Wildflowers, Waterfalls & Cows... Oh My!

I know I've probably said this before, but this hike was definitely one of my all-time favorites. It was like we were transported to some kind of dreamland, surrounded by miles of green, carpeted with brightly colored wildflowers, and dotted with cows just hanging out in their pasture. And, as if all of that weren't enough, a tall waterfall for good measure. It truly was a most memorable hike and I can honestly say the photos don't do its magnitude justice. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the forthcoming onslaught of photos.

We drove up to a nearby town on Saturday and stayed in a hotel that night so that we could get up super early Sunday morning to beat the crowds. And it worked. When we arrived in the "parking lot" area at the trailhead, we were one of maybe 3 cars.

I was so excited to start exploring this area I was practically jumping out of my skin. Not only were we following along a quaint babbling creek, but we were completely surrounded by green pastures and miles of wildflowers, mostly yellow and purple, everywhere we looked. And the terrain was relatively flat with a few rolling hills, so you could see a long way. Admittedly, I was slightly disappointed that the skies were relatively cloudy, but in the end, they made for some interesting patterns in the photos.

While the landscape was mostly green pasture, we also came across sections of coarse rock.

For the most part, we had the trail to ourselves, except that some parts of the trail literally meandered through a cow pasture. We had to dodge cowpies and heed the request on a sign onsite to keep our distance from the cows, which wasn't easy to do while also staying on the trail because they were basically standing on it.

Hi, cow.

Eventually, the creek began forming a few small but pretty waterfalls.

Then, we arrived at the "big" falls. We did come across a few other hikers at this viewpoint, but it was by no means crowded. The volume of the falls wasn't that impressive today, but the overall landscape surrounding it was pretty unique.

The edge of the "mesa" leading into the falls surrounding area.

As we made our way back to the car, we began seeing dozens and maybe a hundred people making their way into the wildflower fields. Photographers and families with children of all ages coming to take in the sights. As we approached the parking area, it was now literally overflowing with cars. At that moment, I was incredibly grateful that we got up early and were among the first of the day. Having the trail nearly to ourselves was priceless. I can't wait to go back to this magical land again.