It’s officially wildflower season in Colorado’s mountains. And, as is so often the case, we decided to heed the advice of Tom Petty:
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
So off we headed to Devil’s Thumb Trailhead near-ish Winter Park. Nestled in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Arapaho National Forest, the trail is very legitimately labelled difficult. About 8 miles out and back, the trail gains over 2,200 feet in elevation from start to finish.
You’ll head over the river,
Through the woods,
And past a pond or two,
But grandmother’s doily-lined house is not your destination.
Oh no, instead you’ll be treated to a sensory overload of Colorado’s finest wildflowers.
There are Colorado Blue Columbines in their natural habitat…
So don’t be afraid to stroll through for a closer look.
Last one. Promise.
Keep heading up, up, and away. Pausing momentarily to catch your breath, and take in your surroundings.
Because you’ll want to make it all the way up, where you’ll enjoy an “on top of the world” feeling and a fantastic view of Devil’s Thumb Lake.
11,682 feet up never looked so good!
How beautiful flowers. Because it is on over 2,200 feet in elevation, forest views are similar in some cases we have in Finland. Here is one of my post from Helsinki. In this part of Helsinki tourists do not visit, although it is quite near and easy to reach. Sigh!
Unknown Helsinki 3
Happy Sunday!
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Happy Sunday! Wow, those are beautiful pictures! Looks extra pretty by the water. There definitely seem to be similarities between Colorado and Finland. Very excited to know that.
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Love the area in winter. Haven’t experienced the beauty I see in these pictures. It’s been ages since I’ve been at the Devils Thumb Ranch for cross country skiing. You captured the beauty of my favorite flower theColorado Columbine.
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Thanks for the comment! Devil’s Thumb Ranch is truly beautiful year round. Hoping to take the Winter Park Express from Denver’s Union Station to the area sometime this winter!
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Colorado is on my “to visit” list 🙂
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It is such a wonderful place, from Denver to the mountains to a lot of cities in between! Stay tuned, we will have a lot of Colorado posts!
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Great blog and photos, and thanks for following mine!
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Thank you! We are looking forward to learning more about your fascinating stories! Love your pics of the Albuquerque balloon festival. We are hoping to check that out in the upcoming years.
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Gorgeous!
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Thank you! It was a fun adventure!
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Nice! We were in the Holy Cross Wilderness last weekend and didn’t see as many as I hoped. LOVE love Colorado wild flowers ❤️
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We have been meaning to explore the Holy Cross Wilderness more! I bet it was stunning still. Next up and coming reasonably soon, fall colors!
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It was incredible. Definitely check it out! I have a lot of favorites in Colorado, but this is in the top 5 for sure.
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Perfect! It is now on our short list!
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If you like 14ers, I really like Mount Holy Cross. You can backpack in and camp which makes it fun. It’s been a while since I have climbed it, hopefully the crowds are crazy!!!
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Good tip! We are gearing up for some 14ers next summer. Mount Holy Cross looks awesome and not too far from Denver either…perfect.
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You could never show too many photos of our state’s gorgeous wildflowers for my taste. 🙂
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Agreed! Too bad wildflower season is so fleeting. We enjoy seeing the beautiful pictures on your blog!
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Thank you very much., I enjoy following your travels.
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