#roan cliffs

De Beque, Colorado: Twin Peaks

On an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning, Sprocket and I set off to climb Twin Peaks (7400’+) above De Beque. On one of our De Beque Canyon Project drives we’d found a fairly major drill pad up towards Twin Peaks and I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be one that was going to be accessed during the winter and I was right! We drove right up and headed out. I had a vague idea of how to go…

De Beque, Colorado: Castle Rock

Looking for a quick Friday afternoon hike, Sprocket and I set off towards Castle Rock (5,200+’). We drove as close as snow covered roads would allow (which was actually pretty close, I guess it’s the one benefit of oil drilling activity around here? It certainly beats in roads!). After traveling cross country for awhile, we ran into a snow-covered road and followed it south to the base of Castle…

De Beque, Colorado: Mt. Low

Climbing Mt. Garfield had me scheming of what other summits I could grab this winter even with snow on the ground. With a large snowstorm predicted, I decided to head up Mt. Low (5,801′). Mt. Low stands immediately above De Beque which meant I’d spend very little time traveling and more time out hiking the impending snow. I couldn’t find any information about Mt. Low (which I have seen as Mt. Law…

Douglas Pass, Upper 4A Mountain, and East Douglas Creek

Last Friday was a bit of a wash for Sprocket and I. He needed to spend the day at the vet trying to find the answer to his chubby cheek and I spent it anxiously waiting around for news about my fuzzy child. Although Friday night was a bit of a struggle, by Saturday, Sprocket was wondering just why we were not out doing our usual Saturday hike. Since he’s on instructions to take it easy for two…

De Beque Canyon Project: Road 209 and “North Switchback Road”

Check out the first two posts about the beginnings of our De Beque Canyon Project here and here! We tackled one last canyon spur after reaching the gate on Garfield County County 204 before calling it a day. This time, we headed up Brush Creek also known as Garfield County 207 or by the name of the private ranch in the canyon “Kessler Canyon.” This road passing through the Kessler Canyon gates is…

De Beque Canyon Project: Garfield County Road 204

After our goal was foiled on County Road 207, Sprocket and I returned to Roan Creek and headed further west. We were greeted by a herd of cows walking down the road which Sprocket found both exciting and a little terrifying. They’d snort and he would run to the back of the Jeep until curiosity would get the best of him and his head would be sticking out the window again! As I drove up the canyon,…

De Beque Canyon Project: Garfield County Road 207

Since we can’t always go galivanting off to the high mountains, Sprocket and I started a little project exploring the De Beque area a little closer. De Beque sits at the confluence of Roan Creek and the Colorado River. Roan Creek drains a surprisingly large area among the Roan Cliffs and so we’re out to explore as much of the area as we can. Grand Junction is located in broad valley you see in…