Falcon Trail: 13 Miles Up and Down … and a Side Trip to 1871

Saturday, 20 June 2015
Peregrine Pines FamCamp; USAFA, Colorado Springs — Colorado
Temps: Hi 86F (30C) / Lo 63F (17C)

The morning dawned bright, with blue skies and puffy clouds, and comfortably cool temps.  The forecast was for a hot day, but by leaving early to get on one of the hiking trails here at the USAFA we figured we just might beat the worst of the heat.  Hah!  We were wrong!

For today’s hike we opted to do the Falcon Trail, a multi-use loop trail that runs entirely within the boundaries of the USAFA.  When we left the Phaeton at 7:00a, we were still debating doing just a portion of the 13-mile (21 km) trail as an in-and-out hike.  By the time we were at the trail access point five minutes later, the decision was made to hike the entire loop.  Five minutes after that we were walking, our Camelbaks heavy on our backs … the water bladder filled to the gills with the liquid refreshment we knew we would be needing for this moderate-to-difficult hike.

Our research said to do the trail clockwise so as to have a flat finish at the end.  Smart; but the flat finish depends on where you access the trail.  We got it right by starting near the USAFA stadium … between mile marker 4 and 5.  Almost immediately, we began climbing from the 6,770 feet (2,063 m) starting elevation.  By the time we were done, the highest elevation we had reached was 7,420 feet (2,262 m).

Today’s hike is the loop marked in red on the map; click it for a larger image.

Falcon Trail Elevation Profile — my pictures seem to contradict the up
and down nature of the trail; but here’s proof that it wasn’t such a flat hike.

The trail is dirt all the way; often just a single, narrow track that requires hikers to follow each other rather than walk side by side.  Where it’s flat, it’s flat; where it isn’t, it’s strewn with rocks of varying sizes and tree roots.  In some parts, runoff from recent rains had created a ditch of sorts through the middle of the narrow path.  A series of ascents and descents adds to the interesting nature of the trail, which runs through a varied terrain that includes high prairie and low mountain woodlands.

I’d be lying if I said that we weren’t tested by this hike.  It wasn’t the distance that we struggled with really; nor was it the terrain so much.  Even the altitude wasn’t a problem.  It was the hot, hot day that proved to be challenging.  The heat built up faster than we expected.  Where there was no shade or breeze, it was brutal.  Luckily, we managed to find bits of both here and there on the trail.  But for the last ½-mile (.8 km) our feet were dragging.  I don’t think we’ve ever been so happy to see the CR-V as we were when we got off the Falcon Trail at 3:30p.  A little more than eight hours from start to finish — with quite a few stops to photograph the many wildflowers that added color to the landscape we hiked through; and a ½-hour or so break for lunch.

Top Left: I have no idea
Bottom left: Spiderwort
Right: Wild Geranium

[If you have any corrections/additions to the flower ID’s in this post, chime in with a comment.]

Let’s keep walking; we have quite a distance to cover …

Butter and Eggs	Spiderwort	Yellow Salsify
No Idea	Penstemon	No Idea

One of the really nice things about hiking this multi-use trail today was the lack of crowds.  It’s not that we didn’t encounter anyone.  We did — some bikers, some hikers, and even a group riding horses.  But any encounters were the exception rather than the norm.

Narrow Leaf Yucca	No Idea / Spiderwort

Penstemon / New Mexico Thistle	Narrow Leaf Yucca Bloom

After the USAFA was established in 1954, property that was once private ranchland was acquired in the Colorado Springs area to begin construction of the necessary facilities.  Turns out that the history of the land on which the Academy sits goes back to the 1860s.  We got to check out a bit of that history when we came across a pioneer cabin just off the trail.

Nearby signage explained that nearly 150 years ago, “… ox-drawn wagons travelled the Colorado City-Denver stage road, which ran along Monument Creek, a short distance from here.  Dirty Woman’s Ranch and Pretty Woman’s Ranch were noted stopping places on it.  The first narrow-gauge Denver and Rio Grande railroad train passed within two miles of here in October 1871. …”

Pioneer Cabin (circa 1871); built by W.A. Burgess.

On the other side of the sign, information about the cabin continued: “… It is not only the oldest building on the Academy site, but is also one of the oldest dwellings in the Pikes Peak Region.  Between 1863 and 1869, Indian depredations were frequent in this area, and the settlers often took refuge at the Teachout Ranch about four miles south and at McShane’s Fort near Monument.”

Near the cabin is a symbolic cemetery that represents the pioneer families who settled this region.  The five grave markers all bear the Capps name.  Two of them — Leonard and Mary Ann — were adults who lived through much of the 19th century; three others were children … actually, their grandchildren.  From the inscribed dates, they died at ages three and below.

Curious, I searched the web for more information about the Capps family, and came up with the following information.  Leonard was apparently born in Tennessee.  He married Mary Ann around 1841; they raised six children.  After living in Arkansas for a while, in 1871 they moved to Colorado where Leonard was granted a land patent.  They built a cabin on what is now USAFA property.  Mary Ann died in 1890 and was buried near the cabin.  Not the cabin we visited, however.  Since her remains were found during the excavation for what is now the 50-yard line of the USAFA stadium, I am guessing the Capps cabin was somewhere in that area.  Her remains were relocated to the symbolic cemetery at the Burgess Cabin.

Onward with the hike.  Fascinating though I found the cabin, we had to move on.  After all, we had many, many more miles to go if we wanted to get to the end of the trail ;-)

No Clue	Indian Paintbrush	St John's Wort

Mui stops to post on Facebook the postcard we took at the Pioneer Cabin.
We’re still on the Falcon Trail; the buildings in the background are the Gas Station and
the Commissary.  This is one of the places where the trail parallels the road for a bit.

Bindweed	Dandelion
Yellow Salsify Seedhead**	St John's Wort

[** The Yellow Salsify seedhead looks like a dandelion; the difference is in the size … the dandelion is considerably smaller.]

Our late morning snack spot.

Field of Narrow-Leaf Penstemon … these flowers are the most abundant ones on the trail.

A short detour takes us to an overlook with a view of the USAFA Chapel and the Cadet Campus.

Shade and breeze and sustenance.

The portion of the trail after lunch took us alongside the cadet campus.  We didn’t dally, however, as we plan to explore the USAFA grounds another time.  This part of the trail was particularly hot, with little shade.  What breeze there was came in spurts.  I didn’t take any pictures — except for one of the golf course — as I would have been shooting into the sun.  The flowers were the same ones we’d already seen … another reason not to click the shutter.

The Eisenhower Golf Course has won acclaim as one of the best in Colorado.
President Eisenhower, for whom the course is named, took part in the dedication ceremony in 1959.

Since we didn’t dally long on the last five miles (8 km) of the trail, our pace was faster — slowed only by the brutal sun.  Even with the muddy patches that had yet to dry out, the forest that the last mile or two took us through was a boon.  Here the trail was flat and shade was abundant.  All in all, we enjoyed our hike … just wish we had picked a cooler day to take on the Falcon Trail.

If you’re wondering … the trail is open to the public.  If you don’t have a military ID, you can access the USAFA grounds from the North Gate … make sure you have a photo ID with you.  Also, make sure you check the USAFA website for the latest information before you visit.  This is a military installation after all, and security conditions can and do change on short notice.

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