After of a couple of days snowboarding in Colorado, and once back in Denver, we still wanted to go outside and enjoy winter – we had or brand new Yukon Charlie’s snowshoes, and were exited to try them.

We searched for the closer (and nicer) trails close to Denver – and with the suggestions of some local friends – we decided to head up to Golden Gate Canyon State Park.

A couple of days ago it snowed for a few days, so we were going to find snow trails pretty much everywhere. Either way, to keep it safe, and see what the park had to offer we started by hitting the Visitor Center, and asking for a nice trail to spend our day.The ranger in charged, recommended us the ” Buffalo Trail” leading as to an old homestead in the bottom of the valley.

The twelve trails at Golden Gate Canyon are each named after an animal and marked with the animal’s footprint.
We parked at Rifleman Phillips, where the trail starts. There we shoed-up with our YC II Pro Series and put our poles together. Yes, there are foldable poles  (Flip Out Trek Light Poles) which are really convenient for traveling around.

Along the 3 miles it takes you past several historic buildings, aspen groves, and seasonal streams. It is the access trail for backcountry shelter #3 and the Forgotten Valley backcountry camping area. The way back was much harder, as it was steep and deep. We made sure to make it fast and avoid the night.

It was our first time snowshoeing, and definitely not the last. Can’t wait to keep on experiencing winter.

Special thanks to Yukon Charlie’s snowshoes.