My first backpacking trip of the summer was also my first backpacking trip with my boyfriend, Nick, and first trip to Ceran St. Vrain trail, just an hour outside of Denver near Jamestown, CO. Last year, I did all my backpacking trips solo in preparation for my Laugavegur Trail trip in Iceland.

We were going to go Friday, but the Friday weather was very stormy and Saturday looked like perfect weather which it turned out to be, no monsoon storms at all! It is rare not to get rained on when backpacking in Colorado in the summer so it was nice. We got to the trailhead around 6:30 am and there were still a good amount of people camping from Friday night.

Ceran St Vrain is a gorgeous trail that runs along a creek for two miles. It’s named after Ceran St Vrain, a fur trader from the 1800s. Nick and I referred to the book Base Camp Denver, which has a nice description of the history and logistics of the trail.

There were lots of green aspens and beautiful wildflowers as we walked along the trail, listening to the comforting murmur of the creek, including the famous purple and white columbines.

Right away we saw people camping – some people had a lot of stuff. You can almost car camp with some of the closest sites, keeping in mind its still the backcountry. People had large camp chairs, coolers, and huge tents set up. There are lots of campsites, and to follow leave no trace principles, it is best to reuse sites that have already been established. When we went June 20-21, 2020, campfires were prohibited – it’s easy to check online beforehand and there were signs. However, we still saw campfires which is sad. Being from Arizona I know how dangerous this is. Please follow the rules!

 

We decided to explore the entire trail since it was only two miles and fairly flat and easy, and scout out some potential sites. We found a few candidates and decided to go with a creekside site right below the trail, with lots of hammocking trees, but not too large a site that others might try to share.

It was still quite early at this time, around 8 am or so, and we decide to set up camp, and based on Pete’s advice in the base camp Denver book, head to Miller Rock.

You follow a jeep road steeply uphill after Ceran St Vrain trail ends. We were glad to not have our packs for this. It was not very busy for a Saturday, which was nice. It’s about a mile up to Miller Rock with a few turns on some rocky roads. Apparently there’s an easier and a harder way to climb Miller Rock depending on which side you’re on. Pete had said that the North side had a gentler climb. We found a spot partway up with great mountain views. The clouds were really surreal looking, and we found out later this is called a “mountain wave” cloud.

 

A hiker let us know you could climb to the top of the rock fairly easily for 360 views. Soon after, some jeep guys pulled up and climbed up a steep side of the rock one-handed (holding beers). We went up more slowly the less steep side, but it was worth it for the true 360 views of the Indian Peaks and Long’s Peak/Rock Mountain National Park.

After this adventure, Nick and I were excited to set up our hammocks and relax the rest of the day. Reading in a hammock next to the creek is the best feeling.

Nick and I finished out our day by eating our backpacking meals, drinking hot chocolate, and more hammocking and reading. I feel asleep fast. I do find it a bit easier to sleep at night with another person in the tent.

Since it was a bit cloudy we slept until 6. Usually the sun wakes me up when I’m backpacking or camping so this was nice. We had breakfast and did not have far to go back to the trailhead. We saw lots of campers, particularly as we got closer to the trailhead. For a weekend trip, overall, it did not feel overly busy, which may be partly because we camped further down the trail.

Overall, this was a great trip to introduce Nick to backpacking and have him test some equipment, and was relaxing without as tough as some of the other backpacking trails around. I’d definitely go back – this would be easy to do as a quick overnight since it’s close and easy.