Upriver to Canyon Country

It was not a good day to be a fish, judging by the numbers of those fishing along the banks of the South Platte River in Waterton Canyon.

Heat motivated me to escape up Waterton Canyon along the banks of the South Platte River. Of course, I had help to make the journey: an electric bike from Magnum officially called the Peak T5, but I call it Ziggy. It would surely blend into the background if I hadn’t loaded up the rack with saddlebags filled with gear.

A small 500 watt motor means that I have to make some effort in getting around.

Only recently have the restrictions against eBikes in Waterton Canyon have been lifted. Another restriction only affects a few visitors, but a lesson I learned directly is that drones aren’t allowed in Waterton Canyon. While I will and have flown in the surrounding Pike National Forest land, the canyon itself is off limits. A more important restriction for most hikers in Colorado is that dogs aren’t allowed, either, ostensibly for the same reason as the restrictions on drones.

A partial overcast led to overexposure in the Colorado HIGH SKY, 19 June 2025.

The reason for the restrictions rarely show themselves—but when they do—well, let’s let the Bighorn Sheep handle this themselves.

A herd of female bighorn sheep graze on the road between Waterton and Pike NF.

I’ve been to Waterton Canyon a dozen or more times, but I’ve only seen the resident wildlife two or three times. Seeing them is a treat, and seeing them exhibit their natural behaviors without fear due to the constant human presence is a sight, indeed!

First, I rode my bike up to the end of Waterton Canyon where I found a group of ladies. Their smaller horns make them tough to identify as Bighorn Sheep, but they were too busy eating the tenderest of newly grown vegetation to bother with worrying about that.

A herd of males exhibiting their casual indifference to climbing.

Later, upon descending down the canyon, I encountered a group of guys. Typically, the near-vertical walls of the canyon were no impediment to the bighorn sheep. But apparently the convenience of the road can’t be beat! This group also ignored me, but maybe just happened to decide to move along about when I arrived.

Sometimes, the focus here at Colorado HIGH SKY is on the ground right in front of us, or as in this case, the river. I avoided taking pictures of people fishing in the South Platte, as I didn’t want to reveal their secrets. The secrets weren’t that opaque, as those fishing often rode bikes up the canyon themselves. One of the bikes parked on the side of the river even had a 5-gallon cooler on its rack—now, that’s optimism!

Of course, in between, I was able to find that sweet spot outside of the canyon in Pike National Forest where I could fly my drones without restriction. How else can I capture the tiny planet?

360° panorama of Trail 1776 in Pike National Forest, taken with a DJI Mini 3 Pro.

The Rocky Mountains sometimes live up to their name. I had to look up what to confirm I thought the name of the local peak was named and it was as I thought: from a different time.

Turkshead Peak as seen from over the Colorado Trail, taken with a DJI Mavic 3.

While the terrain to the east is rugged, the gentle curving hills were once the domain of horseback highwaymen, hiding out at Devil’s Head, just a bit further to the south.

Hidden behind the hill is a trail leading over the horizon to Roxborough Park to the East.

Granite on the south-facing slopes to the north defined the edge of the Foothills and the formation of the Waterton Canyon.

It was an exciting visit, and totally worth the allergic reaction or the minor post-nasal drip I felt for days afterwards. I’m not sure where that came from? Luckily it’s already done, with nothing but the piles of Kleenex to show for it.

A bend in the river leaves hoodoos and other rock formations in its wake.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!