Maxwell Falls, June 2023

With all the recent rain it stood to reason that wildflowers weren't the only beneficiaries. I figured that waterfalls were probably running pretty briskly, too. Maxwell Falls is only an hour drive from our current digs in Castle Rock and provided a chance to go back through our old stomping grounds of Conifer. I'd hiked it once with Ginny in the fall of 2012, but we had a dry summer that year and I literally never saw a waterfall on the hike. So on Thursday Maxwell Falls became my next hiking destination.

I'd started at the lower trailhead back in 2012.  This time I decided to start at the upper one.  An early start yielded bright blue skies and a healthy sense of optimism for a rain-free hike.

I took the split in the trail leading up to the cliffside bluffs for a longer hike and some scenic views as the clouds started to thicken.

All the greenery right now really is vibrant and stunning.

I didn't see too many wildflowers, but this Mountain Goldenbean stood out.

New buds were forming everywhere, like this Common Douglas-Fir reaching for the sunlight.

I can't decide if this Colorado Chipmunk wanted a handout or a fist bump.  Sadly, I didn't give him either,

After coming down from the bluffs and following Maxwell Creek, I started running into cascades. I know this little drop wasn't the falls, but it was still pretty enough to stop and shoot.

I suspected these were, in fact, Maxwell Falls.  Not tall but still picturesque.

A butterfly I've never captured before graced me with a brief rest on the trail -- a Mourning Cloak.

Wait a minute ... are these Maxwell Falls?  Another hiker had described the falls as really just a series of short cascades, so maybe I'd been mistaken before and these were them.

Or maybe these?  Good grief, none of them had signage so I was now at a complete loss.  I'd seen three spots with tumbling water that could have possibly been Maxwell Falls.  I guess it doesn't matter what they're called if they're all soothing!

Oh, OK.  THIS must be the "official" falls.  The longest and steepest dropoff I'd seen, for sure.  Again, no sign.  But these have my vote for the real thing.

One last shot of some Prairie Bluebells and I was soon back to the string of the balloon, or the stick of the lollipop, or whatever you wish to call the part of the trail that precedes the loop.

My overall pace was pretty slow -- 3.14 miles in 2:06:47.  Waterfall shots will do that; I find I spend more time composing and shooting them than most other scenery.  And it's almost always time well spent!

Related Link:

• Maxwell Falls, 2012