What a day of sightseeing! Our first stop was at Rifle Falls State Park. This is a small park, with a few primitive campsites, and a very nice trail that goes below, to the side, and up and around, then down the side of the three waterfalls. You can even go behind the falls. We did the trails, and then sat on a bench right next to the falls for a bit. At the side, there are some really cool caves carved by the water, out of the rocks. We explored these as well.
The next stop was at the Rifle Falls Hatchery. This hatchery is in the middle of nowhere, but produces millions of fish that the State uses to seed their reservoirs and fishing lakes. They grow them in tanks, 20,000 to a tank, until they are 3 inches and then move them to different tanks to grow to 6 inches, before they are shipped out. Very interesting process. All of the fish we saw were rainbow trout.
Our final stop for the day was at Rifle Mountain Park. This park has 18 miles of scenic roadway through various gaps and canyons, lined with tall rocky cliffs of various types. There is a nice stream along the roadside, where we stopped and at our picnic lunch. This locale is known for its vertical mountain climbing. They hang from the cliffs on ropes, in previously posted pitons, and hope not to fall. Not my kind of sport, but amazing to watch.
Back to the RV for dinner, and another evening stroll around our loop. Great day.
Rifle Falls State Park photos-the falls from the bottom:
Rifle Falls Hatchery photos:
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| Check out the mountain climber |
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