A Hiker's Path: Spectacular sunrise at Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Located just south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Cheyenne Mountain State Park offers nearly 28 miles of trails, 41 picnic areas, and 51 campsites. It contains 2,701 acres and officially opened as a state park in 2006.

Formerly the JL Ranch, the park offers a stunning transition from Colorado’s plains to its peaks.

The mountain was named for the Cheyenne people who found the mountain to be a good source of wood for teepee poles. The mountain was also used by the Ute Native Americans to cross the plains and they benefited from the steep slopes and hidden valleys to hide from their enemies.

The mountain stands at 9,570 feet in elevation and is part of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

I've been on a road trip in Colorado Springs and reserved a campsite for two nights in this beautiful park. I was looking forward to hiking the trails and enjoying the landscape around this historic mountain.

The weather had been very pleasant during my stay in Colorado Springs, with exception of the daily popup storms that magically appeared out of nowhere. Thankfully they were short-lived and did not hamper my visit, (well, not much anyway).

On my first morning in the park, I got up early to watch the sunrise and to hike a trail early in the day. I was rewarded with fantastic views of the first light coming up over the horizon and lighting up the majestic mountain behind me in shades of red and gold. Afterward, I headed out on my first hike on a trail that took me closer to the mountain Boulder Run.

This point-to-point trail was only a mile in length and considered moderate to hike. There was some elevation gain with the highest point at 6,407 feet. The trail connects with other trails, offering the chance to hike a big loop, but I decided to turn around and come back to the loop later.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed that early morning hike. The trail was a mixture of sand and rock, with boulders of different sizes scattered around the sides of the trail. I passed by pinyon pine and juniper trees. And I saw a lot of mountain mahogany, a native shrub belonging to the rose family that grows in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. There was also a beautiful array of Colorado wildflowers to enjoy.

This was my most memorable hike at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. My other hikes were equally as beautiful and interesting, but that early morning hike with the sun coming up, turning the night into day and illuminating my path was special.

I hope you get to visit some of these places that I visited in Colorado Springs. Next time, I will be writing about a visit to a special waterfall I visited up in the Rockies. I hope you continue to follow my adventures on my road trip to Colorado.

To get to this place:  the address is 410 JL Ranch Heights, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A quote for your week: “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, philosopher, author, 1803-1882

Until the next trail, Susan

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Hiker catches sunrise on Boulder Run trail in Cheyenne Mountain State Park