Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Overlooking Palisade and the Grand Valley from the edge of the Little Book Cliffs.
To be honest, I didn’t really plan on hiking the Stagecoach Trail today. When I left my house after work this afternoon to go on a hike I had my sights set on visiting the summit of Mount Lincoln using a short section of the Stagecoach Trail for access. However, as I climbed the trail towards the top of the Little Book Cliffs, dark clouds developed and moved in over the Grand Valley along with a little rain and a few distant rumbles of thunder, so I decided it would probably be best to skip the summit this evening and finish the Stagecoach Trail loop instead. It turns out that the Stagecoach Trail is pretty fun and offers some nice views of the Little Book Cliffs, Mount Garfield and the surrounding valley. I’ll have to return another day for Mount Lincoln!
Climbing into the Little Book Cliffs via the historic Stagecoach Trail.
An opening in the cliff band that the trail utilized for access to the top.
There were a number of potholes along the rim that were filled with water from recent storms.
Mount Lincoln above a group of potholes.
A view from the high point of the hike looking back towards the Grand Mesa and Chalk Mountain.
Following the rim back offered great views over the Grand Valley including this one overlooking Mount Garfield.
Another view of Mount Lincoln.
The trail passed this flag pole on the edge.
Following the rim back down.
Below is a GPS track of my hike. Much of it follows existing trails, but there was one section of cross-country travel that I used to create the loop.