The Colorado Scientific Society normally has spring and fall field trips.
Our No Moss Gatherings are short visits to interesting sites around the Denver area (from “a rolling stone gathers no moss”).
North Table Mountain, Lichen Peak – Postponed
CSS No Moss Gathering
This field trip has been postponed due to the US Government Shutdown.
Leah cannot run it during the shutdown because it is USGS work.
Meeting place: North Table Mountain Park West Trailhead
Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon
Trail: 575 foot climb over 0.85 miles from trailhead to summit of North Table Mountain
This field trip has been postponed due to the US Government Shutdown.
Leah cannot run it during the shutdown because it is USGS work.
Led by Ned Sterne, plus Leah Morgan (USGS), Bob Raynolds (if he’s in the country) and Lexie Millikin, the hike will go up the North Table Loop Trail, the first part of which is a gravel access road to the top of N Table Mtn, and then up to the “Lichen Peak” area. This latter place contains an unusual “squeezed up” area of lava (a laccolith, apparently younger than the rest of Table Mtn) which Leah, Lexie, et al. have been studying. They will show and explain all!
You might let Ned know (nedsterne@aol.com) if you are planning to come on this trip, so they know about how many to expect. Because Jeffco Open Space hiking regulations limit hiking groups to no more than 14, if there are more coming than this, they will divide into two groups, spaced a ways apart on the trail.
The West Trailhead parking lot can get very full on weekends, so it might be a prudent thing to arrive early to find a parking spot, or to find parking elsewhere if the lot is full. [Parking along the shoulder of Hwy 93, of course, is NOT an option.] One alternative, about a quarter mile toward Golden from the trailhead, off Pine Ridge Rd and then Wyoming Circle, is a small parking area (or curbside parking?) with a short spur trail that connects to the North Table Loop parking area. That can be an alternative if you find the Trailhead full up.
Link to 2005 CSS field trip to North Table Mountain lead by Harald Drewes.
Harald’s field trip guide is posted with the info. about the field trip.
See our Past Field Trips for other places and topics the Colorado Scientific Society has explored.
