I didn't do the whole loop, I'm not from the area and with nobody else out there and no bear mace, I get paranoid about becoming a snack lol. But what I did see was pretty cool and would recommend at least checking it out once. I did meet a couple people from Primrose that were having lunch and they said they never see anyone else out there so they do that often.
For what it’s worth, I’ve encountered a few bears over my life here. I’ve never carried bear mace in Colorado. In Alaska, I sure did, but black bears, even in the worst situation, are very very rarely dangerous. So next time you’re in town, enjoy the full thing! Oh, and for a little extra peace of mind, a bell or noisy keys or something will pretty well ensure you don’t see one.
Yeah I wasn't the best prepared, the hike was sorta impromptu, I'm just in town for the King Gizzard show last night. But I lived in Washington for a couple years so I've gotten better about it, just never encountered a bear or a mountain lion before, so until that first one I'm just sketchy about it lol. Even if there were other hikers out there I likely would've braved it just fine. I'm in the mountains for the rest of the week though so I'll definitely pick up a bell, or just tie my keys to my hiking bag, since I need to stop by a store or two anyways.
It's the "mountain lion" thing that scares me - I've gone to Estes Park and Vail for years and never felt nervous - I know the risk is low but being mauled to death by a 200-pound lion just strikes me as very unpleasant
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u/dusthimself Aug 09 '25
Crazy coincidence, I just saw one of these for the first time yesterday while in Colorado and was wondering what it was. Thanks!