Sept 2nd, 2023
Written By: J.Couch
We left Denver mid Saturday morning, thinking it might be a little quieter on the way out of town. Well that was a no, it took a few hours to fight the traffic and get through the mountains on I-70 headed west. We made it through Glensprings canyon with no issues, like it getting closed down or flash floods before we made it through. That seems to happen from time to time if there is heavy rain and it causes mudslides across the freeway. Just past Glenwood Springs is a small town called New Castle. North of there on 245 is a campground called Elk Creek Campground. This is where we stayed for the night. It’s a small little campground right on East Elk Creek. The road getting in there is kind of narrow and might be tricky for bigger trailers and motorhomes. But it looked like they did have some bigger spots that could accommodate them. We checked in, dropped the trailer and had a quick lunch.
After lunch we went to check out Rifle Falls State Park, which was only about 15 miles northwest of here. We pulled in and found that the park was full, they don’t have a lot of parking spots so they fill up. They will not let you in so you have to come back later and check again. The lady at the gate recommended killing some time by driving 2 miles up the river to the fish hatchery which is supposed to be the biggest in the state. We took the quick drive up to check it out. It is a huge hatchery and they have thousands of fish ready to be let out into the wild. The office had closed for the day, but we were still able to walk around, view the holding tanks and kill some time. We headed back to the state park, this time we were able to get in and find a parking spot. There is a very short hike to the base of the falls themselves and a trail that goes up and around the top of the falls. It a fairly easy 1.5 mile loop around, with good views of the falls and valley below. There are also a few caves that are kind of fun to climb up into. There is one that goes pretty far in, make sure you bring a flashlight or use your phone flashlight. It’s a great side trip if you have the time, could be a great destination too if you can get a campsite there.
We headed back to camp to wind down for the night and have some dinner. We sat out by the creek, that was just behind our site, and listened to the crickets come to life and the endless rippling of water. The sunset was a grand finale for a great first day that we had. It was time for bed so that we could head out for more adventures in the morning.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
