Ol' Barn Knoll to Panarama Point (Golden Gate Canyon State Park)

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One of my reasons for becoming such an avid hiker was my realization a few years ago that many Coloradins (or Coloradoins... I don't know) seem to take the beauty of the mountains for grantid. We know its there, and we know its not going anywhere, so we forget about it. For me, this is kind of what happened with Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I had been there many years ago and then proceeded to forget about it. I'm happy to say that is no longer the case. This was my first of two trips to the park this summer. I decided that my first hike should involve one of the most famous sections of the park: Panarama Point. From this vantage, you get stunning views of several of the highest peaks in the Front Range and the Continental Divide. Due to the rainy conditions that had been plaguing the Denver area that week, I decided to keep the hike a little shorter by starting at Ol' Barn Knoll about two and a half miles from Panarama Point. This route provides a nice trek through forest and mountain fields with nice views of the craggy ridges to the east. Needless to say, Panarama Point is as breathtaking as the name implies. Even on a stormy day such as this one, I could still see as far south as Mt. Evans and as far north as Longs Peak up in Rocky Mountain NP. Unfortunately, the sky opened up on the return trip and I found myself running about the last mile of the trail. That's alright though: I needed the excersize! Visit Protrails.com for directions to Golden Gate Canyon SP: http://protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=80 Note: The trail description on their site describes a much longer hike with the same starting and finishing points as mine.

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