Trail System

The Hummingbird Trail has its share of contrasting expansive and intimate views.

The Rivendell trail system has 30 trails with a total length of about 4 miles.
 
They range from easy trails of only a few hundred feet to difficult trails 1/5 mile in length.
 
 
  
 

Our Trails—In Alphabetical Order:
Burnt Pole
Gandalf Ridge
Junkyard
Owl
Strider Loop
Cabin Cutoff
GanderCon
Junkyard Extension
Raleigh Cove
Tao
Dirty Dog
Gimmee
Jupiter
Rock Boy
Varda Flat
Eagle Feather
Hazel Pond
Laughing Water
Ruby Springs
Velvet Rock
Ent Loop
Hummingbird
Lost
Sleeping Cedar
Wetfoot
Fur & Feathers
Ithilien
Old Forest
Strider Ridge
Wizards’ Way

Why So Many Trails?

Wetfoot Trail in winter becomes an ice flow due to the natural springs. This of course takes extra caution to navigate!

 
Rivendell is criss-crossed with trails, but because of topography and vegetation, most are hidden from each other.There are still areas without trails;  these are our ‘wilderness’ areas, for further exploration and discovery.With the boundary fenced, it is impossible to get lost in our 40-acre natural area.
We started building trails soon after we bought what we immediately named Rivendell in 1990.In the early years, we camped in the old cabin on Strider Ridge.
Knowing we would eventually build a house on Gandalf Ridge, Joe created a trail that crossed Cabin Creek, connecting Strider and Gandalf Ridges.Since the creek bottoms were thick with juniper, sumac, cattails and other dense vegetation, trails were needed to reach all areas of the 40 acres, and one trail led to another.

 

The Sleeping Cedar Trail is easily walked even with a few inches of snow. Here, the trail goes by the root end of one of the Sleepers.

Now, all three ridge tops have:   main trails, loop trails around the edges, trails to and along the creeks, then back up. 
All have unique views and experiences waiting for you.

For guests with short-range or limited walking abilities, we use our electric golf car to take guests to trailheads that don’t start near the buildings, or take guests for viewing tours along the old 4-wheel tracks to the end of Strider Ridge and to Varda Flat.
 
The ridgetops are dry site, old growth juniper and sagebrush with views of the North Fork Valley, the nearby West Elk and Ruby Range Wilderness areas and the distant San Juans.
 
The creek bottoms have year round streams, choked with cattail and watercress, with small ripples and waterfalls.

Down along the streams are tall and straight junipers, quite distinct from the gnarly, twisted ancient trees on the ridge tops.

In between are dense forests and rock outcrops that each have their own personalities.

Due to Joe's diligence with defensible space clearing, Rogers Mesa's orchards and farms are now visible from the Jupiter Trail.

The trails offer different views in different seasons and weather.
In this dry climate, it is refreshing to hike a trail in the rain as the moss on the rocks puffs up like a green sponge.

Snow changes the landscape as rocks and yucca poke up through a foot of new snow.

In the heat of the summer, the streams offer natural air conditioning.
Joe named one spot along Laughingwater Creek “Plum Grotto” as it was a natural opening along the water shaded by overhanging sumac, and, by a large native plum tree.

While most of our nearly daily explorations are on the trails, we sometimes go “cross country,” discovering new things each time.  

We like to leave some areas for rare visits, seeing subtle changes to the variable ecosystems.  

Deer use the trails, and in 2010 we found signs a bear had passed through as well.

The trails allow us and our visitors to enjoy the natural wonders easily and quickly, to take you on new adventures in a changing setting, allowing you to explore, discover and escape in this magical place.   We are always ready to guide you on a hike or point the way for you to discover on your own.   The pleasure is all ours!

Please click here to go to our Nature page for more Walks and sights along the trails.