About time for sledding in Colorado’s Hidden Valley
Christian Murdock, The Gazette
A sledding scene has returned to one of Colorado’s most iconic landscapes.
Mid-January snowstorms had improved conditions at Hidden Valley, the only place where sledding is allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park. That was according to a post on the park’s “winter activities” webpage. The webpage is typically updated around this time of year, as snow builds up in the highly-sought area.
Hidden Valley’s steep, fast pitches are found off a bend in the road about 7 miles up from the Beaver Meadows and Fall River entrance stations out of Estes Park. The large parking lot and warming hut represent a colorful chapter in the park’s history.
Hidden Valley is the site of an old ski area that ran for decades up until 1991.
Where workers staged construction of Trail Ridge Road, finished in 1932, skiers later made a base for themselves. A rope tow was used in 1941, according to park history. It was replaced by modern lifts that carried passengers above Trail Ridge Road to a steep dropoff known as “The Drift.” A lodge was built in 1955.
The old runs are still seen around Hidden Valley — and still used by skiers hiking up themselves. Among “things to know” posted on the park webpage: “Skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers may pass, but must use caution around sledders, slow down, and yield the right-of-way to sledders.”
Sledders must bring their own sleds, the webpage adds. Traction is recommended for walking around the icy area. And people should dress warmly: “At an elevation of 9,240 feet, Hidden Valley can be very windy and cold.”
For more information and updates on conditions, go to: tinyurl.com/ycke2r5z
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