Lathrop State Park - October 7th to 10th, 2020
Lathrop State Park and the surrounding area turned out to be better than we expected. We had driven by it several times before, but it doesn't look like much from US 160. After spending three nights camping inside the park and exploring the area, we now have a greater appreciation of Lathrop.
The traffic along I-25 was not that bad on our way to Lathrop State Park. Of course, we stopped in Pueblo to have pizza at Angelo's Pizza Parlor along the River Walk. Since two slices of pizza were too much to eat the last time we were in Pueblo, we ordered one slice each along with a side salad. The salads were mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers along with our choice of homemade dressings, very tasty. Right Buddy (RB) had the lemon cucumber dressing and Left Buddy (LB) had his favorite, blue cheese.
We arrived at our camp site a little after 3 pm. There was a view of a rocky hogback from our site along with a hazy outline of the Spanish Peaks (Huajatolla). To stretch our legs after driving for several hours, we hiked the Hogback Nature Trail. There was a trail leading right from our camp site over to the amphitheater along with another connecting trail from there to the nature trail. The nature trail is 2.3 miles long and goes up to the hogback, following along the top of the ridge for about a quarter of a mile. There were nice views of the Spanish Peaks in one direction and the Greenhorn Mountain (Cuerno Verde) in the other direction. It was too bad the mountains were just silhouettes behind the blanket of wildfire smoke. The ridge looked down over the two lakes in the park, Horseshoe Lake and Martin Lake, with some colorful trees lining the shorelines.
The only wildlife we saw were lizards. The flora consisted of one-seed juniper, piñon pine, scrub oak (Gambel oak), prickly pear cactus, cholla (candelabra cactus), and yucca. Where the trail from the amphitheater joined the nature trail, there was a group of large boulders that formed a maze. They looked like a great natural playground for kids to explore and climb on.
It was time to start dinner by the time we returned to our camp site. We were in the mood for something light after having a heavy lunch, so we prepared Mediterranean quinoa with peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and oregano. Perfect. After dinner, we sat in our camp chairs, watching the sunset, watching the stars come out, and watching the International Space Station (ISS) fly overhead. Then we hit the sack.
The next day was a relaxing day spent exploring Lathrop State Park. After breakfast, we hopped on our bikes to check out the lay of the land and decide where we wanted to put our kayak in after lunch. The Cuerno Verde Trail is a 2.9 mile loop around Martin Lake. It is paved concrete that follows along the shoreline, mostly shaded by aspens, willows, and cottonwood trees. The trail is for pedestrians and cyclists. It was a very enjoyable ride on our bikes.
Motorized boats are allowed in Martin Lake, but not in Horseshoe Lake. There is dirt road that encircles Horseshoe Lake, but we only took it to the boat ramp. There is only one boat ramp on Horseshoe Lake and the rest of shoreline is rocky boulders. Of the two lakes, Horseshoe Lake looked like the more peaceful one to paddle on, but hanging out at one of the picnic areas on the shore of Martin Lake while our kayak dried looked more inviting. There were only a handful of boats on Martin Lake and they were either anchored or trolling slowly as their occupants were all fishing.
We returned to our camp site to eat lunch, then packed up and drove back to Martin Lake. We first stopped at West Beach Picnic Area, but the distance from the parking lot to the sandy shoreline was a little farther than we wanted to carry the kayak. As we were checking out the launch area options there, a couple in a boat were anchoring on the shore. So we drove down to the next picnic area, North Inlet. We had that area to ourselves and the walk to the shore was much shorter.
By the time we got onto the water, the wind picked up. As we paddled towards the opposite shore, the wind and waves were pushing our boat around. There were white caps on the water. This made LB uncomfortable, so we stayed close to shore and worked our way back around to where we had launched from. On the way back we were heading into the wind, so we had to put some muscle into it.
