Copley Lake Offers Idyllic Alpine Lake Views and Wildflowers
At the top of a mountain basin surrounded by beautiful peaks, you’ll find Copley Lake. The small lake is nestled in a bright, open meadow that’s ringed by a dark spruce forest. Like a living fence, the tall spruces shelter this secret spot. Surrounding the lake is a chartreuse meadow, which transitions to marsh as the land gently slopes towards the shore.
To reach this little-known gem, you’ll have to put in some work. While the trail isn’t terribly long, it does gain 1300 feet in elevation. The solitude that you find on the trail and at the lake is well worth the effort. Compared to other trails in Crested Butte, Copley Lake is less visited. It’ll likely be just you, the lake, the wildflowers, and the mountains.
Rustler Gulch Trail Delivers Epic Colorado Wildflowers
Vibrant wildflowers adorn the the mountains and valleys of Crested Butte for two glorious months. From late June through August, verdant green meadows are dotted with a dazzling array of colors. It’s a veritable kaleidoscope of colors. Swaths of yellow mule’s ears and blue lupines streak the landscape. Brilliant sunny skies transform the flowers into wild stained glass windows for the mountain cathedral. It’s no surprise to learn that Crested Butte claims to be the wildflower capital of Colorado. The wildflowers are so beautiful, you can practically hear the mountains singing their exuberant praise.
Get Muddy Exploring Big Cypress National Preserve
The first steps are the most difficult. Before you looms a mixture of marl mud and periphyton algae that resembles vomit. Like soggy cheese puffs, the algae floats on the water’s surface.
Don’t hesitate, just walk in. There’s no other way. You will get muddy and wet. But it is completely worth it to be able to see the interior of Big Cypress National Preserve. Once inside, you’ll quickly forget the mud. A beautiful otherworldly forest rises up from the water before you.
Adventure Begins at Ghost Ranch
After a difficult 3-day journey from the east coast, our anticipation grew as we wound our way through the Piedra Lumbre basin on Route 84. The setting sun illuminated the red cliffs that line the road leading to Ghost Ranch. A tease of what’s to come. Nestled at the mouth of a canyon, the sprawling ranch is set against a stunning backdrop of iron-rich cliffs and multi-colored mesas.
A wood gate adorned with the iconic skull marks the entrance to Ghost Ranch. A signal, among many others, that we’ve arrived.
Palmettos and Pines at Hal Scott Preserve, Orlando Florida
The vast open prairie and pine flatwoods provide little shade at the Hal Scott Preserve and Park. On a cloudless day, the sun is relentless. Sunscreen is a must. I wouldn’t recommend visiting in the heat of summer. But on a cool winter morning, the sun’s warmth is welcome.
For hours, I walk alone through a never-ending sea of saw palmettos. The sharp leaf segments of the palm fans surround me, their tips catching the sunlight. They glow an intense—almost unnatural—chartreuse.