In shoulder season each day is a choice between wet, muddy, snowy, or icy conditions (or all of them).   There are days when we can find dry trails, but most often we want to avoid deep snow, icy or muddy trails.  With this in mind, on a mild day the Lower Rose Hill Trails seemed like a good choice.    The hiking was good, but some careful route choices were needed to avoid the mud.  Usually the larger loop route is the route of choice, but mud was the enemy and a shorter loop was the solution.   There are 4 trailheads for these trails, but the one that I most often choose is on Rose Hill Road, just below the trailer park.  

Sunny skies and warm temperatures made this route pleasant, and with such open terrain, there were fine views along the way.

The trails wind through the hills, gullies, and ridges and various route choices are possible.  Click an image for a larger view and a caption.  

looking downriver toward downtown

Mt. Peter and Mt. Paul across the river

upriver views below Mt. Peter

gullies and ridges

looking east to upper Juniper

We will be back to hike the longer loop in the spring.  

More Information:

• On the Lower Rose Hill Trails
• Lower Rose Trails (page)