When we reached our starting point, the wind died down, so we decided to stay out a little longer. We headed back to a cove that we had passed earlier to check out some birds. While we were there, we could hear a rustling of the grasses and bushes along the shore. It sounded like a large animal or two. RB thought she caught a glimpse of two ears among the tall grasses. She thought the ears could belong to a deer, elk or moose. We pulled back away from the shallow water near the shore in case the animal decided to charge us. We sat silently staring at the shore for several minutes hoping we would catch a glimpse of what it was, but no such luck.
While waiting for our kayak and gear to dry, we hung out in our camp chairs next to our van in the shade, protected by the wind. We had a view of the lake and the Cuerno Verde Trail. Several people went by on foot and on bike. Before we left, a couple of cars pulled into the parking lot to go fishing along the shore.
Back at our camp site, we had pork chops, mashed potatoes, and German red cabbage. The red cabbage was leftover from a meal RB made at home a few days before we left. We reheated it in the Instant Pot(paid link), used our electric tea kettle (paid link) to boil water for the instant mashed potatoes, and fried the pork chops in a pan on our butane stove (paid link). It was a tasty meal that was quick and easy to prepare.
We explored beyond Lathrop State Park the next day. First we went on a hike near Cuchara Colorado on Colorado 12, the Highway of Legends Scenic Byway.
We completed most of the Dike Trail 1389, but turned around at the high point instead of making the steep descent into a neighborhood, only to turn around and climb right back up. So instead of going 5.9 miles with a 1394 foot elevation gain as AllTrails indicated for the trail, we only went 5.1 miles with a 978 foot elevation gain.
We started at the Dikes North Trailhead which was along a dirt road in a neighborhood. There was only room for three or four cars to park at the trailhead. Three cars were already parked there when we arrived, but we managed to squeeze the van into the spot on the end.
The trail was a gradual climb through aspens, evergreens, and scrub oak. Every now and then there was a break in the vegetation with nice views of the mountain peaks on the other side of the valley. Unlike our hike to Lone Pine Lake the previous month (Rocky Mountain National Park: Western Slope - September 14th & 16th, 2020), we only encountered seven downed trees across the path, all of which were easy to step over or duck under. We could see what looked like ski runs on one of the mountains. It used to be Panadero Ski Resort which was in operation from 1981 to 2000. Most of It is now the Cuchara Mountain Park which is owned by the county and is open for hiking, snow shoeing, and cross country skiing. The rest of the mountain is now part of the San Isabel National Forest.
Near the top of the dike, the trail splits, with the left fork going up to the ridge. The right fork descends back down to the valley. Heading up the left fork, we found a nice overlook at the top to sit down and enjoy the panoramic views of the valley on the other side of the ridge while we ate our lunch. The aspen trees were in their fall yellow colors marbled among the dark green evergreens. The slopes on the opposite side of the valley were mostly scree with small clumps of trees trying to hang on. The top of West Spanish Peak peered over the mountain ridge on the opposite side of the valley.
The ascent up to the top did not seem to bother RB's knee much, but she was a little concerned about the descent. There were a couple of places along the trail that were steep with loose dirt. A quick jerk on her knee if her footing slipped was not something she wanted to experience, so she pulled her knee brace out of her backpack and put it on for the trip back down to the trailhead. We made it back to the trailhead with no incidents.
Since it was still early afternoon by the time we finished our hike, we decided to drive up to Cucharas Pass. A local man recommended driving Colorado 12 to us the day before. He stopped on his bike ride through Lathrop to chat with us as he was curious about our van. The Highway of Legends is definitely a scenic drive, especially this time of year with the fall colors. However, the aspens at the higher elevations near the pass had already dropped their leaves. At the pass, we turned around and headed back to the campground. The air seemed a little less smokey that day and we had some nice views of the Spanish Peaks on the drive back.
Ruebens were on the menu for dinner. A salty meal to replenish our electrolytes from our hike. At least that is what we are claiming, even though the hike was not that strenuous.
Lathrop turned out to be a great place to relax and explore. We challenge you to find something new to explore near where you live. You may be pleasantly surprised!
Check out our related video: Lathrop State Park
(RB)