More showers mean more wildflowers

Most of the year, the peak of Mount Herman is a windswept heap of rock. On this day, it's a garden, thick with purple penstemon.

The Pikes Peak region sloshed through a long, wet spring, and now we're reaping the rewards with one of the best wildflower seasons in recent memory.

While higher areas, such as Mount Herman outside of Monument, are just coming into peak season, there's no need to huff and puff to find the flowers: Many parks inside the city limits are bursting with blooms, from the Bear Creek dog park to Cheyenne Mountain State Park to Monument Valley Park in the heart of downtown.

"It's been pretty fantastic," said Carey Harrington, a Colorado master gardener and a native plant master in training. "It's almost like this panic (to get out and look) - because who knows when it's going to be this good again?"

Harrington has been keeping a running log of what's blooming in Monument Valley Park near her home (peakgardening.wordpress.com/category/native-plant-fan atics).

Although the city wildflowers have put on a show in recent weeks, the recent turn toward drier weather may mean it's the mountains' turn to bloom.

"I'm really amazed how long things have lasted here, but now the faucet does seem to have been turned off," Harrington said.

The best is yet to come, at least in the high country, said Steve Tapia, wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service Pikes Peak Ranger District.

"This is a good year because of the moisture we had in spring and early summer," he said. "It may be a little early for wildflowers. Typically, you start to see them around the Fourth of July."

Tapia suggested the Rampart Reservoir and the Manitou Lake area as prime destinations.
Farther afield, the annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival begins Monday and runs through July 12.

Here are a few ideas on nearby hikes for wildflower lovers that will stretch your legs and open your eyes:

Mount Herman

To get there: From Interstate 25 take Exit 161 at Monument. Drive west through the town of Monument about 0.7 mile to Mitchell Avenue. Turn left and drive about 0.7 mile to Mount Herman Road. Turn right and drive about 5 miles. Drive past the signed Mount Herman Trailhead and be aware that about a mile past the trailhead, the road gets very rocky. As the road curves west around Mount Herman, look for a trailhead on the right.

Trip log: 2.1 miles round trip, 800 feet elevation gain.

Description: Follow a clean trail as it climbs steeply up the back side of Mount Herman, then along the long summit ridge to a slight hump that is the highest point.

Spruce Mountain

To get there: Take I-25 north to Exit 163 (County Line Road), turn left and drive 2.5 miles to a T-intersection. Turn right on Spruce Mountain Road and drive 3.6 miles to a primitive dirt parking lot on the left.

Trip log: 4.7-mile loop, 150 feet elevation gain.

Description: This loop takes hikers along the flat rim of Spruce Mountain, offering a mixture of woodsy meadows and rocky overlooks.

Start by heading west on a trail to the north side of the mesa. Follow clear signs for the upper loop, and hoof up a few switchbacks to the rim.

Follow the trail along the flat top of the mesa to a sign where the loop splits. Going right will save the best views for the second half of the hike.

Jones Park

To get there: From downtown Colorado Springs, take Tejon Street south past I-25; turn west on Cheyenne Boulevard. Enter Cheyenne Cañon and follow the canyon road to the parking lot where High Drive converges with Cheyenne Canyon and Gold Camp roads.

Trip log: 6 miles round trip, 2,100 feet elevation gain

Description: From the parking lot, hike west up Gold Camp Road past the gate a half-mile to the trailhead at North Cheyenne Creek. Follow the trail through pine, spruce, fir and a few aspen alongside the creek.

Climb up and through a massive scree slope and take the trail marked Jones Park. Here, the trail wanders through a lush meadow. Keep going until you reach a T-intersection and turn left. Another marked intersection will take you to Jones Park, a high-elevation meadow.

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Call the writer at 636-0275.

DETAILS

Find more information on local wildflowers at the U.S. Forest Service's wildflower page: www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers.

For information on the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, go to crestedbuttewild flowerfestival .com or call 1-970-349-2571.