Chalk Canyon View

Want some exercise and a great view?!? Climb nearly a thousand feet on the Colorado Trail for a spectacular view of Chalk Canyon, Chalk Cliffs, and Mount Princeton.

Park at the Chalk Creek trail head near the west intersection of County Roads 162 and 191. Hike south on the well maintained Colorado Trail. Cross the bridge over Chalk Creek, elevation of 8,380 feet, and sign the Forest Service register. The first section of trail to County Road 290 is pleasant, gaining just 130 feet elevation in .4 miles. Keep an eye out for deer, elk, and other critters. Cross the road and continue past the “Colorado Tail/Raspberry Gulch” sign. The trail will get progressively steeper as you hike another mile to find the cache at 9,292 feet elevation. The 1.4 mile hike with almost 1,000 foot elevation gain is tough, but the view is worth it! In the interest of safety, the cache is less than 10 feet from the north side of the trail. Parts of the Colorado Trail have loose rock and a few minor exposed areas, similar to most hiking trails in the Rockies. Please hide the cache well or it will certainly be muggled. A couple of other notes… - This section of the Colorado Trail gets light usage during winter and heavy usage in summer. You can get to this cache in winter, but bump the difficulty up a notch. For a real treat, do this hike on a bluebird winter day after a snow storm. Chalk Cliffs and Mount Princeton are even more spectacular when coated with fresh snow! - Weather…In summer, keep your eyes and ears open for afternoon thunderstorms. They build over Mount Princeton and Mount Antero and can sneak up in a hurry. In winter, hiking in the snow is very enjoyable, but be advised that a freeze/thaw cycle makes the trail slick. Use crampons or wait for a warm afternoon to soften things up. - There are other caches near the trail head and within a half mile of the route…grab ‘em! - There is little to no cell phone service in the canyon, but it’s ok near the cache. - This is the first geocache we have placed! We averaged multiple readings from two smart phones. Even if the coordinates are off, the hints and guidance will get you there. Post some pictures…they’ll make us smile! Be safe and enjoy! Congrats to KLUJIC1 and KLUJIC2 for FTF!