Cache La Poudre- North Park Scenic Byway

by Dave G. Houser

Motoring along Colorado Highway 125, which slices across North Park, a huge bowl-like expanse of grassland, meadows and bogs surrounding Walden, brother Al and I were looking for moose. After all, Walden, we had learned, is the Moose Viewing Capital of Colorado. For the moment, however, we were being entertained by a herd of elk dashing at breakneck speed beside us - not 50 yards from the highway.

We slowed to a stop, as did the herd, maybe a dozen mature cows and three young bulls, whose promising antlers were still covered in velvet. As we slipped out of our Winnie Vista for a closer look, the three youngsters actually approached us for a few steps then froze in place, eyeing us warily. Suddenly a furry shape darted up from the roadside ditch a few yards below us. We had surprised a patrolling badger and the low-slung little beast displayed its displeasure with our presence by baring its formidable fangs and rising boldly on its stubby legs so as to appear larger and more menacing.

Not wanting to press the issue, we beat a quick retreat to the Vista. Welcome to Walden!

Founded as a ranching community in the early 1880s, Walden (pop. 800) hasn't changed all that much in the intervening 120-odd years. It remains a rough-hewn, no-nonsense town, delightfully devoid of cutsie boutiques, condo developments and golf courses that have reshaped so many of Colorado's mountain towns. Aspen or Breckenridge it certainly is not. But it did prove a perfectly fine place to prepare for our early summer drive two days hence along the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway, which meanders for 101 miles between Walden and Fort Collins.

We put away a hearty lunch at the Moose Creek Cookhouse, shopped for last minute provisions, gassed up the Vista and then checked in at the tidy North Park KOA on the eastern outskirts of Walden. We also dropped by North Park Anglers, hoping to arrange a guided fly-fishing session for the following day. Unfortunately the area's top trout-finder, Scott Graham, was booked but kindly invited us to tag along for photos as he shuttled his clients to a remote blue-ribbon-rated section of the North Platte River, just across the Wyoming border about 20 minutes north of Walden.

As we watched with envy Scott and his clients sorted tackle and loaded a bright blue inflatable drift boat to begin a half day run along the swift moving river. We hiked downstream along a bluff above the water to make some photos and by the time the boat floated by one of the fishermen had already netted a nice sized rainbow that he hoisted aloft for our cameras. On the way back to the parking area a party of river rafters passed below, revealing another of the region's popular recreational pursuits, both here on the North Platte and along the Cache La Poudre. Several commercial outfitters offer trips of varying length on the Poudre, Colorado's only National Wild & Scenic River, which runs alongside the Scenic Byway for its entire length, so we vowed to sign on for at least a short run the next day.

Following a restful night nestled among the tall pines at North Park KOA, we rolled out with the dawn to begin our trip through the canyon. Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway (Colorado Hwy 14) is easily accessible to RVs of any size though the high point along the route, 10,276-foot Cameron Pass, will be slow going for larger rigs. The present-day Byway has been an important travel route since prehistoric times. French fur trappers gave the Cache La Poudre its name, which translates as a "place to store powder," back in the 18^th century. Go figure. For the Ute Indians it served as a trail linking mountains and plains and in 1879 it became a rough toll road from Rustic (the only town of any substance in the canyon) to North Park. It wasn't until the early 20^th century that construction of the Laramie-Poudre and Baldwin Tunnels allowed vehicular travel all the way from Walden to Fort Collins.

Not far from Walden we spotted our first moose. This one was an amazingly life-like wire sculpture example of the North American Shiras subspecies that stands out front of the Colorado State Park's Moose Visitor Center. The city of Walden commissioned the sculpture from a three-generation Poudre Canyon artist family, Louie, Carl and Brian Gueswel, who devoted more than 700 hours to the project. The Center is a good source for information on the Byway, especially the numerous state-managed campgrounds and hiking trails along the route. You can also pick up a brochure detailing the best places to spot real moose (plus deer, elk, bear and eagles) along the way.

