Trail Thursday: Stagecoach State Park

Happy Thursday! I was brainstorming last night what I should write about today and realized that I’ve yet to do a review of the Colorado State Park that’s in our backyard- Stagecoach! Also I’ve had to re-type this same thing four different times because Maple is extra lovey right now and continues to delete my typing! Ha. Good thing she’s so cute. I’ve got 7 miles on the schedule this morning with 8 x 30 second strides at the end. Then it’s all about carbo-loading and getting a lot of sleep to prep for my Run Rabbit Run pacing tomorrow night!

I may be a bit biased, but Stagecoach is definitely one of my favorite State Parks. It has 10 MILES of runnable (and bikeable!) trails around the entire lake, ample spots to fish, a beach to relax, and three different campgrounds!

I’m not entirely sure when exactly the campgrounds close, but it will be relatively soon (thinking October?). The park still remains open in the winter and they do a GREAT job of grooming a bunch of trails around the lake for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

We’ve lived within 5 minutes of the park for the past year and a half and I still haven’t gotten tired of all that it offers. You can boat on the lake and ice fish in the winter - so there really is something for everyone!

Visiting the Dam is also another fun activity to do if you are visiting from out of town and you can access the trail around the lake very easily from that parking lot.

Ever been to Stagecoach State Park?

What is YOUR favorite State Park? What’s so special about it?

What do you have on the workout front today?

Weekend Recap

No crazy adventures were had this weekend (thanks snow...), since we had a giant stack of wood to pile, loads of never-ending laundry,  no food in the household, and bathrooms getting dirtier by the second (glamorous I know..); but we did manage to get out and enjoy the outdoors for a small amount! 

On Saturday, we took Stella out for a walk on one of the trails in town and enjoyed (probably) one of the last days of the beautiful Fall Foliage...

I also took Stella with me for a run around the lake that afternoon after helping stack some wood (not recommended)- I was SO exhausted after those 7 miles.

We made the Run Fast Eat Slow High Altitude Bison Meatballs and paired it with some spaghetti and sauce. Soooo tasty!

On Sunday, more chores, cooking, and stacking wood (boo...), but we also managed to get out and play with the kayaks for a bit! This was the first time that both kayaks were fixed so we could go together (one had a crack in it that we got fixed). 

There was a crazy amount of wind on the lake, so we stayed out for maybe an hour (luckily our kayaks were made for ocean-weather so neither one of us capsized!). 

Any plans for the upcoming weekend? #workingfortheweekend

We have our 3rd year anniversary weekend coming up and are still deciding where to go for dinner! Alex wants more of a fancy dinner and I'm really just wanting some good Mexican or Italian eats...What's your preference?! Settle this for us!

Kayaking...yay or nay?

Mountain Monday- Pearl Lake

Ugh Monday hit me like a load of bricks today. We got some snow here, so no outdoor running for me this morning and tomorrow morning it's expected to be in the low teen's, so I may have to suffer through another treadmill run again (but at least i CAN run- am I right?!?). 

There's no better cure for the Monday blues than reminiscing on one of my favorite WINTER hiking/ Yurt trips to Pearl Lake State Park (it's around 30 minutes NORTH of Steamboat)! We rented the Yurt for one night in February and it was beautiful there! They have twoyurts on the lake that are available for rent year-round and we stayed really warm and cozy inside. It was so great to wake up in the morning and be able to take our snowshoes out for a little hike around the lake with our coffee. The road getting out there definitely is an AWD-type of road, but it's really well-marked and there's ample parking (either in the Winter OR Summer). 

We've done the hike around the lake (around 3 miles round trip) several times in all different seasons (definitely don't recommend going when it is muddy out), but there's something serene about the wintertime out there. Everything seems quieter and more peaceful than the bustling Summer days. 

Also having a fire outside in the winter is not something we get to experience everyday! What a treat that was...

The hike is very gentle and I would highly recommend for almost anyone of any age (you always have the option to turn around as well, so you can go out as far as you'd like!). 

What is your favorite State Park?

Ever stayed in a yurt? 

Favorite wintertime activity?