The Crags Trail and Mueller State Park, CO

June 1, 2013 at Divide, Colorado

It was a sunny Saturday. We planned to hike the "Waldo Canyon in Colorado Springs" to see the effect of massive wildfire last year. When we arrived at the trailhead of Waldo Canyon, the road was blocked with "No Entry" sign. From below, we saw heavy damages in the old trail. Most damage came to pine trees but there were a lot of bush coming back alive. By now, there should be a plenty of wildflowers on the trail but we couldn't go.
By then, we were already 40 miles from home. By looking through a hiking book, we found "The Crags Trail" not far away from us. So we decided to go to "The Crags" about 20 miles further west.

Geography: Pikes Peak was created some 60 million years ago when a large deposit of "Pikes Peak Pink Granite" was pushed up from deep within the earth. The puzzling thing is that after the rock reached the earth’s surface it seemed to expand and flow outward, eventually covering many square miles of much younger sedimentary rock. This wouldn’t seem unreasonable if the rock had been in liquid or plastic form, but in this case the material was far from liquid. It was solid Precambrian granite that had cooled and crystallized a billion years before it was pushed to the surface.

Sometimes granite erodes horizontally into monumental slabs resembling stacks of gigantic red pancakes (see my guide for Horsethief Falls & Pancake Rocks). Not too far away the same kind or rock erodes vertically into colossal collections of cusps, ready to take a bite out of any clouds that venture too close to the earth. A few miles south of Divide CO, this kind of rock formation is called “The Crags.”

The Crags Trail: This one is an easy short trail. The scenic trail is for almost anyone.
This is a part of "Pikes Peak Massif" at it's western foothills.

About 5 total miles of "Out and Back" round trip. Elevation Gain: 800 feet
About 2.5 - 3.0 hours, Season: Best May to October
Trailhead Starting Elevation: 10,150 feet, Top Elevation: 10,728 feet
Info-Contacts: Pikes Peak Ranger District, US Forest Service. 601 South Weber Colorado Springs, CO 80903, (719) 636-1602

Directions: Exit I-25 at Cimarron Ave (exit 141) in Colorado Springs onto US Hwy 24-West. Drive west through Woodland Park to the town of Divide. Turn south (left) on CO Hwy 67 and drive about 4.3 miles. Just past the entrance to Mueller State Park, turn left at a sign, "Crags Campground 3.5 miles" (Forest Service Rd. #383). On this gravel road, after about 1.5 miles you pass the Mennonite Rocky Mt. Campground. Continue on for another 2 miles through the Crags Campground and then make a left turn (do not keep going) into the trailhead lot where a pit toilets are. Here, you are following the Fourmile Creek at left side. The new trailhead parking is on the right before the final left turn. You can park and start here or go all the way into the fianal trailhead. The Crags Campground is at a cul de sac at the end of the road. Parking is free at the lower parking lot but in the upper parking lot at the cul de sac, about a quarter mile closer to the trail,  there's a parking fee of $6.
Trail to the summit of Pikes Peak: From the final trailhead parking, after a tenth of a mile you will see a sign on the right labeling trail #664 and 664A. Stay at the left fork in trail 664 to The Crags. If you take trail #664A, by going over a wood plank bridge to cross the Fourmile Creek, you are heading for the Pikes Peak summit through The Devil's Playground. This trail 664A will lead you to the summit by 11.5 miles roundtrip and 4,200' elevation gain). This is one of the easier trails to the summit of Pikes Peak but, today, we are not prepared for the climb of "a fourteener". At 14,115 feet (4,302 m), Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, mountains that rise more than 14,000 feet (4,300 m) above mean sea level. Pikes Peak rises 8,400 feet (2,600 m) above the city of Colorado Springs. It is a designated U.S. National Historical Landmark.

This year, we have a definite plan for a climb of Mount Bierstadt (14,065' - 4,287 m). Someday, I will definitely try to climb Pikes Peak. There is an paved automobile highway to the summit, the easiest way to the summit. Any visiting travelers can reach the summit by car by paying the toll at $40/car or $12/person. Though there isn't much difference in the height between Mount Bierstadt and Pikes Peak, but, for climbers, Pike Peak is much more formidable mountain to climb. For an old man like me, it will take a lot of preparations to do it successfully. The Pikes Peak is looking down at me everyday because it is visible from my home. It will be very hard for me not to climb it.

The small picture above shows the Pikes Peak taken by me during a hiking at Waldo Canyon on May 26, 2012.
The original webpage is at:  http://www.snucmaa.us/snumc1965/bbs/zboard.php?id=freeboard&no=7320.

┗▶ The trail and elevation map of The Crags Trail

┗▶ Parking at the trailhead. This is the upper parking lot with parking fee of $6. Lower parking is free.