It wasn't long before we encountered the real thing - a cow and her calf browsing contentedly in the willow thickets alongside the river - as we approached Cameron Pass. We saw several more, including a rather stately bull that must have stood six or seven feet tall. None of these animals appeared the least bit distracted or concerned at our presence. Still, we took to heart the park service's literature warning against approaching too closely.

We paused at most of the well-placed pullouts along the Byway to admire and photograph the dense spruce-fir forests and towering snow-covered mountains that frame the canyon. At Chambers Lake we watched a pair of anglers plying the crystalline waters from a skiff and at nearby Joe Wright Reservoir we joined a family tossing sticks into the water in a vain attempt to wear out their energetic young Labrador retriever.

A good appetite seems inevitable at this elevation and the Glen Echo Resort, in Rustic, with its handsome new log-house-style restaurant, solved that problem for us in a most tasty manner. After lunch we had a look at the resort's RV park. It's a nice full-service setup with 80 spaces and was the only commercial park we noticed in the canyon. Just next door, we admired the Rustic Resort's old deco-era sign with its leaping trout motif that hints at just how long the Poudre Canyon has been attracting visitors. Way before this route was designated a Scenic Byway or the Poudre was declared a National Wild & Scenic River, the canyon was a popular getaway for folks from Denver and the nearby plains cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland and even Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming. Nowadays, of course, it attracts a much wider audience -- though we never felt crowded during our mid-June visit.

A few miles back we'd passed another reminder of the Canyon's early touristic appeal, the 1936 Arrowhead Lodge, a log and stone relic that's been refurbished to serve as a Forest Service information center.

Our next stop proved the day's most unusual find. Tucked away on a gravel road about 20 minutes north of Rustic is Shambhala Mountain Center, a bustling Buddhist retreat with its stunning Great Stupa. Approached along a wooded trail festooned with Tibetan prayer flags, this glistening temple is as impressive as many I've seen in Thailand and Nepal and certainly trumps any other I've encountered in this country.

Our plans to raft a section of the Poudre suffered a temporary setback. We learned through a phone call to Rocky Mountain Adventures, the region's leading outfitter, that all raft trips originate at the company's Fort Collins headquarters. There's no parking for RVs at the put in spot near Rustic nor is there any return shuttle service from the take out location. Since we were planning to stay in the Fort Collins area for a couple of days, we booked a half-day trip ($56 per person) on the Mishawaka Falls section of the river for the following day. We were glad we did because this was an action-packed adventure, plunging and bouncing through Class III and IV rapids that on occasion required all hands to dig in with the paddles. We didn't have them, but wet suits are very much in order for the run as the water is downright chilly.

We wouldn't have had time to visit Shambhala and do the raft trip as well, so it all worked out for the best. As it was, we motored out of the canyon and on to our pad at Heron Lake RV Park on the outskirts of Fort Collins just as the sun was slipping down behind the Rockies - bringing to a close one of the finest days of mountain touring either of us could recall. Incidentally, the Heron Lake facility boasts an admirable 8-9*-8 rating from Good Sam so it goes without saying that we were coddled in utmost comfort at this lovely park that features its own 6-acre fishing pond.

We ventured several times into Fort Collins during our stay, finding it to be an inviting little city. As home to Colorado State University, it offers a long and varied list of good eateries and lively bars. The city's beautifully preserved Old Town Historic District, featuring row upon row of restored structures from the late 1800s, warrants the attention of history buffs - and shoppers and diners alike - since most of the old buildings have been converted to service as shops and restaurants.

Eyeing a bevy of coeds tossing down shooters at a raucous College Avenue tavern our first night in town, brother Al wryly observed how seamlessly we'd made the transition from wildlife to nightlife.

For additional information about Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway, see the following websites: www.northpark.org and www.byways.org

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Dave G. Houser is an award-winning New Mexico-based travel journalist and member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). See www.houser.squarespace.com