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| Hiking | 5.36 Miles |
883 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.36 Miles | 2 Hrs 29 Mns | | 2.26 mph |
| 883 ft AEG | 7 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Took the family back to this area again for another quick Sunday morning hike taking advantage of the cooler weather. Decided to check out the High Ridge Trail this time. Last week with the rain, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic on the trails. This week with clear skies and dry ground it was a different story.
We started from the same TH as last week, heading up Alpe d'Huez. At the junction of the High Ridge Trail, I decided to take that trail up hill, making a clockwise loop. Once we got about a quarter mile in, one biker who was headed up the Alpe d'Huez was yelling over at us warning us that bikers would be coming down this trail very fast. I expected and knew this, as there is a sign at the junction advising caution. Then he went so far to tell us that we were hiking in the wrong direction, which I took exception with, declining to respond from a distance. The sign at the junction does recommend to bike only downhill on High Ridge, which makes perfect sense. The trail is so steep and loose in sections that biking up is pretty much impossible. and getting off the trail with a bike quickly while other bikers are screaming downhill is also not going to happen. For hikers, though, it's a different story. Not only can we get off the trail quickly, but by hiking uphill, we can see the bikers coming and have enough time to get off the trail. Hiking downhill on this trail makes getting off the trail in time less likely. I kept an eye out and, in fact, we did have some bikers coming downhill. I was able to spot them in time and told my family to clear the trail and wait, which they were more than happy to do, taking the opportunity for a breather on this trail. No one said anything to us as they passed, other than to thank us for yielding.
Once we got past the switchback section of High Ridge, which poses the greatest risk for traffic conflict, we made our way along the more level section of the trail over to Alpe d'Huez. At the junction there, we decided to once again hike down Iron Goat and Cactus Nectar rather than down Alpe d'Huez again. the views weren't as dramatic as a week ago, but it was still very nice clear blue skies and snow capped mountains in the distance.
Got back to a very packed trailhead and cars parked along Usery Road. this area looks like it's used a lot more by bikers than hikers, but it is still shared used, with several ATVers mixed in at the TH heading over on FR3554. The new trails are currently being built by the Hawes Trail Alliance, which is a group of hikers, bikers and trail runners who have got an approved master plan and an organized group of volunteers who are doing a great job building the trails. i checked out their Facebook page and saw a few more trails on the master plan that have been built. Looks like more local exploring to do in the coming Sundays until the heat lurches in for the summer. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
The trail offer some fantastic views to the north and a little to the east, as well as a brief peak to the south. It’s amazing how going from the Talon trail (Usery) to the High Ridge causes the views to change so dramatically. Holding its elevation, the High Ridge trail wraps around to the north before ending at the Alp ‘dHuez trail. I took the Alp d’Huez down to reconnect with the Lance trail which I then took back to the car. Nice trail to get familiar with the Hawes system.
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