The Grand Mesa is one of those great places to visit in Colorado that probably doesn't have the kind of notoriety that it should. The locals would probably disagree, as the lower level of human traffic makes it an even better place to get away in Western Colorado. We are blessed enough to have access to a great little cabin on the Mesa and we try to get up there for some Colorado outdoor living as often as we can. If you like some legit, off the grid type outdoor time, this is an amazing place to visit. The fall is maybe the best time to hit it as the colors are absolutely incredible. Definitely one of the best places to see the fall colors in Colorado.
We cruised to the Mesa October 5th, leaving at about 7pm to try and avoid some of that Front Range traffic and got there about midnight. The weather on Saturday was definitely fall mountain weather, a little chilly with some frost here and there but still plenty of great colors. Our plan was to stay secluded up on the Mesa for as much of the trip as possible. However, Cedaredge is just down the hill and the Cedaredge AppleFest happened to be going down that weekend. We knew there might be some snow coming our way and the idea of stocking the cabin with some local apple cider and apple pie was just too tempting.... had to get our hands on some of that goodness. If you are aware of Cedaredge's reputation for delicious apples, you know where we were coming from. Once we had that done, we geared up in some ColoradoCool Apparel and enjoyed some nice long walks along the many lakes on the Mesa....then Saturday evening the snow began to move in.
We woke up Sunday morning to find the Grand Mesa covered in snow. It was beautiful. With the lakes not being frozen over yet the dark lakes provided a contrast against the snow that was straight epic. Thankfully, we knew snow might be coming and had come prepared. We geared up, rocking our newly released ColoradoCool beanies, and headed to Crag Crest Trail....stoked for our first snow hike of the season!
Nothing like being the first to hit a trail with some fresh snow on it, especially when you have an awesome doggie reppin his black Colorado bandana who knows the trail and can lead the way. Crag Crest Trail is a great Colorado hike that has a nice mix of strolls through wooded areas and inclines that open up along hillsides providing some awesome mountain views. My Colorado Flag Beanie, "The Highlight" kept my plenty warm for this hike and will on most winter hikes. Erika was rockin "The Cozy", that is a local Colorado beanie with a fleece lining which is awesome for those who tend to get a little colder on these types of hikes. As I said, Crag Crest Trail provides a lot of great views and is a really amazing hike. We didn't see a single person on this hike, in part due to the snow. However, we have hit this trail before on the middle of a beautiful, sunny, warm fall day and only saw a handful of people. Nice perk of Western Colorado hiking, little less traffic. It is a 10.8 mile loop that is a moderate hike.
View of Island Lake from Crag Crest Trail.
We had our microspikes with us and used them for part of the time, but since the snow had just fallen the night before and it wasn't all that cold, there wasn't much ice. Just personal preference at that point. Just make sure if you are going to visit the Grand Mesa in the fall that you bring a variety of clothing options (preferably local Colorado clothing of course) and you'll have no shortage of things to get into in Colorado's great outdoors!
Couldn't have asked for a better three day weekend on the Mesa honestly. Experienced a little bit of fall, a little bit of winter, little bit of pie and cider, plenty of coffee and reading bundled up in the cabin with no internet or tv....great way to kick back, relax and reset. If you have never hiked in the winter, we would highly suggest it. Just pick up a pair of microspikes and make sure you dress warm...once you get going and that blood gets pumping you will be good to go! The views and the silence you'll find on some of these hikes during the winter is amazing. If you head up to the Mesa during the winter, just be sure to remember certain roads are only accessible by snowmobile, you will sink into the snow and get stuck on certain roads...I (despite Erika's warnings) learned that last year the hard way.
Pretty awesome view heading down the Grand Mesa, you can see Powderhorn Mountain Resort off in the distance. Such an awesome area. Anyways, until next time! Make sure to check out our new ColoradoCool Beanies, we have a few cool Colorado Flag Beanies, one beanie with the San Juans woven in, another that's just an awesome local Colorado beanie that's suppper comfortable and perfect if you get really cold on winter hikes like these and even a reversible that incorporates the Colorado Flag colors as well as the Colorado Avalanche colors! Scope out the link below and you'll be sure to find something you love!
Take care and keep it ColoradoCool!!!
