Button Rock - Hall Ranch

Note:  Text and images provided by hike leader and driver, Ed Blum.

 A beautiful, spectacular Colorado day greeted 13 enthusiastic members of High Country Hikers for their trip to Button Rock. The group included previous hikers: Sharon, Jo, Rochelle, Penny, Kathy, Gary#1, Marilyn, Mary K, Judy, Dorothy, Ciletta and Ed.  Joining us for the first time was new hiker, Al.

Gotta love this group...always laughing, joking, gabbing.

We made a stop in Longmont, since it was unknown if their were "facilities" at the TH.  Photos were taken all day to try and impress our official photographer Gary#2 who was unable to be with us today.






Blog readers should not be concerned.  Photos of tempting trail food such as chips and moon pies are not necessarily the type of food one would actually eat on trail. 

Is that for lunch, Jonelle?

Route #36 took us through Lyons, and the Longmont Dam road, where a gate closed the road - ah ha the TH.  A single port-o-let was the extent of the facilities.

TH elevation was 6,500.'  Ed's figures showed a net elevation gain of 800' for the day.  Marilynn clocked all the ups and downs on her GPS and got 1,300'. Trip length was 7 mrt, for those staying at the lunch site and 8.5 for those going on to Nelson Ranch House.

The building sits in an ideal pioneer setting.  There is water, pasture and a northern ridge behind the house as a weather break.  The house is well preserved with a root cellar and silo.  A bluebird family has made a home in the attic on the east side.  There is a protective fence around the property.  A long lens would have made a fantastic shot of the bluebirds sticking their heads out of their "birdhouse."  

A short walk from the TH, along the North St. Vrain river on the Longmont Reservoir dirt access road, the Sleepy Loin trail breaks to the left.  Much of the elevation gain for the day is obtained on this trail.  We climb steadily with only one meadow as a respite.

Not sure if the shirt is proper attire for a hike leader.  The hat is rad!

The Button Rock trail turns left at an overview of the Ralph Price Reservoir.  The body of water is much larger than Longmont Reservoir.  The trail continues through beautiful pasture, skirts one of the small intersecting valleys with views of far away Button Rock - too far away to get a good photo without a long lens.

One of a number of rock formations on Hall Ranch.

The rock formation looks like a button lying on its side.  There were other rock formations that were closer to the trail that provided a better shot. Trail then gradually ascends the pasture to a saddle ridge, then drops down into the east valley toward Lyons.  

Nelson Ranch House is located a short distance below the saddle.  Climbing up to the saddle a long line of something appears in the distance close to the top.  Is it a rock wall or stacked timber?  Slowly it comes into focus as stacked timber. 

A Boulder County Open Space forestry crew is thinning out the Ponderosa Pine as a fire precaution.  The stacks will be sold as firewood. 

A truly diverse landscape.

Saws and ATV's are the type of equipment needed for the operation.  

A gorgeous Colorado blue sky was with us all day.  We made it back to Lyons for coffee and ice cream just as the store closed for the day, at 4 pm.