Cross Country Ski/ Snowshoe & Winter Camping

January 30, 2017 DAVID WILLETT

A two hour drive up the beautiful Cache La Poudre River is one of the gems of the Colorado State Park system: Colorado State Forest State Park.

The sun sets on our campsite on North Michigan Reservoir, one of five sites kept open for winter campers.

North Michigan River Valley

Perfect ski campsite

Day 1: Cross Country skiing along the Grass Creek Trail with a stop for a picnic lunch.

Grass Creek Trail

Sally above the North Michigan Reservoir, in the distance the Rawah Range

Day 2: Snowshoeing up the Bull Mountain Trail, just before a storm arrives. We drive through heavy snowfall over Cameron pass to return home.

The ultimate in rugged Colorado, State Forest State Park offers visitors 71,000 acres of forest, jagged peaks, alpine lakes, wildlife and miles of trails. The park stretches along the west side of the Medicine Bow Mountains and into the north end of the Never Summer Range. Moose is our claim to fame. North Park is considered the moose viewing capital of Colorado, with over 600 moose to be observed year-round. The State Forest State Park has something for everyone in every season. With so much room and diversity, visitors can experience a bountiful array of outdoor recreational favorites such as camping, cabin and backcountry yurt rentals, hiking, four-wheeling, horseback riding, skiing, snowshoeing, telemarking, snowboarding, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting, birding, wildlife viewing and geocaching.

Colorado State Parks Website

For a beautiful link to a web page entitled "Four Reasons to Visit State Forest State Park" click here: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/StateForest/Pages/4-Reasons-to-Visit-State-Forest-State-Park.aspx