April May showers bring May June flowers.
That’s how that saying goes, right?
Here in Colorado this year, at least, that’s what happened. In a 45 day period spanning from May through the second week of June, we received almost 11 inches (27 cm) of rain; that’s about 3/4 of our average annual total!
Now, in the aftermath, the plains are lush and green and wildflowers are blooming by the thousands.
(Of course, we’ve also had issues with flooding — the parking lot for the local golf course turned into a lake at one point — but now I’m getting a little off topic.)
So while I normally wouldn’t devote an entire blog post to a hike up a “mountain” in the middle of an urban area, I’m going to make an exception this time… though really, it’s just an excuse to share a ridiculous number of wildflower photos.
Green Mountain rises to an elevation of 6800 feet (2070 m), making it not really a mountain by Colorado standards. But it’s one of the higher points in the Denver metro area, and you do get pretty good views from the top.
Green Mountain is the centerpiece of William F. Hayden Green Mountain Park, which is managed by the City of Lakewood and free to access. It’s open for horseback riding, mountain biking, running, and hiking, and dogs are allowed on leash.
We started our hike from the Florida Street parking, but there are at least three or four other access points for the more than 20 miles (32 km) of interconnected trails that encircle and/or climb the mountain.
My friend chose this hike because she’d heard the wildflowers were amazing, and she definitely heard correctly. From the first step, multiple flower species were visible, and we found ourselves stopping far too frequently to take pictures.
(I did my best to identify all of these; if any are incorrect, please let me know!)
We combined the 6.6 mile (10.6 km) Green Mountain Trail with the northern half of the Summit Loop Trail, for a total of 8.3 miles (13.4 km) with 1215 feet (370 m) of elevation gain. The majority of the hike was fairly flat or slightly undulating, with most of the elevation gain confined to one particularly brutal climb around mile 3.5, where we gained approximately 700 feet (215 m) in 1 mile (1.6 km) as we ascended toward the summit.
From here, it was all flat or downhill back to the car, which made for a fairly leisurely second half of the hike. Had we gone the other direction (which would have been counterclockwise), we would’ve climbed steeply at the beginning, descended at about the halfway point, and then had a mostly flat walk back to the car. If I were to do this hike again, that’s probably what I would do.
That being said, I’m not sure I’d recommend this hike in every situation.
For example, after rain or when there’s melting snow, it would be extremely muddy. In spring and fall, but especially in the summer, you have to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes. For this reason, you may want to consider not bringing your dog or having them complete snake avoidance training first.
Lastly, we encountered many mountain bikers — and it was just a random Thursday morning. While almost all of them had good trail etiquette (bikers must yield to hikers, no matter the direction of travel), the trail is too narrow to pass each other without one person moving aside. I have absolutely nothing against mountain bikers, this is just a difficult trail for passing.
With those concerns in mind, if you’re looking for an urban hike with some views of Denver and the foothills, grab your hiking gear and head on over to Green Mountain.
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: there are multiple access points on all sides of Green Mountain, so where you start depends on what trails you want to hike and also whether there is parking available. If you’re looking at a map of the Denver metro area, Green Mountain is located between I-70, C470, and W Alameda Pkwy in Lakewood.
- Fees and passes: none.
- Hiking: there are over 20 miles (32 km) of trails here that can be combined into various out-and-back or loop hikes of varying distances. Here is a list of trails and a map.
- Other: please remember to keep your dog on a leash, watch for rattlesnakes, and understand proper procedures for when you encounter horses, bikers, and other runners or hikers.
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