shenanigans and a thing was started! Eventually by autumn we decided we needed a cool hiker gang name, and Cirque Du Sore Legs was born. Our gang completed many hikes in 2023, and I came to appreciate the group for getting me out of bed and outdoors, especially on some really rough days. This post is going to serve a summary of the hikes we did that I did not necessarily want to blog individually.

June 3, 2023 – Hidden Falls at Curt Gowdy State Park
Trailhead: Causeway
Total Mileage: 4.38 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 358 feet
Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Taylor, and Janice’s son
Red Tape & Things to Note: Day use fee required in Curt Gowdy State Park
AllTrails

Hands down, Hidden Falls is the most popular hike in Curt Gowdy State Park, and probably in the top few of southeastern Wyoming in general. Due to Curt Gowdy’s great trail system, hikers can choose several ways to get to Hidden Falls, including out-and-back and loop routes. I have blogged a previous hike to Hidden Falls here, which my friend Julie and I did in the winter months (that’s a big bonus – Hidden Falls is easy to access in the winter!). On this hike, we parked at the Causeway and took Crow Creek Trail out-and-back to Hidden Falls.

June 10, 2023 – El Alto at Curt Gowdy State Park
Trailhead: Aspen Grove
Total Mileage: 4.61 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 801 feet
Time: 2 hours 37 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Janice’s son, Taylor, Tiffany, Timmons, and Amber
Red Tape & Things to Note: Day use fee required in Curt Gowdy State Park
AllTrails

Of all the years I’ve been a mountain biker, I have never ridden El Alto or explored this slice of Curt Gowdy State Park. Following Stone Temple Circuit to Albert’s Alley, we did a counterclockwise journey on El Alto before heading back to the trailhead on Crow Creek and Pinball. This hike meandered us through the incredible granite rock formations this area is famous for, and the overlook provided views into the canyon where Hidden Falls is located.

July 2, 2023 – Arthur’s Rock at Lory State Park
Trailhead: Arthur’s Rock
Total Mileage: 5 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 1280 feet
Time: 3 hours 12 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Janice’s son, Taylor, Alex, Tiffany, and Timmons
Red Tape & Things to Note: Day use fee required in Lory State Park. The final bit to Arthur’s Rock requires some scrambling, and there are some steep drop offs so use caution if clumsy or with children.
AllTrails

Remember that time I thought running off the descent of Mount Elbert was a good idea? Well, the next day the gang took me to Arthur’s Rock in Lory State Park, and my legs died a thousand deaths. It was a hot day, and I think we all struggled with the heat (and everyone endured the whining about my legs). An extremely popular hike, we shared the trail with many others as we headed up Arthur’s Rock Trail. After enjoying the expansive views over Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, and the eastern plains, we headed back to the car on Howard Trail to make a nice lollipop route.

August 5, 2023 – Reynolds Hill Loop
Trailhead: Reynolds Hill (located at the junction of Vedauwoo Road and FS700D)
Total Mileage: 5.11 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 587 feet
Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Janice’s son, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: Signage doesn’t really exist and there are numerous trails and cow paths that branch out everywhere so a map or GPS navigation is highly recommended. Trailhead fee might be implemented in upcoming years.
AllTrails

I really love how Janice’s new hiking obsession has led to me exploring trails close to home that I otherwise have never been to. I had no idea this trailhead (with nice vault toilets) even existed off of Vedauwoo Road! The wildflowers were still popping and we enjoyed a quiet loop around Reynolds Hill in Vedauwoo, complete with a couple of stream crossings. Some of the trails I recognized from racing my mountain bike over the years in this area, and I was delighted to finally be able to take in the views of the towering rock formations at a casual pace instead of drooling over the top tube of my mountain bike, heart rate pegged.

September 9, 2023 – Nymph Lake, Lake Haiyaha, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake
Trailhead: Bear Lake
Total Mileage: 5.79 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 1263 feet
Time: 3 hours 34 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice
Red Tape & Things to Note: Located within Rocky Mountain National Park, which has an entry fee. Timed entry reservation is required from late May to mid October to access Bear Lake Corridor from 5am-6pm. Trailhead parking is very challenging, so we opted to park in the shuttle lot and take the shuttle bus to Bear Lake Trailhead to avoid wasting time looking for parking.
AllTrails

Our group was down to just Janice and I for this hike for Janice’s first time to Rocky Mountain National Park. The night before I secured a timed entry reservation for the Bear Lake Corridor. Though I try to avoid this extremely popular area in the busy months, I just knew I had to show Janice some of the spectacular alpine lakes! Lake Haiyaha was our first destination after stopping briefly at Nymph Lake. Not as milky teal as 2022, we still rejoiced in the teal waters, enjoying a snack, and taking plenty of photos. Next to headed to Dream and Emerald Lakes. I hope this is the first of many trips we get to take to the park!

September 23, 2023 – Happy Jack
Trailhead: Summit
Total Mileage: 5.64 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 856 feet
Time: 2 hours 49 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Janice’s son, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: Trailhead fee required.

