OUR WINTER ZAPATA FALLS COLORADO HIKE REVIEW

Every year our family packs into the car and heads north for a 17 hour drive to Leadville, Colorado. The air is crisp and cool, the sunshine bright, and the weather a far cry from the humidity laced drizzle we're accustomed to in the average Houston February. Our first day is more than 14 hours of driving, listening to carefully curated audiobooks, and stopping only to eat and get gas, but the second day is amazing. We stop in places we've read about in advance, places you don't see in Texas, and we have yet to be disappointed with our choices, especially when it comes to Zapata Falls. (read more)

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HIKING ZAPATA FALLS
​DRIVING UP

The turn off for Zapata falls comes a long ways before you're actually ready to get out of the car and hike. The road leading up to the parking lot is long, winding, and packed with rocks big and small. Cars and vehicles lower to the ground will need to take this very slowly, less you risk damaging your undercarriage. Larger cars and SUVs, like the one we drove up in, still need to take it slow or risk a teeth clacking journey that'll leave you jostled and sore. 

There doesn't seem to be any great need for 4WD, not even in the dead of winter when we went. Either the road is cared for often enough to make it very passable, or we just got lucky, but I'm thinking it's the former. 

This post is going to be video intensive, since there is so much to see, so here's the first of those, our drive up to the trailhead/parking lot.

CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW OF THE FAMILY PANORAMIC SUITE ON EXPLORER OF THE SEAS

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ZAPATA FALLS TRAILHEAD
​PARKING/AMENITIES

The most important thing I can say here is that there IS a restroom at the trailhead. This is really important for me as a woman because I need to know that (if nature calls) I can take care of things in a somewhat dignified manner. 

The toilet is chemical, the room is freezing cold, but it was clean, the door did lock, there was toilet paper, and there was a hand sanitizer station for "washing", though it was empty when I went, so I just grabbed the bottle from my car. 

This little bit of convenience means you can go up, spend as much time as you like, and never have to worry about getting back to the car and making the long drive the mountain so you can find a restroom twenty minutes away at Great Sand Dunes National Park (which is also well worth a visit).

There isn't anything fancy like a shop to buy souvenirs or snacks (or water), so if you plan to spend some time up there, pack a bag that has those things inside. At the very least, bring some water. It's easy to get dehydrated at higher elevations, especially if you come from 50 feet above sea level, like I do.

My husband brought a pack just for this purpose, so we loaded him up and let him lead the way through some absolutely stunning terrain on our way to the frozen falls.

Here are a few shots of the restrooms, and of the amazing scenery at the trailhead looking out onto the terrain below.

HERE'S OUR REVIEW OF THE OVER THE WATER CABANA AT BAREFOOT BEACH ON LABADEE

My attempt at a panoramic shot:

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HIKING TO THE FALLS

The hike to the falls isn't terrible, nor very taxing. I believe the entire hike to the falls took no more than twenty minutes, and that was with none of us (other than my husband) moving quickly or consistently. I brought up the rear to make sure my son didn't get out of sight, and of all of us he seemed to be the one who wanted to stop and rest, so we did.

​There are moments where you're headed uphill for a time, but it's easy enough to stop, take in the view, catch your breath, and then keep going. There are so many things to see, from animal tracks to actual animals, it's hard to think about being tired when you're in the middle of such breathtaking scenery.

WHEN WE CAN'T TRAVEL, THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD COMES TO US WITH UNIVERSAL YUMS

Benches scattered along the trail make fantastic resting places!

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My son throwing snowballs at me.

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WALKING ON WATER

Once you get to the end of the trail and into the falls area, you can walk across the frozen river and into the mouth of the cave. 

I'm not sure how this works in the summer. I don't know if you can walk all the way into the cave or if you can only go to the spot where the falls dump, but I feel like there's a way to get in there, even when it's all melted. 

I took a bit of video at this spot because it was incredible. The ice is frozen, but you can hear the water rushing beneath your feet and you can even see it flowing in some spots where the river didn't freeze on top. 

I'll admit to being very nervous right here. I kept watching my son to make sure he wasn't falling through, even though my husband had no trouble crossing.

My son took a picture on his phone and showed it to me. He said, "Mom, I was standing there getting ready to take a picture, then my foot slipped." And that's the shot he got. I love the look on his face.

TY WRITES BOOKS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS WHO LOVE ROBLOX AND MINECRAFT

Here I am walking on the ice. It's very slippery, be careful!

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INSIDE ZAPATA FALLS - THE MOUTH OF THE FALLS

Once we got to the edge of the ice we were able to walk across, hop up on a concrete barrier and then walk into the mouth of the falls. 

There is a lot of rock to walk on once you get into the falls, so you don't have to worry so much about walking on ice, which I happen to find quite challenging. 

We also got to see an ice climber and his buddy climbing the falls, and I got a quick video of the water running down the mountain behind the frozen falls. 

DISNEYLAND OR DISNEY WORLD, CHECK OUT "THE DISNEY DECISION"

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Here are a few shots from inside. The ice climbers were just out of the shot, behind the rock on the right.

The guy climbing was taking a lot of direction from the guy on the ground. You can see the rope they have attached there on the right.

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HEADING BACK DOWN
& FINAL THOUGHTS

Heading back to the parking lot/trailhead was pretty easy, and it actually felt easier than going up, probably because you aren't going up. :) 

There are a few times where you have to walk up a small hill, but for the most part it's an easy downhill stroll.

We went on a Sunday and saw a few other hikers, all of whom were very friendly. 

And, shockingly, there are a lot of Pokestops at Zapata Falls. Not just the stops, but also a couple of raids. I had only just started playing when we took this trip, so it was fun to catch a few Pokemon at the falls and on the trail as we walked back down. 

Getting back down the mountain in the car was just as bumpy as going up, so go slow, enjoy the scenery, and have fun! 

We'll be headed back to Colorado next year to ski, and we've already decided we'll be stopping again at Zapata Falls, it was just that good! However, if you've seen the falls and haven't yet been to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, we recommend both, and we hope you get the sticker that says you climbed all the way to the top of the sand dunes!

As always, if you have questions, let me know. I'm happy to help if I can.

Enjoy your trip!
Ty

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