Skywatch Friday: Spanish Peaks

We recently went camping in Southern Colorado at Lathrop State Park.  It was recently named the best state park in Colorado so we had to go check it out for ourselves.  I was a little skeptical, but I was soon won over.


It's located near the Spanish Peaks, or Huajatolla (meaning breasts of the earth in the Comanche language).  The peaks are 12 and 13 thousand feet high.


It was cold and cloudy during our entire stay, but on the first day we were able to get out for a hike that had been labeled "easy" in AllTrails.


It started out easy, but as the elevation rose we found ourselves climbing through boulder fields.


Eventually we made it to the top of the hogback ridge.  Stunning views!


The dogs were real troopers especially our little old lady.


The campground was nearly empty.  That's our trailer on the fair left side.  Nice site secluded by many pinon trees.


The park has three ponds that can be used for fishing and boating.  Since the highs were only in the 40s we left our kayaks at home.


We took lots of walks and enjoyed the big blue Colorado sky.  We even walked in the rain which was so refreshing.


On our last night it got really cold and there was rain and snow.  What a glorious sight to wake up the next morning to see snow on the peaks!  Colorado is in a severe drought and snowpack in the high country is very welcome.

If you're looking for a place to camp in Southern Colorado I highly recommend Lathrop State Park.

Linking with Skywatch Friday






Comments

Photo Cache said…
It's a beautiful park. I wonder how they get to that conclusion though.

Worth a Thousand Words
May 21, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Jocelyn said…
Beautiful park . Lovely shots.
May 21, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Jim said…
Great skies.
May 22, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Spare Parts and Pics said…
It looks beautiful. I've learned to be a little skeptical of trail ratings. Easy to a 20 year old isn't easy to a 70 year old!
May 22, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said…
Beautiful photos--and this does look like a nice campground. We once passed the beautiful Spanish Peaks on our way to see the Sand Creek Massacre National Memorial site.
We were so happy to see the plentiful rain we had in the Denver area this week.
May 22, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Yogi♪♪♪ said…
Looks like a great outing with some pretty good trails. All Trails can mislead sometimes.
The views are gorgeous.
May 22, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Cheryl Ann said…
What an inviting area! Looks like you have monsoon clouds, too.
May 28, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Skywatch Friday: A little close for comfort

Image
We had a fire out here on the eastern plains of Colorado last week.  I kept getting reports on the fire's location on my cell phone while I was at work.  Then a warning popped up that let me know it was time to hit the road and go home to prepare to evacuate the critters. When we initially got home it was still a decent distance away. Within 30 minutes it had come up over the ridge and flames were visible. The winds were gusting 45 to 50 mph.  It was a fast moving fire that burned 5,000 acres in only four hours.  Then the most amazing thing happened--the winds died down and the firefighters got in under control by 8:15 that night.  Thank you, Lord! Have you ever had to stand in your house and wonder what you should take out with you?  There were only two things I could think of...1) my critters and 2) my passport so I could still go to Europe next month.  Irv and I agreed that we need to get things organized so we can just grab a box...
Read more

Skywatch Friday: Upper and Lower Falls

Image
Yesterday I got to visit the recently completed Uncle Tom's Overlook along the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. This is the first really good look I've ever had at the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. These falls are almost as good as the Lower Falls. After leaving the Upper Falls you go downstream for a mile or so to.... ...Artist's Point which has the very best view of the Lower Falls (in my opinion).  In this location the view is perfect, so perfect that it look like a painting. This is just one of the features of this Park that make it my heart and soul.   Linking with Skywatch Friday
Read more

Skywatch Friday: Wild Horses!

Image
 The Salt River wild horses have been eluding us since we arrived in Arizona several weeks ago so today we went in search of them again. This time we started at the Coon Bluff Recreation Area.  First we went one way down the river, but soon had to turn back because we didn't bring any rock climbing gear. Then we turned around and went the other direction. The water in the river was crystal clear, but no sign of fish or horses. There are times when I really miss my dad especially when I want to know what kind of tree I'm looking at.  This one has something that resembles Spanish moss hanging down.  What is it? This riparian area that surrounds the river has all kinds of wildlife.  Today we saw theses white egrets. This gray heron was also hanging out in the distance. We met a guy carrying all kinds of photographic equipment and he said we needed to go about a quarter of a mile further down the river to find a spot where the horses cross every afternoon around 5:0...
Read more