Moody Hill or Forest Road 513 is actually a jeep/atv trail off Buckhorn Road. I've been part-way up the road three times since moving to Colorado, but the last time was, well, a long time ago. I picked Moody Hill because the day was supposed to be rainy and cool (i.e. kind of dreary). Moody Hill is relatively low (6500-9000 ft) so I expected rain with only a small chance for snow. The final reason to pick Moody was that I could get a good distance hike in and a significant climb.
The Forest Road 513 gate is where Sheep Creek and Buckhorn Creek meet. Both creeks were running well, but Buckhorn was quite fast.
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| Buckhorn Creek |
There is a parking spot just across from the gate.
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| Forest Road 513 |
Moody Hill starts with almost 1300 feet of elevation gain in the first mile and a half. That is about a 16% grade. It is not the steepest grade I've taken, but it is the steepest for the longest distance. Part way up there is a nice view of some cliffs in the distance. Today they were shrouded in fog.
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| Foggy day |
Continuing the climb, I encountered numerous examples of jeep/atv detritus. Sometimes jeep trails are hard on jeeps.
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| Jeep detrius. |
Sometimes though you can find good stuff. I found a cargo net. I packed it up and took it home. As I reached the first meadow, I ran across a very nice grove of aspens.
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| Aspen Grove |
Continuing on, I skirted several parcels of private property and a couple of road gates. It was clear that for some jeep/atv drivers, gates are optional. I eventually wound up on the top of a local hill where, on a clear day, you could see Crystal and Lookout Mountains, but not today.
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| Crystal Mountain is over there somewhere. |
As I began the return leg, I decided to tackle a few spur trails. These had a few more "serious" atv/motorcycle "play" areas.
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| "play" area |
I had lunch on a cool set of rocks. I always find it amazing to see vertical strata in sedimentary rock, knowing that at some time these rocks were mud at the bottom of a ocean, sea, or lake. The Earth;s geologic forces are amazing!
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| Lunch spot. |
Besides all the evidence of jeeps, atvs, and motorcycles there was also older man-made artifacts. Like these mine tailings. Not sure what they mined up here.
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| Mine Tailings |
Sometimes some of the best hikes come on the dreariest of days. Today was one of those hikes. Even though it was misty and cool, there was absolutely no sounds; no critters, no birds, no people, and no wind. Makes you believe you are the only person on the planet. Overall one of the better hikes of the year.
Overall Track Statistics for Buckhorn - MoodyHillFR513, 2301 data points
Length 13.877 miles : Garmin Length 14.340 miles
Start Elevation - 6874.97 feet
Maximum Elevation - 8583.96 feet
Minimum Elevation - 6307.78 feet
Date of Hike - Apr 11, 2016
Start Time - 07:56 AM
End Time - 02:18 PM
Total Duration - 6:22 hours:min
Total Ascent - 3167.32 feet
Total Descent - 3734.51 feet
Net Ascent - -567.19 feet
Maximum Grade - 19.82%
Average Speed - 2.18 mph : Garmin Average Speed 2.25 mph
Maximum Ascent over Mile - 703.02 feet
Maximum Speed over Mile - 3.25 mph
Maximum Gain over Mile (%) - 12.46%
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