Just a Good Stretch of the Legs!

Although we have lived here in Evergreen for over 3 years we generally hiked the same trails or did a quick stroll around the lake when we found time to get out of the lodge. With the stay at home order we’ve found more time to get away from the lodge to visit some of our local trails and explore some new parks.

Today we were headed to Lair o’ the Bear because the Lot Spot app showed the parking lot wasn’t crowded. We’d been to Lair o’ the Bear a few weeks ago and only hiked one trail. As we were driving, we passed O’Fallon Park, but it was too late to stop. We knew there was another park we had passed last time and we found Corwina Park We decided to stop and check it out. Checking the map we decided to do the Panarama Point trail.

The Panorama Point trail winds through pretty dense forest and along a small stream. It is, in spots, very narrow and makes it a bit hard to respect social distancing, but there weren’t many people when we set out and when we did encounter anyone we were able to find room to get off to the side to let them pass (social distancing). Chica has become very good at sitting off to the side and eating treats while people and dogs pass.

The trail crosses over the Bear Creek trail which goes from Lair o’ the Bear through Corwina and O’Fallon ending up at Pence park. Once you cross over the Bear Creek trail the trail once again becomes very narrow and steep. It is a climb up to Panarama Point, but it is well worth it when you get to the top. We were lucky and passed very few people on the way up. At the top we had the views to ourselves and stopped to take some pictures. It is a wonderful spot with the wind whistling in the trees, bright blue sky with big fluffy white clouds and the smell of pine all around. You get a wonderful view of the snow capped mountains in the distance.

On our way down we spotted some wild flowers and cactus which were in bloom, so I guess Spring is officially here. We spent a very pleasant morning and got in a good stretch of the legs. Since they just extended the stay at home order we should be able to find some other new spots to explore in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!