Matthews/Winters Park

The scheduled hike for High Country Hikers was cancelled today, so Ed and I agreed to get outside ourselves.

The sky was totally overcast plus thunder showers were forecast for the afternoon.  In addition, as we pulled onto Parker Road, it was obvious morning commuter traffic was particularly heavy.  We decided to take Hampden Avenue out of town.  As it turned out, it was the one option that allowed traffic to continue moving all the way to the foothills.

Options where to hike ranged from Royal Mountain outside Frisco, to French Pass outside Breckenridge, to South Chicago Creek in the Mt. Evans Wilderness.  We decided to remain closer to the city due to the inclement weather.  We turned off I-70 to first check out Apex Trail at Heritage Square.  A Jefferson County Public Works crew chief was on site and informed us a flash flood overnight had wiped out a section of trail, closing the area to hikers.



Waves of rain were starting to hit the area.  Opting not to travel far before getting on trail, we decided to make the short drive up highway #93 to the parking lot leading to the TH for Dakota Ridge Trail.

Dakota Ridge Trail.

A light but steady rain fell as we donned rain gear and secured our pack covers for the day.  The climb to the top of the ridge (hogback) was short.  Trail was loaded with sections of deeply eroded trail bed, loose rock and mud.  Did I say mud...by the time we reached the ridge, each of our boots had collected what seemed to be a few additional pounds of the brown muck.

Atop the hogback, we found standing water in every nook, crease and crannie, of the massive slabs of sandstone we maneuvered.  By all accounts of the elements around us, the weather would only get worse as the day progressed. There would be NO VIEWS today, except for a brief faint look at 470 through the dense fog.  What we could hear much of the day was the sound of traffic racing down the roads on both sides of the ridge.

Footing on the hogback was a bit tricky.  The area is popular for mountain bikers, and trail runners.  No bikers on trail today, however, despite the fowl weather, we did pass a number of trail runners.

At the end of the hogback, switchbacks take hikers down slope to highway #93.  There we would cross both the road, and Mt. Vernon creek.  Beyond a short distance, is the junction with Red Rocks Trail, completing the oblong shaped loop back to the TH.
 
After a climb through some interesting red rock formations, trail remains relatively flat the remainder of the 2.8 miles, as it meanders in and out of a number of small slot canyons and drainages.

Trail crosses Mt. Vernon creek again before arriving at the site of the former Mt. Vernon Village, now one of more than 1,000 ghost towns in Colorado.  The site was named for the estate of George Washington by Dr. Joseph Castro, a Baptist minister from Ohio, who founded the village in 1859 in what was then considered Jefferson Territory.  The territory governor lived in town making it the defacto territory capitol before it was moved to Golden a year later.

Newspaper ad announcing free lots in the village for those willing to "Improve them."

The community served as a Wells Fargo Express stop in it's early days.  The village was also considered a supply stop for miners who had claims in the region.  At one point, Mt. Vernon was a serious contender for the state capitol, before Denver became a prominent city..

A sizable village for the times, Mt. Vernon had two hotels, a blacksmith shop, grocery store, school, church, saloon, and feed and livery stable, all catering to miners.  There were also 44 residential houses in the village.  The spot where we stood to read the historical markers is said to be 'Central Park' or center of the village.  A sketch of the village layout indicates an impressive number of well defined streets and lots.

A small graveyard can be seen a short distance from trail as we approached the former village site.

One structure still stands today from the original village.  The Mt. Vernon house built of mountain stone was considered the unofficial center of town, serving as a stage stop, post office, and one of two hotels mentioned earlier.  The territorial legislature met regularly in it's grand room.  The structure is listed (1970) on the National Register of Historic Places. 

  
Total Miles = 5.7