┗▶ The upper stream of Four Mile Creek running under the snow



┗▶ Rocks with vertical erosion, showing vertical slits with pinnacle shaped boulders. As you see, there's pinkish tinge in rocks, hence they are called "pink granite", appearing in the Pikes Peak area.



┗▶ You walk through a forest of Engelmann spruce (green) and quaking aspen (bare, no leaves yet) with open alpine meadows.
Here and there, you see large smooth rock formations and boulders of Pikes Peak pink granite.
They came here 60 million years ago from the depth of the earth's mantle.



┗▶ Through the alpine meadows. Rocky pinnacles of granite in front of us. Busy trail with a lot of hikers.



┗▶ View to the southeast on my right on the way up.
The slope above the tree line leads to base of the Devil's Playground and the summit of Pikes Peak massif.
It looked very far and high. I like to try the summit someday, 6 miles and 4,200 feet higher from where I was.



┗▶ This rock formation at left shows both vertical and horizontal erosion, creating a multiple square blocks.



┗▶ The same rock formation



┗▶ A father and son on a Saturday hiking.



┗▶ Somewhere around here, there supposedly is a trail to the tall pinnacles of The Crags.
We may attempt it some time in the future. I think it can be easily done.
This rock pinnacle shows mainly horizontal erosions in the shape of stacked pancakes.



┗▶ At the final ridge on the trail, the view opens to the northwest and north with the Catamount Reservoirs (followed by reservoirs crop).



┗▶ Three grandmothers are coming down. My sincere respect on them who took the hiking on their own.



┗▶ Vertical erosion of the granite created this rocky pinnacles. That's why this area is known as "The Crags."



┗▶ Distant rocky peaks with crags formation to the east. Beyond is the snow-covered base of the Pikes Peak.



┗▶ This particular granite mass shows horizontal cracks (stacked pancakes) instead of vertical split.



┗▶ Heavily eroded granite. The surface is so rough that it was painful to touch.



┗▶ Vertical and horizontal cracks in the rock



┗▶ How could vertical and horizontal erosions happen in the same area side by side?



┗▶ You can see how rough the  surface of the rocks are. This may not be granite.



┗▶ A long and wide rock (마당바위) as a part of the trail.



┗▶ I don't see any soil around here but an old Bristlecone Pine grows on and between the rocks.
I am sure this tree is at least more than 1,000-2000 years old. I am just over 70. Then, what am I ?
 


My hiking partner, Yun-Jae Lee with two Bristlecone pines at the summit of the promontory



┗▶ A gray jay landed on my hand for a split second to pick up a piece of roasted pecan. The usual delay by the "shutter lag" cause the picture to have been taken a little too late. They are very tame, not afraid of us. The bird stayed around us for a while for more.
It is illegal to feed wildlife in Colorado. I may get fined if a wildlife ranger sees this picture.



┗▶ We are at a promontory overlooking The Crags across a valley.



┗▶ Far to the west, are the snow capped mountain ranges, such as Shavano, The Collegiate Peaks, Democrat, Sherman and Quandry are the fourteeners to the west. They appear too far for me to identify. 




┗▶ There is a small grove of Bristlecone pines at the promontory at the end of the trail.
Someone left an American flag under the tree fo some reason. A memorial or to remember a loved one ??



┗▶ My hiking partner with another ancient Bristlecone pine, with the background of Colorado Springs area.



┗▶ 마당바위 위에 군데 군데 서있는 square rock boulders.



┗▶ Another group of rock boulders, looking like a loaf of sliced bread (?).



┗▶ To the east, another groups of Vertically eroded granite peaks, the crags, showing sharp rocky columns.



┗▶ For the city folks, here's a picture of a beaver dam on the Fourmile Creek, creating a small pond.
The pond is surrounded with pussy willow bushes.



┗▶ White Marsh Marigold, growing near the creek where the ground is wet.
In the early summer in the very high altitude, there weren't a lot of wildflowers today. I found a few.                                       



┗▶ Alpine Smelowskia, growing in high altitude. Here, the altitude is over 10,000 feet high.



┗▶ We stopped at thr Mueller State Park on the way home. At the entrance of the park with Pikes Peak in the background.



┗▶ Inside exhibitions in the visitor center.



┗▶ The western side of the Pikes Peak above tree line. The summit is not visible.
The small triangular peak behind the ridge may be the Devil's Playground. It's a long way.



┗▶ The Mueller State Park visitor center, located on the top of a hill with great view all around.



┗▶ Light green leaves of aspen, waking up from the winter's sleep. It's because this spot is warmer at about 9,000 feet high, while at the Crags Trail over 10,000 feet, they are not waken up for the spring yet. Of course, they will soon.
We are going to return this area for other hiking trails. It will be wonderful in autumn when aspen trees turn yellow.