Portland Trail

I had a few hours to myself after work this afternoon, so I decided to get in a little warm up hike.  I wanted to try a new trail for a change so I picked one that branches off the perimeter trail that goes around the city of Ouray.  The Portland trail is a loop that has many branch off points that can take you to see a number of waterfalls and the remains of abandoned mines.  The total length of the trail was around four miles and it took me about two hours to complete (taking snack breaks and stopping for pictures along the way).

Most of the trail winds through a tall pine forest.  There were many downed trees dotting the mountainsides and a multitude of wildflowers were beginning to add splashes of color in the shady understory of the forest.

There were a few aspen groves along the trail as well, the bright white trunks and light green foliage contrasting the somber dark greens of the surrounding pines.

Wild flowers were abundant in many places, some took up residence in sunny meadows and others sheltered themselves in the shade of the forest.

Trailing Fleabane

Locoweed

Creeping Bayberry

Larkspur

White Locoweed (love the pink details in these flowers)

This is a flower stalk from a Western Chokecherry.  The air was thick with it's floral scent and the hum of bees as I walked past.

I also chanced upon a large puffball that was past it's prime.   Maybe next year I will be able to catch some of them when they come up in the spring.

There were quite a few small lookout points along the way, each offering a good vantage point to view the surrounding mountains.

This view was where I took a snack break halfway through the hike.  The wall of mountains at the end of this valley is known as the amphitheater for good reason.

 A few waterfalls cascaded down the steep rock faces across the way and into the valley below.

The hike loops back on itself and the occasional glimpses of mountains through the trees make the hike to get to these memorable views worth it.

The trail began and ended alongside this babbling stream.  This area is known as the baby bathtubs and is so named because of the numerous pools that formed as the water cut it's way through this layer of rock on it's way down the mountain.