It was a nice fall day for a hike in the woods, with just a slight breeze to encourage us to leave a layer on. Although there were many stands of aspens that had already turned yellow, there was still a lot of green to be seen as well on the hills.

Aspen Woods not Quite Turned

When we started, we noticed that the Fescue trail is to be re-routed next to a road (!!), that was built along the east fence to the bottom of the hill. Fortunately for us , the old trail is still being maintained and we were able to enjoy the views as we descended.

Marietta and Brieta Heading for Lunch

With all of the usual stops to admire the views, we arrived at the West Side Lookout for lunch at about noon.


Marietta, Jennifer, and Brieta at West Side Lookout

There was enough haze in the air that we were unable to get good views of the mountains to the west. After lunch, our return route took us down the Paradise Trail, a spectacular walk in the yellow Aspen woods.


Paradise Trail - Aspen Woods

As we approached the parking lot we, encountered some deer who didn’t seem to be particularly upset to find us on there trail.


Deer on Aspen Trail

Thanks to Brieta, Marietta, and Jennifer for joining me on this nice fall day. Brian C/S/P