Hiking the Braille Trail in Genesee

We celebrated my mom's birthday a few weeks late this year. She was in New Mexico over her actual birthday, and we were off in Utah the following week. So, this past weekend, we decided to take her out for a hike to celebrate!

I wanted to find a nice, family-friendly hike for the kids, and I stumbled upon a great list by Mile High Mamas! You can find their list of hikes on their blog here. They recommend different hikes based on the age of your kids, and for little walkers, they recommend Lair o' the Bear (which we've already been to a couple of times), Lookout Mountain Nature Center (which we just went to on Mother's Day), Alderfer Three Sisters, and Genesee Park: Braille Trail.

I thought the Braille Trail sounded interesting. The Mile High Mamas say it was originally meant as a trial for the blind. It's supposed to be a flat, one mile loop. Perfect! So, we decided to take my parents there. As a warning, most of the signs posted for the trail actually call it the Beaver Brook Trail.

The hike was beautiful, but it wasn't what we expected. The ground was flat, but I learned they didn't intend for that to mean without an incline. The ground was mostly flat in the sense that you don't have to step over large rocks in the way, but there absolutely were inclines! I think we did the circle the wrong way. We found ourselves going down steps, and, at the end, we went up a fairly substantial incline that was difficult to do with little kids. We huffed and puffed a bit, but holding a 30 pound child on top of that made it strenuous! All four of us adults were switching off with the kiddos.

I thought the area was stunning, though. I think I can honestly say that it's the best forested area of Colorado that I've ever been. The trees were really dense, and I was surprised to see almost no pine beetle damage. It had rained the night before, so the smells of the pines were good and intense for us, too. 

It seemed perfect for hikers who are visually impaired. There was a rope on the side of the trail that went around the entire trail, so you can follow that with your hands. Also, all of the plaques contained a braille translation, too. The plaques mentioned where the benches are in relation to the plaque, so you can stop and sit. They also described what you might hear or smell instead of only focusing on what to see. Seriously, it was cool! On a side note, Oliver also thought it was cool that we let him pee in the forest. So, all around, it was very cool.

Summer Bucket List 2013:

* Watch a fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
* Bake a berry stars & stripes cake with Oliver.
* Run through the sprinklers.
* Go to a splash park.
* Play in the "creek" at the Children's Mordecai Gardens at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
* Watch our first parade.
* Ride the outdoor train at Belleview Park.
* Visit a petting zoo.
* Take the kids for a swim.
* Have a real outdoor picnic on the grass with a picnic basket.
* Watch a sunrise.
* Go for a hike in the mountains.
* Go on a road trip.
* Go out for an ice cream cone, and eat it outside!
* Make our own ice cream, and let Oliver choose the flavor.
* Pick and eat vegetables out of the garden we're growing at Grandma Judy's house.
* Eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine at Aunt Bonnie & Uncle George's house.
* Throw water balloons.
* Go tent camping overnight.
* Look at stars in the sky.
* Visit Andrew at work for lunch.
* Take the train downtown to visit Grandpa Larry for lunch.
* Go to the Fireman's Museum.
* Use sidewalk chalk.
* Blow bubbles.
* Take Father's Day photos with the letters that spell out "DAD" again.