Mountain Hiking

Eldorado Mountain and Caribou Flat

North of the small mountain town of Eldora, there are broad slopes of open woodland and stony tundra that rise into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area and on up to the Continental Divide itself. The path is Forest Road 505, a narrow 4WD track that at first climbs east along the valley of Middle Boulder Creek and then turns sharply back on itself to continue northwest, up one of the ridges of Eldorado Mt. 

At this southeastern end of 505, I enjoyed big, rugged views to the west, up the Boulder Creek valley toward Hessie and Lost and King Lakes. The runs of Eldora ski area spill down the opposite valley slopes. At this easternmost hairpin turn in the road, the way seems to continue east into a grove of aspen, but if there is still snow cover, it would be wise to turn northwest before the grove and enter the pines where the road becomes obvious again. As it was, I continued through the aspens, lost the road, and navigated by compass up the ridgeline to the northwest. That worked fine, too, and I had no trouble picking up the road and continuing to the saddle south of Eldorado Mt. The road bypasses the highpoint, so at the saddle, I turned north and bushwhacked just one- or two-hundred yards up-slope for a nice view of Klondike Mt. and Bald Mt. beyond. 

West of Eldorado Mt., the road continues up the slopes of Mineral Mt. to Caribou Flat, with its exploratory pit diggings and mine openings of long ago. If you were to continue, you would reach the old Caribou town site and continue down the other side to FR 116 and Rainbow Lakes, maybe 10 miles away. 

But I stopped and simply absorbed the open solitude, the subtle color range—streaks of white snow, the soft browns and grays of the soil and rocks, the dark green of nearby trees, and the almost black of distant forest stands—high, free, and empty spaces.

On Caribou Flat, looking NW toward Klondike Mt.

Originally published in the
50 Plus Marketplace News, 14:4, p. 8, 4/2008.