Maxwell Falls

This is a popular hike near Evergreen. I chose this because it is at about 8,000 feet and Denver was in the mid 90s so I wanted to get away from the heat.  The highest temperature we saw here was 81.  Unfortunately we left a little bit late and we knew we would be getting into the kids lunch and nap time which is never good. On the way up we hit stop and go traffic Jam on I-70 so it took us over an hour to get there, should have taken about 45 minutes. We got to the trailhead around 11am.  We hiked past the falls for a total of about 1.5 miles round trip.


Van at trailhead.  Oscar fell asleep on the way up.


Trailhead sign.  They had signs warning about falling tree due to the pine beetle kill and various notices about keeping your dog on leash, which of course many dog owners we saw ignored.


The begining of the trail was very smooth, I had Oscar in the pack to give him some time to wake up.


Freya insists on wearing dresses or skirts everywhere she goes including hikes.  I have  a hard time convincing her to wear shorts when we go rock climbing.


The wild strawberries have been abundant this summer in Colorado.


Freya stopped for a little snack.


First trail branch.  The trail has a signs at all intersections.  I like to use the trekking poles with the kid carrier so I don't have to hunch over to counter balance it.  Makes for a more pleasant day.


Trail winding through trees.


Once Oscar comes out of the pack I shorten the poles for the kids, they love the poles.


Freya with a trekking pole.


This turned out to be a difficult trail for 2 year old Oscar.  There were roots and large rocks and some of the gravel on the trail acted like ball bearings.  He is pretty coordinated for a 2 year old so I cannot recommend this trail for a toddler if they are going to walk.


Second trail branch.  We had to hold Oscar's hand a lot which he resisted at first but after a few tumbles began to like the idea.


Eva and Freya way down the trail.


Oscar using pole to point.


There has been a lot of summer snow melt this year due to the large snow pack.  Locals have told me that in dryer years the stream can sometimes almost totally dry up.


Family photo above Maxwell Falls.  This was one of the few places you get of the trees and get a wider view.


There were some switchbacks on the steeper parts of the trail.


Oscar playing on Beetle Kill logs.


Beetle Kill log.  There are many theories on the infestation here in Colorado.  Although this is cyclical, this recent attack seems longer and larger than past ones.  One theory is that forrest fire suppression has left us with mostly older trees that are more susceptible to attack.   Here is a picture of what beetle kill looks like Beetle Kill Photo


Oscar in Backpack.


Switch back Freya and Eva plus other hikers.  Most of the photos I took I waited until we were alone giving the impression of isolation.  This is actually a very popular trail, there were a lot of people.


Maxwell Falls with wildflowers.


Eva and Freya above falls.


We found  a rocky area above falls where the kids could play in the water.


They were excited but due to nap time and being late for lunch they became a little unruly.


Eva cleaning the sand and rocks off Oscar's feet.


Eva and Freya walking back to the car at the end of the hike.