Morrow Point Boat Tour

Not far from where we live in Colorado is the Morrow Point reservoir. Water is contained between high canyon walls. This is a spectacular bit of scenery for which the forest service offers boat tours to see the beauty. 

Your trip starts at a parking lot above the canyon and you hike down 232 steps to the old narrow gauge railroad right of way for another 1/2 mile walk to the tour boat. This is a beautiful hike.

Once down the steps you are on the old railroad right of way 

There is signage along the way telling of the history of the area

These bridges are now under the reservoir

After a while you come upon the tour boat dock

The ranger checks you in for the trip and gets to know each of the passengers a bit.

Getting ready to board

The boat is comfortable and easy to move around on

One ranger drove the boat while the other told us about the reservoir

Personal Flotation Devices are located in the overhead racks. All children wore them at all times. Adults had the option to do so.

Scenery was spectacular

A fault zone from centuries past resulted in this geological formation. It is famous in railroad lore - more about that later

The old railroad right of way is along the shore for a while and then disappears into the water.

This was one of my favorite parts of the boat trip. The narrow gauge railroad that went thru this area used a geological outcropping as the logo for the railroad. This was known as the Curacanti Needle. The Forest Service ranger pulled out the logo at an appropriate time and then aligned the boat so we could photograph the famous site.

Pretty thoughtful of the Forest Service to recognize the significance

The return trip up the gorge had all kinds of interesting shapes, colors and textures to explore.

Towering cliffs surround you

Fishermen were out trying their luck.

We then got to experience climbing the 232 steps back up the hill

There are places to rest along the way

All in all this is a great hike and a wonderful boat tour.