We found the best Colorado Hike and Slice™!
As a part of our Hike and Slice™ series, we set out to stay healthy by doing a 5k (at least) by hiking through nature and then indulging on some pizza from some of the more famous, or infamous, pizza joints. Sometimes we’re not sure which is more challenging…the trails or the pizza!
What’s the best hike and the best slice in Colorado? Well, we believe we found them.
The Anne U. White Trail is a bit off the beaten path. It’s a drive through Boulder, along US 36, and then a turn into a residential neighborhood and up the canyon near Fourmile Canyon Creek.
There is literally residential homes along the route and you have to cut through what appears to be private property to get to a parking lot that really has limited space but does have bathroom facilities.
We were welcomed by the sign for “Mountain Lion Country” and you can immediately see from the high rock formations overhead that there are plenty of places for mountain lions to hunker down.
The trail is 1.7 miles one way and it hugs Fourmile Canyon Creek, crossing over it multiple times. It is one of the few trails in the area that is strictly for hiking only and does not allow bicycles or horses, so you’re not dodging the cyclists and equestrians.
Anne U. White Trail is challenging but in no way difficult or even moderate. It’s very family-friendly, and there were a lot of kids. But you still have to be mindful of each step.
It is very uneven and there are separations in the rock formations which can also be slippery because of all of the water flowing nearby. Our Merrell Moab 3 hiking boots lend a lot of confidence under these conditions.
It is wooded and pretty much shaded because of that, but there are spots that can leave you exposed to the sun. We enjoyed the different facets of the trail with the many rock formations, the many wildflowers, and especially the various mini waterfalls created along the way, some large and some every so tiny. But it was all very peaceful.
We never made it to the very end because of the challenging rock climb over the water falls. It wasn’t that we couldn’t do it under normal circumstances, but it was raining and the rock had become VERY slick. We decided that we had come far enough, we enjoyed sitting at the pool at the bottom of the falls, eating our snack, and then turning around to enjoy the views from the opposite vantage points.
With all due respect to the other wonderful hikes we have done in Colorado, this would turn out to be our favorite trail so far. Of course most trails have some kind of elevation gain, with the Anne U. White Trail it just didn’t FEEL like there was over 600 feet of elevation. And we still got in the 3.1 miles we were going for, even though we stopped short at the falls.
The Sink in Boulder has been a favorite of ours since we first visited the area when we just happened to stumble upon it on a lark.
The Sink could be easily considered a typical college bar servicing the University of Colorado campus. The interior really is a throwback if you haven’t been to college in as many years as we have. Well me longer than Melissa.
The pizza has a very soft pretzel dough crust and the sauce is extremely tasty and sweet. The fresh mozzarella on top is just the right consistency and there has never been grease on any pizza we have had here.
The very first visit, we were offered honey to put on our first taste of Colorado pizza. Coming from the New York/New jersey Pizza Capital of the World, that was a new thing. But I tried it and absolutely loved it.
And they also have a lot of locally-brewed beer that tastes really good after a hike. It turned out to be a great Hike and Slice™ featuring what would be our favorite Colorado hike and favorite Colorado pizza.
Let us know if you agree!
