After an unusually gray winter, the days are brightening once again, and the extra light has me itching for adventure — which is exactly the thing I don’t have time for at this busy stage of middle life. Some days I’m crunched at every joint by work deadlines, teenage drama, morning carpools, trips to Costco (where does all that food go in two days, anyway?), social obligations, yardwork, PTA meetings … life!
Maybe there’s hope. After exploring the world over, British adventurer Alastair Humphreys spent 12 months surveying his hometown, a “boring” (his words) village just outside London.
Related: Welcome to mud season: How to navigate messy Front Range trails in the spring
In his latest book, “Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wellness,” Humphreys shares the experience while guiding readers through local micro-adventures that are “short, simple … cheap — yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.” (Tall order, huh?)
Point is, adventure’s a mindset, not a specific destination or undertaking. And micro-adventures, please note, are not watered-down versions of the real thing. They’re true adventures, albeit ones accessible to busy people with little to no outdoors experience.
If there’s one city that was built for hometown adventurers, it’s got to be Denver, where tiny pockets of wilderness dot the urban landscape. So, repeat after me: Close-to-home doesn’t mean boring.
Tip: To up the adventure ante on any of the excursions below, try riding a bike to the trailhead. And for goodness’ sakes, if there’s a body of water available, at the very least dip a toe in. Let’s do this.
Denver Audubon Kingery Nature Center
Starting location: Kingery Nature Center, the boxy stone building at 11280 Waterton Road, on the far tip of Chatfield State Park (Littleton)
Time required: 1 to 4 hours
Gear needed: Water shoes; sun protection; binoculars; plenty of water; snacks
Not so long ago, I thought the word mallard was a synonym for duck. I’m barely able to ID magpies, but I’ve packed binoculars since I’m entering an important birding area. In fact, 345 bird species live or migrate through the open space extending out beyond Kingery Nature Center, and I’m thrilled when something startles at the sound of my footsteps. There’s rustling in the browse, the low-frequency thud of flapping wings, something flutters into view, and …
By the time my binoculars are handy, that bird’s long gone. I hoof it over to a hummingbird garden, passing a few bird-banding volunteers-in-training. Denver Audubon’s bird banding station opens annually in May, and if you’re interested in watching scientists study birds, you’d better sign up online now because spots go fast.
I follow a whistling song toward the native plant garden, then cruise past the Lois Webster Amphitheater to reach the dirt trails ringing blackbird and muskrat ponds, former gravel pits transformed gradually — and naturally — as animals seeded and pollinated the landscape. On your visit you might spot ducks, great blue heron, American bullfrogs, beavers and/or muskrats. Mammals skirt the shore, too, but you probably won’t see coyotes, skittish bobcats and bears.
A bridge bisects the ponds and spits you out on the other side of the water. While the site’s trails are well maintained, they’re not particularly well marked, and a handful of dirt offshoots will connect hikers to the state park’s expansive trail network. Look for QR codes, and if you have your smartphone, stop to read more about the destination as you hike. Halfway around the smaller pond, follow a narrow dirt path into the woods. In a few hundred yards, you’ll reach the South Platte River, which meanders all the way up to Chatfield Reservoir. You’re on an adventure, so follow the water north for as long as possible.
Three Pond Park to Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve
Starting location: The suburban greenspace at 4100 S. Colorado Blvd., between Mansfield and Quincy avenues (Cherry Hills)
Time required: 2 to 5 hours
Gear needed: Good walking shoes; sun protection; nature journal; plenty of water; snacks
You’ll find a small dirt pull-off servicing Three Pond Park in Cherry Hills. The plan is to start here and head a few miles south to Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, a hidden treasure right in the heart of Greenwood Village.
Going slow, taking notice — these aren’t my strong suits. But since I’m on a micro-adventure, I have to stop to ogle all the magpies chattering at the hikers and bikers on Segment 14 of the High Line Canal Trail, which runs 71 miles, from Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood down to Waterton Canyon.
The canal was a commercial project that brought South Platte River water to settlers following a gold rush in 1859. The workers who built it in the 1880s never would have imagined its recreational use in a bustling, suburban community.
I’m noticing lots of interesting stuff along the crushed-gravel path — giant Siberian elms with their thick, cracked bark; a paper flyer in a glass case describing Quincy Farm; the crane (a sandhill?) lording its beauty over the ducks wading in the murky pond preceding Kent Denver.
Things get wilder once I’ve passed Kent Denver’s buildings and I opt for a dirt trail winding down to Blackmer Lake. Halfway around the water, I practically bump into a small coyote. The canine crouches like a puppy hoping to be pet, but I’m no fool. I backtrack and take a shortcut through the open space, reconnecting with the High Line near Mile Marker 33, feeling a little sorry for the oblivious chickens pecking away in a Cherry Hills backyard.
An underpass gets me across Bellevue, then it’s a quick right turn onto the dirt path at Mile Marker MP. Overgrown singletrack ends at my intended destination, Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, named for a conservationist and outdoorswoman. The High Line isn’t a secret, but this little sanctuary is always quiet, and every time I visit there’s something new to discover. As if on cue, two Canada geese come flying in over the water, honking to announce their arrival. The best thing to do is observe the site’s abundance of flora and fauna, then sit down by the water to journal, draw, or simply relax while immersed in nature.
Geologic Overlook Trail
Starting location: The Trading Post, 17900 Trading Post Road, inside Red Rocks Park (Morrison)
Time required: 2 or 4 hours
Gear needed: Good walking shoes; sun protection; hiking poles; a camera; plenty of water; snacks
This micro-adventure is all about finding newness in the tried and true. You’ve probably seen a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and maybe you’ve hiked the Trading Post Trail with out-of-towners eager to gawk at the towering, rather iconic sandstone formations. And yet, I bet most of you don’t know about the Geologic Overlook Trail that hovers above the park’s nature stone amphitheater.
It’s best to ditch your car or bike near the Trading Post. If you have time, take a quick clockwise lap around the Trading Post Trail. At about 1.4 miles, the loop is short, slightly undulating and not particularly rugged. I hadn’t hiked it for years, and I’d forgotten how gorgeous this tourist trap can be on a cool spring morning, before the crowds arrive.
Once you’ve crossed a tricking stream near the end Trading Post Trail, you’ll climb up a natural stone staircase to reach a road. Cross it, take a breath, then take on some major elevation as you climb the ramp to the base of the amphitheater. Keep going until you’ve climbed every last stair, then walk straight past the Visitor Center and Ship Rock Grill. Go through the Top Circle Lot, and keep on the narrow shoulder of West Alameda Parkway until you reach a road (on the left) with a big sign marking Geologic Overlook Trail. (If you get to the tunnel, you went too far.)
Keep hiking uphill, bearing left again when you see the dirt path. You’re not done until you reach the interpretive sign at the trail’s summit. Take a breather as you read about the area’s geological significance, and learn more about the Dakota hogback, that long, narrow ridge paralleling the Front Range. Try some nature photography before continuing on down a rugged trail that loops hikers toward a picnic shelter and geologic marker offering 200-mile panoramic views of Denver and the plains. You’re on an adventure, so from here, it’s up to you to find your way back to where you started. There are quite a few options, and they’re all downhill.
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