The nice thing about where we’re living in Colorado is that the mountains are so close – you don’t have to drive far to get out of the “hustle and bustle” (which to be fair, seems pretty minor compared to big-city-hustle-bustle back in Chicago). In any case, we can hop in the truck, and be hiking in more-or-less middle-of-nowhere in under 30 minutes.
One of the afternoon drives we’ve made a few times from Colorado Springs has been up Gold Camp Road, which makes a nice little loop with a few places to pull off and picnic or hike. Random Fact: the photo my husband and I used for our Save-the-Dates was actually taken on our first hike of Helen Hunt falls.
The trails to the falls are far from strenuous (in fact you can see them without hiking at all), and there are even well-maintained walkways, steps and bridges that lead you around the area – good for a relaxing stroll or an outing with kids, not really if you’re looking for an extreme athletic mountain adventure.
Though the falls may not be the most dramatic you have ever seen, they have a nice rambling feel to them. As a artistic eye, I prefer the play of water tumbling over rocks than water falling into space on most days – though they both have their unique impacts.
Helen Hunt Falls is named for an early American author and novelist, Helen Hunt Jackson, who lived in the Springs for a period in the 1800s and was buried there after her death in 1885.
It is definitely fun living in a place whose beauty has inspired other artists and creatives over history – it is almost as if that mutual inspiration connects you to something bigger than yourself.
What inspires you about the place that you live?
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We are planning a trip to Colorado this summer, thank you for your post. This is beautiful!
Colorado is an absolutely beautiful place 🙂 whereabouts will you be visiting?
We are coming from Texas and driving, we are planning on staying a few days in Telluride and then Ouray. We have never been to either place, but we are looking forward to it! We are thinking about camping a night or two also, but not sure yet!
My in-laws come up from Arizona to camp near Telluride every year – their favorite campground is a place called Priest Gultch in Dolores. Also, definitely stop in Durango if you pass through on your drive, I really love it there! 🙂
Thank you so much for the campground suggestion. I’ve been trying to figure out where to go. We have been to Durango a few years ago and loved it! We do plan on stopping there, too. I love that town, and Mesa Verde is amazing. Thanks again for the travel advice, I really appreciate it, and your blog!