Waldo Canyon photos

Photos taken on the Waldo Canyon trail west of Colorado Springs, May 27, 2007.

The trailhead for this hike is right on US Highway 24, about 5 miles west of Colorado Springs. Here's a view looking down the highway not far from the trailhead.

These flowers are obviously something in the rose family, but the leaves look more like something from a currant or gooseberry. Hmmm.

These are evening primroses. These are spectacularly large flowers, 4-5" in diameter.

More evening primroses.

A little farther up the trail, here's a view across to the foothills above the town of Manitou Springs at the mouth of the canyon.

After backtracking eastward up above the highway for about a mile, the trail starts to zig north into a side canyon. Here's a view with some pretty blue flowers.

The pretty blue flowers appear to be penstemons.

Although I never caught a glimpse of it from the trail, I heard sounds of a waterfall somewhere in these rocks. The trail eventually meets up with the creek in a meadow above the rocks.

Kaeru the frog poses for a photo on the trail sign near the creek. The upper part of the trail forms a loop. If you take the left fork, you'll climb up through a shady forest by the stream. If you take the right fork, you'll climb up a bunch of steep switchbacks on an open sunny slope.

Taking the left fork, you'll eventually emerge from the trees and be treated to views like this of Pike's Peak across the way.

Another great view of Pike's Peak.

The trail eventually comes out on a ridge at the top of the aforementioned sunny slope, where there were lots of wildflowers to be found. I believe these purple flowers are locoweeds, a member of the pea family. It's a poisonous plant that causes cumulative nerve damage in livestock -- hence the name.

I think these big clumps of white flowers are also locoweeds. The flowers reminded me of lupines, but the leaves were pinnate rather than palmate.

OK, these I can definitely identify -- they're paintbrushes.

Starting on the downhill section of the loop, here's a view into the "flats" of Colorado Springs.

Here's a clump of yellow daisy-type flowers.

This patch had some white daisies, red paintbrushes, and yellow buttercup-type flowers. There are also some opuntia cacti growing among the remains of the dead tree.

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	The trailhead for this hike is right on US Highway 24, about 5 miles west of Colorado Springs. Here's a view looking down the highway not far from the trailhead.
	These flowers are obviously something in the rose family, but the leaves look more like something from a currant or gooseberry. Hmmm.
	These are evening primroses. These are spectacularly large flowers, 4-5" in diameter.
	More evening primroses.
	A little farther up the trail, here's a view across to the foothills above the town of Manitou Springs at the mouth of the canyon.
	After backtracking eastward up above the highway for about a mile, the trail starts to zig north into a side canyon. Here's a view with some pretty blue flowers.
	The pretty blue flowers appear to be penstemons.
	Although I never caught a glimpse of it from the trail, I heard sounds of a waterfall somewhere in these rocks. The trail eventually meets up with the creek in a meadow above the rocks.
	Kaeru the frog poses for a photo on the trail sign near the creek. The upper part of the trail forms a loop. If you take the left fork, you'll climb up through a shady forest by the stream. If you take the right fork, you'll climb up a bunch of steep switchbacks on an open sunny slope.
	Taking the left fork, you'll eventually emerge from the trees and be treated to views like this of Pike's Peak across the way.
	Another great view of Pike's Peak.
	The trail eventually comes out on a ridge at the top of the aforementioned sunny slope, where there were lots of wildflowers to be found. I believe these purple flowers are locoweeds, a member of the pea family. It's a poisonous plant that causes cumulative nerve damage in livestock -- hence the name.
	I think these big clumps of white flowers are also locoweeds. The flowers reminded me of lupines, but the leaves were pinnate rather than palmate.
	OK, these I can definitely identify -- they're paintbrushes.
	Starting on the downhill section of the loop, here's a view into the "flats" of Colorado Springs.
	Here's a clump of yellow daisy-type flowers.
	This patch had some white daisies, red paintbrushes, and yellow buttercup-type flowers. There are also some opuntia cacti growing among the remains of the dead tree.