There are a lot of disadvantages to living in Conifer – long winters with snow storms that dump 46.5” at a time, limited restaurants, and a potentially long commute – but the proximity to trails is a huge benefit. The trails are often uncrowded and one of my favorites is Maxwells Falls. The short but scenic trail is this month’s VFuel Colorado Trail of the Month.
Maxwell Falls is not really a destination run – its lollipop route is just three miles long – but it makes for a great weeknight run with the dogs. In March, I ran this loop five straight nights after work and rarely saw anyone else on the trail.
The land is part of the Arapaho National Forest and both an upper and lower trailhead are available. The lower trailhead, closer to Evergreen, is accessed via Brook Forest Road, and the upper, closer to Conifer, from Black Mountain Road.
That the trails are part of national forest land means that they are rarely patrolled. Unfortunately this sometimes results in a pile-up of trash and dog poop baggies in the parking lot. I blame the weekend camping crowd.
Ignoring that, and starting from the upper trailhead, the trail starts downhill before reaching a fork. I’m not sure if either trail is named, but to the left is the cliff and to the right is the waterfall. I always go left, counterclockwise. The trail climbs at a runnable grade before topping out and dropping you at the bottom a short rockpile that juts out through the trees and offers great views of the valley below. It’s always a nice mid-run stop, just to appreciate the view.
From the cliff, the trail drops back into the woods before bottoming out and climbing again towards the waterfall. This trail runs alongside the creek and there are frequent cascades. The main waterfall is about a 10-foot drop, maybe also 10-feet wide, that can be reached by two different diversions from the main trail. It’s one of the closest waterfalls to Denver, and it runs year-round.
A short scramble, potentially dangerous when covered in snow, is the quicker and shorter way out of the falls chasm.
And then you pass that initial fork and cruise back up that slight uphill to the upper parking lot.
I love VFuel, and generally keep a few in my car. When I wake up early and drive immediately to work, where I’ll first run, I frequently pop a VFuel gel while driving to give me that wake-up and energy for a few miles. Peach Cobbler and Cool Citrus are my favorites.
Past VFuel Colorado trails of the month:
March – Hardscrabble Trail, Westcliffe
February – Bobcat Ridge Loop, Loveland/Fort Collins
January – Independence Monument Trail, Grand Junction
December – Great Western Trail, Windsor
November – Intemann Trail, Manitou Springs
October – Hell Roaring Ridge to Capitol Pass Traverse, Aspen
September – Elk Park/Needleton Loop, San Juan Mountains