To add some variety to the hiking regimen, Buena Vista offers a wealth of trail options with unmatched scenery. A lesser-known spot lies east of the town with some smaller hills that are potentially good options for early spring and late fall when the higher mountains can be packed with deeper snow. Another bonus of this route is that the Shields Gulch Trailhead is only about an hour from Woodland Park.

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From Woodland Park, drive west on Highway 24 to Antero Junction. Turn left on Highway 285 and continue southward for about 8.5 miles and keep a sharp eye for dirt road FS 315 on the right, difficult to see at a curve in the highway. Turn right and about a quarter mile up the road there is a parking area, but medium clearance vehicles can continue for another quarter mile to park right at the Shields Gulch Trailhead.

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Begin hiking westward on the Midland Trail, a wonderful route that has been converted from an old railroad grade, progressing from rails to trails. The first mile captures the essence of the narrow-gauge railroad, it’s hard to believe locomotives made it through the confines of Shields Gulch. After about 1.5 miles, views emerge of the Collegiate Peaks and just past some old telegraph poles pass through a fence with a vintage wooden cattleguard.

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The landscape opens up into scattered pinyon-juniper woodland with views of prominent peaks, 14ers Mount Princeton and Mount Antero. At many spots along the trail lie remnants of the locomotive era, blasts of coal debris and even chunks of coal.

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After about another .75 mile reach an intersection with Bacon Bits Trail on the right and continue westward. Midland Trail signage will help hikers stay on track past some more trail intersections. The route swings northward, then winds its way westward and after about another two miles reaches a sandy drainage known as Big Sandy Draw. About a half mile beyond Big Sandy reach the turnaround point where the trail ends at dirt road FS 376A. Find your ideal spot for a lunch break before retracing the route that climbs gently back to the Shields Gulch Trailhead.

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Joe LaFleur has lived in Woodland Park since 2016 and is a hiking enthusiast that hits the trails weekly. He has successfully summited over 150 unique 13ers and 14ers in Colorado. Contact Joe with questions or feedback at joe@betterbirdwatching.com. Hiking is great exercise but can be hazardous. Always be sure to plan well, check the weather, bring a printed map, tell someone where and when you are going and contact them when you return safely.