Beautiful trail with good views of the river. Not strenuous and worth doing even if you're not fishing. The coverage isn't there when the sun is up mid day so highly recommend doing this earlier because it gets really hot. Was able to get parking easily which was a bonus. read more

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This hike captures what I envision as a picture postcard Colorado. The crystal clear Platte River reflect the surrounding colors of nature. There were just as many fly fishermen as hikers. As a hiker it does not get full stars because signage is near non-existent. Many hikers note the frustration of getting lost. My party still got lost even though we had two people who hiked it multiple times. You can't get too lost since it is a Canyon. If you aim to get to the dam, you will need to head towards the rim of the canyon. One tends to gravitate toward the river trail, and lose site of the path towards the top. The hike is moderate with "treacherous" conditions. The loose gravel earth and getting lost makes it tricky with the constant sliding. Poles will prove helpful. It totals about 7 miles. We opted to take the loop even though it is a tad longer and less scenic because of getting lost. After reaching the dam, note if you decide to take the loop it goes through a section recovering from forest fires. The last 1.5 miles goes through a dirt road shared by two way car traffic. Choose the lesser of two evils. read more

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