‘Twas the first day of autumn and the temperatures were chilly as we set out to prance in the fall colors exploding on Pole Mountain. We headed up Headquarters National Recreation Trail before cutting over to Summit Trail for a short bit before rejoining Headquarters. After some windblown photos on the overlook, we continued down Headquarters to the junction of Crow Creek, which we took back to the trailhead. With probably well over a thousand mountain biking miles in my legs on these trails, it was a first to enjoy a hike.

November 5, 2023 – Red Mountain Open Space
Trailhead: Red Mountain
Total Mileage: 8.35 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 1083 feet
Time: 3 hours 44 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: No dogs allowed in Red Mountain Open Space, and adjoining Soapstone Prairie and Big Hole Open Space. Seasonally closed December-February each year.

Janice originally sent an 11 mile loop as a suggestion. Knowing that AllTrails notoriously lies about distance and being familiar with the trails from mountain biking, we talked her off the ledge and cut down the hike to a less crazy route for our day out at Red Mountain Open Space. Larimer County, City of Fort Collins, and City of Cheyenne have adjoining public lands in the area – Red Mountain Open Space, Soapstone Prairie, and Big Hole Open Space – with dozens and dozens of miles of trails between all three. Lightly trafficked and remote, this is a great area to get away from the Front Range crowds that flock to other trails in the area. From the trailhead we headed up Bent Rock Trail (previously blogged here) to Ruby Wash Trail. After a few miles in the sand, we turned east on Salt Lick Trail, to Big Hole Wash Trail, and returning to the car on Sinking Sun Trail.

November 12, 2023 – Mills Lake
Trailhead: Glacier Gorge
Total Mileage: 5.04 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 965 feet
Time: 3 hours 18 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice and Taylor
Red Tape & Things to Note: Located within Rocky Mountain National Park, which has an entry fee. Timed entry reservation is required from late May to mid October to access Bear Lake Corridor from 5am-6pm.
AllTrails

It was Taylor’s turn to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time! We chose another very popular option, Mills Lake. Since this was Janice’s and Taylor’s first time on this trail, we stuck to the main trail that winds past Alberta Falls so they could the whole experience, and returned to the car on the Fire Trail to switch things up. With pleasant mid-November weather (and realizing my mountaineering boots were overkill), we enjoyed snacks and sunshine on the shores of Mills Lake before heading back.

November 18, 2023 – Ouzel Falls
Trailhead: Wild Basin (Winter)
Total Mileage: 8.27 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 1260 feet
Time: 4 hours 44 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: Located within Rocky Mountain National Park, which has an entry fee. Timed entry reservation is required from late May to mid October to access Wild Basin from 9am-2pm.
AllTrails

Time for more Rocky Mountain National Park action! This time we headed to Wild Basin to chase waterfalls. We had to utilize the winter trailhead, which adds about one mile each way to any planned hikes. First we headed towards Copeland Falls, and being unfamiliar with the trail, ended up on the wrong side of North St. Vrain Creek. We found a sketchy log to cross, and rejoined the main trail. Ouzel Falls was our main destination (a waterfall I’ve managed to not visit on all my prior visits to Wild Basin). We lucked out and had Ouzel Falls (which is access by a short spur trail… you cannot see the waterfall from the main trail) completely to ourselves – not something that will happen in summer months!

November 22, 2023 – Turtle Rock
Trailhead: Vedauwoo (Winter)
Total Mileage: 3.82 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 581 feet
Time: 1 hours 42 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: Day use fee required.
AllTrails

A local favorite for a short hike, Turtle Rock, was perfect for our pre-Thanksgiving hike before we all scattered our separate ways for holiday celebrations. Another one of those “most popular hikes of southeastern Wyoming,” the loop around Turtle Rock at Vedauwoo is great for families and those wanting to keep a hike on the shorter end of things. The hike is even shorter during the summer months when summer parking areas are open! I have previously blogged about a hike around Turtle Rock, found here.

December 2, 2023 – Hidden Falls at Curt Gowdy State Park
Trailhead: Aspen Grove
Total Mileage: 4.51 miles (Garmin Forerunner 255s)
Elevation Gain: 636 feet
Time: 2 hours 36 minutes
Partners in Hiking: Janice, Taylor, and Alex
Red Tape & Things to Note: Day use fee required in Curt Gowdy State Park

Back to the scene of the initial crime! Is there a better way to round out 2023 than hiking to our original destination from June?! This time we switched things up, showing versatility of routes to Hidden Falls, by taking Pinball to Crow Creek to get to the now-frozen falls. We enjoyed playing around on the ice and with our microspikes. Heading back, we turned onto Albert’s Alley to change up the route, and returned to the car on Stone Temple Circuit. I thought this day would be solid Type 2 Fun with the sub-freezing temperatures, but it turns out we all had a ton of fun!

Whew, lots of adventure in 2023! Cirque Du Sore Legs has continued into 2024, and we’re excited to see where our feet take us!