WILD WEST SUMMARY

TRIP 3

Day 1 - We headed to Leadville (elevation 10,152 feet) and wandered through the National Mining Museum with its wonderful displays, dioramas, and its own 'underground mine' exhibit. We drove out to St. Elmo which is supposed to be a ghost town, but not only was it quite lived in, it was packed with tourists. At Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we set up camp and enjoyed an evening ranger talk on the local animals.

Day 2 - We hiked down the steep narrow canyon to the river. In some places, chains were bolted into the rock to help you. After a good rest, we visited some outlooks.

Day 3 - We walked along the Rim Rock Trail for some lovely canyon views. We packed up and drove over some gorgeous mountain passes, visited the Redstone coke ovens, and eventually arrived at our campsite located just outside of Aspen. We took a lovely walk along Difficult Creek trail.

Day 4 -We did several hikes in the Maroon Bells area. The views and flowers were amazing! There was plenty of wildlife too!

Day 5 - On the way back, we stopped along the continental divide for some incredible alpine scenery. At Climax, there were a few exhibits from the old mining days.