Two weekends ago, my family and I packed up the car and our little pop-up camper and headed to a campground near Buena Vista, Colorado. Everything about this little weekend getaway was absolutely epic – from the drive to the breakfast we ate on Saturday morning to the hike we completed. The aspen leaves were just as golden as they could be and the weather was awesome.

A sea of golden aspens - autumn is here!

On Friday afternoon, we took Highway 285 and headed to our campground, Mount Princeton, just south of Buena Vista in the Chalk Creek Canyon. The drive was beautiful, especially since all the aspens were brilliant yellow and contrasting nicely against the sky. People were pulled over snapping photos and taking video clips of the brilliant colors. Areas that are often fairly crowded with vacationers, such as Kenosha Pass, were filled to the max. We kept on truckin’, excited to set up camp and begin our weekend adventures.

A little before 5 p.m., we arrived at our campground. I had made reservations several weeks before; but, somewhere along the way something went awry. Either the National Forest Service forgot to reserve our spot or the group of campers that were hunkered down in spot #11 (the one I reserved) decided to remove the sign that indicated it was a reserved spot and take it for themselves. The campground host had already left for the season, so we were on our own. We are still trying to get to the bottom of it, and I should find out what happened by this Monday, since the Forest Service gives themselves 15 days to investigate complaints.

Luckily, we found one last spot in the campground and proceeded to set up camp. If we had been even a few minutes later, we would have lost that spot as well. We quickly set up our little camper, made a campfire, and started cooking dinner. With a crackling fire, crisp night air, and an ice cold beer, all was right in our little world.

The next morning, after a great night’s sleep, we headed into town. There was a trail that I wanted to hike with the family; but first, we decided to have a warm breakfast at a restaurant in town. We typically eat breakfast at our campsite, but we needed get more firewood to boil water. The restaurant we chose in Buena Vista, The Rooster’s Crow Café, was delicious. I can’t wait to go back!

The funny thing was that there was a race going on in Buena Vista that morning, as well. I hadn’t thought to check to see if there was going to be one in the area that weekend. It was kind of strange driving past all the runners warming up. Immediately, I wished I was running, too. But, I quickly got past that desire when we were forced to drive into a sea of runners. I would have thought they would have stopped or redirected traffic. Oops.

With full stomachs, we headed to the trailhead at Denny Creek. The Denny Creek Trailhead can be found on Cottonwood Pass Road, also known as Chaffee County Road 306. It is about 11 miles outside of Buena Vista. From the Denny Creek Trailhead, hikers can continue on to summit Mount Yale, one of Colorado’s Fourteeners (14,196 feet). It also goes to Hartenstein Lake, our destination.

Follow the signs pointing to Hartenstein Lake - otherwise be prepared to hike one of Colorado's 14ers.

A view from the Denny Creek trail on the way to Hartenstein Lake.

We put my one-year old in the backpack carrier, put a leash on our lab, and set out. My three-year old and I were in the lead – with dad and baby right behind. Our dog, of course, was so excited – she tried to burst ahead whenever she could.

Heading up the trail to Hartenstein Lake - mom and son in the lead!

One step at a time to Hartenstein Lake.

I knew the trail to Hartenstein Lake would start out steep…and it did. It pretty much went straight up at first. Then, it would level out for a little while and then another ascent would begin. I was so impressed with my three-year old. He hiked the entire way to Hartenstein Lake…all three miles of it. He would collect rocks along the way and stick them in my pack – that way he had all of his rocks already collected to throw into the lake when we reached our destination.

Only three miles one-way, but so many beautiful sights.

Once we arrived at Hartenstein Lake, it was stunning. A quiet lake surrounded by mountains. We had a great lunch: pitas with grilled chicken, lettuce, grapes, and ginger dressing, plenty of fruit, and a little candy to round everything out. Of course, my son had been having “energy candy” a/k/a M&Ms on the way up…but hey, he hiked three miles.

Hartenstein Lake

My one-year old loved the hike, too. She slept in the backpack carrier on the way up…and…on the way down; but played endlessly while we were at the lake. After throwing a few rocks into the Hartenstein Lake, we packed everything up and headed back to the car.

Every three-year olds favorite activity - rock throwing.

Only after we reached the trailhead again did I think to look at the elevation gain for the hike to Hartenstein Lake. The trail gained about 1,400 feet in elevation. Again, I was so impressed with my little guy – what a mountaineer we have!!! We all felt a sense of accomplishment and cannot wait for our next family adventure!

Mom, Baby, and our dog...on our way down! Mission Complete!