Staying at a BnB near Grand Lakes, this trail was recommended as one where we might see wildlife, deer, elk, maybe moose. This after, one morning watching a cow moose pass by between our BnB cabin and the lake during breakfast, the next morning a bull moose passing by the same, and while canoeing on the lake seeing a cow moose belly deep in the water having breakfast. So, with hopes our luck would change for seeing wildlife, we headed up the Green Mountain trail.
The Hike
Green Mountain Hike.Pat.2018-07-09
Like other hikes on this trip, the trail is well-used, easy to hike on. It follows a stream, passing through ponderosa pine, fir, aspen, and other trees large and small. Along the way we passed by two or three meadows; at the far edge of one of those our attention was drawn by other hikers to a cow moose and her calf – finally, wildlife in the wild. About 2 miles into the hike we entered into a large open meadow with the Tonahutu river flowing through it. This made an ideal spot for our mid-hike break. It was then back the same route to finish this really nice hike (another one at 9,000 feet elevation; by now were enjoying greater endurance at these altitudes).
Statistics
Total Distance: 3.89 miles
Elevation: start 8,780 ft, maximum 9,470 ft, minimum 8,780 ft
Gross gain: 690 ft. Aggregate ascending 706 ft, descending 1,080 ft
Maximum slope: 29% ascending, 37% descending, 7% average
Duration: 4:06 (3:46 plus 20 minutes of no GPS data)
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I urge you to explore our hiking tracks with Google Earth. With the virtual 3-dimensional presentation, achieved by panning and tilting the view, you can get a much better idea of the hikes and terrain than you can get from the 2-dimensional screenshot above. For assistance: Using Google Earth Track Files.
References
AllTrails: Green Mountain Trail
Rocky Mountain hiking Trails: Big Meadows
National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park: List of Hiking Trails
I’ve been enjoying reading your blogs. I am past there where I can still backpack and hike the high country but yours bring back memories. Did you ever hike up Holy Ghost Mountain rising up from Holy Ghost Canyon?
Hi, Billy. Are you referring to Holy Ghost Canyon, in the Pecos? No, we haven’t exploited the trails in the Pecos area; tis on our list; maybe next year. (Thanks for you comment, and your interest r in our blog.)