Alderfer Three Sisters Park – Evergreen, CO

Setting the Stage

After taking the microspikes out for the first time, I’ve been dying to get back up to the mountains to use them again, as there’s just something so peaceful and magical about winter hiking, but the rigors of busy season as an accountant have left me feeling unmotivated to do much on the weekends other than get some much needed rest. This weekend was different, though, as I had some extra motivation. With the summer hiking season coming and plenty of revenge travel (it’s a thing – look it up!) anticipated, I figured I would get some good mileage out of a new GoPro upgrade. With it arriving on Thursday, I couldn’t wait to get up to the mountains to put it through some tests. The destination that I had in mind was Alderfer Three Sisters Park, which is ordinarily a fairly busy park, especially on a day that was as nice as this day was going to be.

I woke up early on Sunday and packed everything in to head down Highway 285 to the Evergreen area. The particular trail I picked out was only moderately trafficked on AllTrails, and reviews from hikers in the last few days mentioned how they didn’t run into too many people. Even though I get up early enough to beat the crowds most places, I still don’t like to take chances with parking, so a moderately trafficked trail seemed perfect.

It was a chilly 12 degrees according to my car when I pulled into the parking lot around 7am, with only a handful of other cars in the parking lot – I was in luck. I took some time in the parking lot to get geared up with my snow pants, backpack, GoPro, and microspikes. You would’ve thought I was going on an expedition to Antartica instead of hiking a few miles around a park. In reality, the planned route was about 6.6 miles roundtrip, as a loop, with around 1,700 feet of elevation gain. This was going to be my first real test of a hike this season, so I didn’t waste any more time setting off down the Hidden Fawn trail.

Starting Down the Trail

I was once again glad to have my microspikes, as the trail was actually pretty icy at the beginning versus the packed snow that I’m used to, although I’m sure I would’ve been fine with a good pair of boots too. With the microspikes, though, I didn’t have to think about it and was confident in every step that I wasn’t going to slip, even when I got to some parts that were a little rocky. The trail was fairly mild starting out, as I meandered through the forest of pine trees covered in snow, and I didn’t feel a ton of elevation gain from the parking lot to the Three Sisters formation.

You would think with the park being named “Alderfer Three Sisters Park”, the Three Sisters area would be a bit more spectacular than it was. I’m sure in the summer when you can climb on the rocks better without the snow (and spikes on) there may be some better views higher up, but I took it as an opportunity to rest and shed some clothes that I definitely didn’t need despite it being so cold.

Brothers Overlook

Next stop was the Brothers Overlook. With “overlook” in the name, surely there had to be some views there, right? I had only run into a couple other people at this point, which made the already relaxing experience of winter hiking even more peaceful. It was a little bit of a hike off the main trail up to Brothers Overlook, but finally there was some payoff! The overlook offered up spectacular views of the forest and town below, with pine trees and bright white snow blanketing the landscape. It’s hard to believe it’s April, because the mountains still looked like it was Christmas.

With the sun shining, a few dry places to sit, and nobody else around, I decided to take a break at the overlook and really take it in. It was the first time during the hike that I really emerged from the forest, and it was amazing soaking in the sun and the views. 15 minutes or so passed before a large group of people descended on the overlook, and I decided that this was my cue to head out, as I was sure there were even more people coming behind them. I was determined to stay ahead of the crowds and preserve my solitude as much as I could.

Continuing on the Loop

I descended from Brothers Overlook back to the loop that would take me back to the parking lot, but there was still quite a ways to go if this loop was 6 miles long. The trail again took me into the forest. By now, the sun was starting to really warm the tree tops up, and falling snow from the pine trees became at once both a magical and terrifying experience. As long as the snow was falling away from me, it was beautiful, but the couple of times it fell right next to me scared me half to death, landing with a loud thud. Thankfully none of the snow fell on me, otherwise I might not think it was so magical anymore!

Silver Fox Trail – Brief Break from the Trees

I finally emerged to a large snowy field, as I continued my loop on the Silver Fox trail. It was a welcome change once again to be in the bright sun, with not a cloud in the sky. The sun reflecting off the freshly fallen snow made the landscape absolutely glow. This stretch was short lived, but it was welcomed. I walked past another parking lot in the distance, and could see that it was absolutely packed with cars, but I still hadn’t really passed all that many people on my journey. Maybe 10 or so at this point, but I was also a couple of hours in too.

I once again entered into the forest and it was about this time that I decided I had enough of walking through the same forest without much to see. I took a detour down the Cone Flower trail, which turned out to be a blessing in multiple ways. Not only did it shave a mile or so off my total journey, but it also took me past the first flowing water that I saw all day. I stopped and marveled at the small creek as it carved its way through the icy surroundings, and was glad that I came this way after all.

Parting Thoughts on Alderfer Three Sisters Park

The rest of the loop was more of the same, backtracking on a small stretch of trail that I did coming up, as I made my way back to the parking lot. The Brothers Overlook was the high point of the trail and something that you definitely need to make sure you see, but other than that, it was definitely lacking in the view department. Where it made up for it though was the ease of the trail and the multitude of activities I saw people doing – hiking, running, biking, cross country skiing, or just walking the dog. So in that regard, I would highly recommend it. With that being said, when I arrived back at the parking lot, there were people circling like sharks waiting for me to leave so they could have my parking spot. I didn’t run into too many people on the path I took, but definitely get there early for parking! All in all, Alderfer Three Sisters Park showed why it was such a popular destination.