In this one-tank trip, Bill Clarke finds a new way across the Continental Divide but not before he makes an amazing discovery in a place few people visit these days.

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One Tank Trip To Walden Turns Up Surprises

Fort Collins doesn't immediately come to mind as a gateway to the Western Slope but the drive up the Poudre River Canyon could change your way of thinking.

Frankly, when Bill started, he was just looking for a great drive in the mountains and nothing more than, say, a few picture-perfect postcard turnouts along an easy-turning, easy-climbing highway.

There are plenty of places along the Poudre River Canyon to pull over and admire the scenery and maybe catch a safe shot from shore of rafters and some great whitewater travelling.

But there were big surprises ahead after he crossed Cameron Pass and headed into Jackson County.

"This is the best place in Colorado to see moose. There's 650 head of moose," said Tim Metzger, a State Forest park manager.

The Moose Visitor Center may have more than you'd ever need to know about the wildlife in these parts and when you're out on the trail you'd never know what to look for. They say kids like to identify animals by the "souvenirs" (aka poop) they leave behind. Adults tend to be more restrained.

There are a lot cool souvenirs here but if you come here for one reason only -- you want to check out the wildlife puppets. But remember, in this part of the country, moose rules.

Down the road, Bill came to the very small town of Walden where you may wonder if moose viewing was as good as it got here. The town's more than 100 years old and once thrived when oil, timber and ranching brought in people and money.

Now, it's mostly a wide spot in the road. But Bill discovered what could put this little town on the map.

There are three restaurants in town and when Bill had to get something to eat, he picked the River Rock Cafe. The kitchen turns out killer barbecue with meat that's "falling-off-the-bone" tender. Just save room for dessert. It's nothing fancy, just great.

The restaurant is a part of a million dollar-plus hotel project to inject some money and some life and jobs into Walden.

"We call it the Brown Palace of Walden," said Jim Moore, the owner of River Rock.

He said he's spending money in Walden because he lives there and he wanted to do something special for Walden.

What's special at the hotel is 11 elegant hotel rooms with a Ralph Lauren look and rates that start near $70, which includes high-speed Internet access.

The top of the line honeymoon suite goes for $100 but the visit to the elegant bathroom is worth that much, Bill said. There's even a rock lined hot tub that will accommodate 10 people.

In this part of Colorado, it seems that every road is a long, lonesome highway, every little town well off the beaten path. And Walden for a one-tank trip of your own, is a "moose" visit, Bill said.

Bill's Tips

It's only 75 miles from Fort Collins to the Colorado State Forest. Realistically, you can be there in a couple of hours, tops. But if you take time to enjoy the scenery, or just to snap off a few pictures, this part of the trip could take much longer.

The Poudre River Canyon has some great spots to pull over and just listen to the roar of the water. Further on up the road, the drive is mostly through mountain valleys, almost all of it the low-stress kind: Nice straightaways, gently curving sections, an easy climb up to Cameron Pass and beyond.

At the Moose Visitor Center, it's Poudre in the heart of the Colorado State Forest. It's 71,000 acres of trees, mountains, rivers, creeks and streams, all well-represented inside. The wire statue of a moose outside tells you this is not your run-of-the-mill, show-and-tell mini museum stop. From the life-sized replicas of animal droppings, to the moose ears you can wear, to the 3.5-mile nature walk outside, the Moose Visitor Center is amazing.

We learned about the history of the region, from the 1800s to World War II when a prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers was just up the road. Admission is free, and we found the staff helpful and friendly. When we walked in, we figured theirs must be lonely work as there were no other visitors. By the time we left, 30 minutes later, more than a dozen people had come in to check out the place.

The road, and the scenery, flatten out as you continue west toward Walden. At one time, this was a crossroads community. Laramie's a two hour drive north and east from here. And the region is prime fishing and hunting territory, or so we're told.

In any case, one of the sporting goods stores is a licensed agency for Orvis, the upscale outdoors chain. Entertainment in Walden is fairly limited, a small bowling alley being the prime attraction. But the River Rock Inn was plenty entertaining enough.

It looks for all the world like something from a previous century and, in fact, parts of it were built back in the early 1900s. But Jim Moore has commissioned a major work of art in the creation of this hotel and restaurant. I'll leave it to the people who work there to tell you what all went into making things look as good as they are. But I can promise you you'll never see a small hotel with accommodations like this at prices well under $100. Ralph Lauren couldn't have done much better at his ranch in Southwestern Colorado.

In the restaurant, I had the barbecue platter and loved every bit of it. Photojournalist Jason Foster, the guy you never see but who shot all the video for this year's One Tankers, had a club sandwich that was big enough for two or three normal meals. And I've never had a carrot cake that I liked this much in my life. In fact, all the desserts we sampled were well beyond anything you'd ever dream of finding out here in the middle of nearly-nowhere.

The drive to Walden took about 4.5 hours from Denver. But it was the most memorable of our five trips this summer. Part of that may be that it's the road least traveled of any of them. The drive back to Denver via Colorado Highway 125 to Granby, then on US 40 and I-70 through Granby, Winter Park and Idaho Springs was a little shorter: 141 miles and 3:15 hours according to my favorite trip planning software.

Can you do it all in a day and be back in your own home before the street lights go on? Sure!

Is it more worthwhile to spend a day driving up to Walden, spend the night, and come back with the story of a yet-to-be-discovered gem in the middle of nearly nowhere? Absolutely!

More Information:

For the Cache la Poudre Scenic Highway, go to Ohwy.com
Like to learn about the Colorado State Forest? Best place is the state park's Web site
Information on Walden and Jackson is a bit harder to come by from any one source. The best we found was Northpark.org Still, some of this Web site is still under construction.
And if you want to check out the River Rock Inn, you can call (970) 723-4670 or check them out at WaldenRiverRock.com. Tell them you saw the story on 7NEWS and One Tank Trips.
And last, but not least, a Web site with a sense of humor about tourism and travel. The Jackson County Recreational Guide calendar for the summer lists the Barn and Outhouse Tour. It's a fundraiser for the Jackson Copunty Library. There's also a hot air balloon festival in Walden next month. I can't think of a better place for hot air ballooning in the state: chilly morning air, wide open spaces ringed by mountain ranges on all sides. JCstar.org is the address.
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