Rio Grande National Forest
\n<\/strong>The Rio Grande National Forest in south central Colorado includes the spectacularly beautiful San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains and contains the San Luis Valley and parts of four wilderness areas.\u00a0 \u00a0There is not much online about easy trails here, so please write me about your favorites.
\n<\/a>Big Meadows Reservoir\u00a0 Thank you to Ronnie Day of the Forest Service, who wrote: “Our terrain doesn’t allow for much but we have a place called big meadows reservoir that has a short hardened trail from the campground down to the lake shore and along the shore a short ways. \u00a0The rest of the trail circles the lake and is fairly easy along the dam and up the north shore. ”\u00a0 \u00a0There is a wheelchair accessible fishing pier. Here is a link to a description of the Big Meadows Reservoir<\/a> area.
\n<\/a><\/strong>The Alder Bench trail (Forest Service trail 799) <\/a>is easy for the first half mile or so going up into the forest. \u00a0We stopped\u00a0where it turned back and steepened. \u00a0Directions and map.<\/a>\u00a0 Coming back down to the trail marker post (it has lost its arms) I then followed a social trail north paralleling Alder Creek. \u00a0After about 1\/2 mile barbed wire marks\u00a0the start of private property. \u00a0This was a lovely, quiet little walk. \u00a0Very easy and pretty.<\/p>\n

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