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Tag: rim rock drive

Fruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge TrailFruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge Trail

Fruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge Trail

Heart of the World | Wednesday, November 19, 2025

I was hoping to get out hiking at least once between storm systems this week and finally made a last minute decision to head out to hike up the Fruita Dugway right after work today. Although this may not be an ‘official’ trail within the Colorado National Monument, I still wanted to include it in my Heart of the World project because not only is it a historic route through the area, it’s also probably my favorite hike in all of the Monument. I started the hike from the Kodels Canyon Trailhead, climbed up to the junction with the Black Ridge Trail and then returned mostly the same way. Early on the hike was a bit hot and humid while I was in the sun, but it got a bit chilly when the clouds started to block out the sun. Here are a few photos from my evening hike up and down the Fruita Dugway.

CONTINUE READINGFruita Dugway: Kodels Canyon to the Black Ridge Trail
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The Aurora Borealis from Grand ViewThe Aurora Borealis from Grand View

The Aurora Borealis from Grand View

Colorado National Monument | Tuesday, November 11, 2025

After returning home from Bryce Canyon National Park earlier in the afternoon I went outside to warm up and relax in our hot tub after dark when I looked up and noticed that the sky was looking a bit reddish with a little green coloring just above the horizon. I remembered reading something online earlier in the day about there being a chance to see the Northern Lights in Colorado this evening, but we are bombarded by so many of those stories these days that turn out to be false, I thought nothing of it. However, now that I could actually see the colors from my backyard with my naked eyes I knew that they would probably look pretty good with a camera, so I cut my soak short, got dressed, grabbed my camera and headed up into the Colorado National Monument. It turned out to be a great decision because the colors of the Aurora Borealis were spectacularly visible from the Heart of the World this evening! I initially stopped at the Independence Monument Viewpoint, but didn’t really like the angle from there, so I continued on to Grand View and had the place to myself for a while as I tried different settings and compositions.

CONTINUE READINGThe Aurora Borealis from Grand View
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Ute Canyon & Monument Mesa LoopUte Canyon & Monument Mesa Loop

Ute Canyon & Monument Mesa Loop

Heart of the World | Saturday, October 25, 2025

Even though I had to skip my annual Southern Utah Wanderings with Jared for the first time in about fourteen years, I am hoping to get back to my regular schedule of weekend adventures in the near future, but before I do I need to make sure that Diane is back to 100%, so in the meantime I will try to get out on some local hikes when I can. This weekend I had some time on Saturday to go on a local hike and decided to continue working on my Heart of the World project within the Colorado National Monument by putting together a loop consisting of the Ute Canyon Trail and Liberty Cap Trail that I had never hiked together before. I was a little worried about hiking over 13 miles after not hiking at all for the past month, but figured I would just jump right back in and hope for the best!

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Serpents Trail: The Crookedest Road In the WorldSerpents Trail: The Crookedest Road In the World

Serpents Trail: The Crookedest Road In the World

Heart of the World | Wednesday, September 10, 2025

I had some time to continue working on my Heart of the World project after work today and decided it was time to cross the Serpents Trail off the list. It’s been a long time since I hiked the Serpents Trail in the Colorado National Monument and I honestly don’t even remember when the last time was, but I would guess it’s been at least eight to ten years now? It’s interesting to think about because there was a time when I hiked this trail pretty regularly to stay in shape, but I guess that’s the main reason why I started this whole project in the first place- so I could return to some of the trails in the Monument that I have not been back to in a long time. Although it was still over 90 degrees out this afternoon when I started hiking up the historic route, there was a strong wind that helped keep it feeling a bit cooler out, plus there were plenty of clouds that helped block the sunlight and made for some nicer photos.

CONTINUE READINGSerpents Trail: The Crookedest Road In the World
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Black Ridge Trail – Rim Rock Drive Hike n’ Bike LoopBlack Ridge Trail - Rim Rock Drive Hike n’ Bike Loop

Black Ridge Trail – Rim Rock Drive Hike n’ Bike Loop

Heart of the World | Sunday, June 1, 2025

While Diane and I were originally planning to beat the heat this weekend by backpacking on top of the Grand Mesa, after driving up onto the Mesa Saturday morning we found that the road to our desired trailhead was still gated and closed so we decided to just return home to take a break and relax instead. Of course, I just couldn’t stay home all weekend, so I decided to head up into the Colorado National Monument very early on Sunday morning so I could continue working on my Heart of the World project by hiking the Black Ridge Trail and then competing a loop by riding my bike back to the trailhead on Rim Rock Drive. Although it seems pretty popular among road bikers, I have never really had the desire to bike any part of Rim Rock Drive before, but I thought it might be fun to try it once. I left home well before sunrise on Sunday morning and dropped my bike off at the Upper Liberty Cap Trailhead before continuing on to the other end of the trail at the Visitor Center to start the hike.

CONTINUE READINGBlack Ridge Trail – Rim Rock Drive Hike n’ Bike Loop
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