Hiking Gross Reservoir With My Daughter

Can you blame Denver Water for emphasizing that Gross Reservoir is named after  “former Chief Engineer Dwight D. Gross”? I hate to be so immature, but it is an unfortunate name for a reservoir! If you ever visit, though, you will know it is gorgeous, not gross. 

My daughter has been living in Colorado since she went to college there, and is really embracing the Colorado lifestyle. Last summer she bought herself a kayak, and lately she’s gotten into hiking. When I visited her last week, she led me on a hike around Gross Reservoir.

Hiking Gross Reservoir

To get to Gross Reservoir from Boulder, we drove out Flagstaff Road, which wound and twisted up, up, up between South Boulder Peak and Twin Sisters Peak. I was in awe of the cyclists we passed on our way.

It was chilly when we got there, but the sun and the hike warmed us up quickly. Most of our route was relatively flat, but we hiked down and up 250 feet, and the reservoir itself is at 7200 feet about sea level. We covered about 2.65 miles stopping for lots and lots of pictures. 

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It was an absolutely perfect morning for a hike!

Weekly Wrap 

Weekly WrapThe hike was the highlight of my week, but I also
squeezed in two short runs
along Boulder Creek Path.
Here’s my full recap for the Weekly Wrap link up
hosted by Holly and Tricia.

Monday: 3 mile run + Quick Strength For Runners
I tried a different route from my office, running over Key Bridge to Roosevelt Island. It’s dark  at 6:00 am! 🙁 

Tuesday: 45 min ride at CycleBar
This class is proving to be my toughest cardio workout of the week! 

Wednesday: 45 min strength from Quick Strength For Runners 
(^^^Amazon affiliate link — check it out!^^^)

Thursday: 4.3 mile neighborhood run

Friday:  4 mile run + 2.65 mile hike
This run was tough–uphill and at 5000 feet above sea level–but I love running along the Boulder Creek Path.

Saturday:  4.65  mile run 
I ran in the other direction from my hotel, which was much flatter and still beautiful.

Sunday:  45 min strength routine from Quick Strength For Runners

Saturday night I flew from Denver to San Francisco for a conference. My feet have been threatening me with plantar fascitis (ack!) so as much as I wanted to go for a long run, I opted for a hotel gym workout. The conference has a guided “fun run” on Monday, and I really want to be able to do that.

And, that’s a wrap!  

Can you stop yourself from smirking at unfortunate names?

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29 Responses to Hiking Gross Reservoir With My Daughter

  1. That is an unfortunate name for a reservoir! But wow what a view. I love Boulder. Looks like you had a nice visit with your daughter.

  2. Marcia says:

    What a great place to go to college and I love that you hiked with your daughter. So much fun. Not “gross” at all. Haha!

  3. The name is unfortunate, but what a beautiful spot! Hope the PF doesn’t materialize!

  4. carla says:

    THIS MAKES ME SMILE SO BIG.
    you know me 🙂 Im all about the WITH MY DAUGHTER.

  5. Shathiso says:

    What phenomenal photos!! Yeah… most definitely not gross!!!

  6. Haha, that is an unfortunate name, the reservoir is beautiful and you took some great photos! I would love to go back and run in Colorado, I had a great time last year!

    Solid workouts as always. Oh no to potential PF – I hope you knock that out quickly!

  7. Kimberly G says:

    I love that you were able to spend quality time with your daughter and get in an awesome hike!

  8. Lesley says:

    I haven’t picked up hiking yet, but my running lets me fit right in. I drive through some pretty goods hills to get to work in Boulder, and I see a lot of cyclists. Kudos to them, and I give them a wide berth.

  9. Chaitali says:

    That really is an unfortunate name! I think I would have avoided it if I saw it on a sign but your photos are beautiful 🙂 I hope your feet calm down and feel better.

  10. Stephanie says:

    I love Colorado, you have some of the best scenery for running!

  11. HoHo Runs says:

    Colorado is beautiful and I’m sure your hike did not disappoint — both in company and scenery. Good job on running at elevation too. Gross is a bad name for a reservoir just like Pain/Payne is a bad name for a dentist. Thanks for linking!

  12. Rachel says:

    Gorgeous view!

    Keep that PF far, far away…!!!

  13. Sara says:

    Beautiful place but terrible name lol! What fun! I’m glad to see you out enjoying time with your daughter.

    My least favorite thing about the fall is the shorter days. I was just thinking on my way home that before I know it, it will be treadmill season for me.

  14. Love that you got so many changes of scenery this week. The guided fun run sounds fun. Hope you were able to participate!

  15. Ha ha…that is a most unfortunate name LOL What fun hiking with your daughter…I had forgotten she lived there. And now you’re in San Fran? Dang! #jealous

  16. What a beautiful area of the country! It’s no wonder your daughter decided to stay after college!

  17. Teresa says:

    What a beautiful place to hike! When the hubs and I visited Colorado Springs several years ago, I fell in love with hiking. Then our trip to Wyoming only reinforced my love for hiking. Needless to say, this former beach girl would choose a hike through the mountains any day now!

    Glad you had a great visit with your daughter and shared some outdoor time together as well!

  18. Toni says:

    Looks like a great week. I will admit whe but I saw your blog title i thought I would be reading about an actual gross resovoir, glad to see it just has an unfortunate name.

  19. That’s ok, Coco. Just north of here, in southern Wisconsin, is the Bong Recreation area. Named for Richard Bong, a WW2 flying ace, it is the target for lots of stolen signs and stoners. Sigh.

  20. You had an incredible day and a beautiful view for spending time with your daughter. I’m glad to hear that you had a great visit together.

  21. Laura says:

    Such an unfortunate name- but it looks amazing! Great week of workouts, too. I dealt with a bit of pf this summer… hope it clears up quickly for you!

  22. Karen Bayne says:

    Colorado is so pretty, I wouldn’t want to leave it either!
    It is so dark when I run at 5:15 a.m. now lol my knuckle lights are working overtime.
    Nice strong week in some pretty places : )

  23. I would LOVE the hiking part of the CO lifestyle. The snow, not so much.

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