1) Mud Lake, Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Nederland, CO, January 8, 2026 - For our first hike of the new year we met up with our friend Holly and her pup Mikyo. We met up at the back entrance to the Mud Lake Open Space, on County Road 128W, and did both the Kinnickinnick Loop and Tungsteen Loop. We were in the midst of a snow storm with about 4 inches of fresh powder on the ground and more falling while we were hiking which gave us a cold but beautiful snow covered forest to enjoy. The weather also kept other hikers off the trail so we only saw a couple of other people. A nice way to start off our 2026 hikes! A 2.3 mile loop with 250 feet of elevation gain.
2) Eagle Wind Trail, Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain, Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Lyons, CO, January 9, 2026 - We traded the fresh snow in the mountains for the dry hills down below for our second hike of the year. For this one we met up with Todd and Janeth at Rabbit Mountain Open Space to hike the Eagle Wind Loop trail. There were a few patches of snow but the ground was mostly dry. The temperature was hovering just below of freezing but thankfully there wasn't much wind and there was a little sun so the weather wasn't too bad for hiking. The views onto the Front Range was fantastic with the snow-covered mountains peeking in and out of some low lying clouds. We watched a hawk hunting in the grasslands and saw a few other hikers but mainly enjoyed a quiet trail. A 4 mile loop with 350 feet of elevation gain.
If you enjoyed these you may also enjoy checking out some photos from our 2025 hikes.
