Allanna Jackson © Oct 2023

The Pole Knoll Cross Country Ski Area has been on my list of trails I’ve wanted to horseback ride. Last year Cinnamon suddenly went lame on Labor Day weekend. For the first time in her life, she had the fall and winter off. I eased her back into work last spring. This year our warm autumn has the leaves changing color slower and later than usual. October 21, 2023, the weather was perfect, and the aspen leaves were at their peak color, so I trailered Cinnamon up to Pole Knoll.

It was a popular destination that day. There were a dozen cars in the parking lot when I pulled in with my truck and trailer. I’d brought a picnic lunch from Subway, planning to eat at one of the picnic tables but they were all in use. Several people had dogs. I was happy to see the dogs were all properly leashed. After unloading Cinnamon, I ate my lunch there at the trailer. Cinnamon sniffed my sandwich, so I offered her a piece of spinach which she politely declined, probably because it had a bit of mayonnaise on one edge. She sniffed my cookies but didn’t want them either. She eagerly ate a horse cookie instead. I wanted her to drink some of the water I’d brought, but she only dabbled in the bucket.

After lunch, I groomed and saddled Cinnamon. We set off across the parking lot, going by the kiosk on our way to the Pole Knoll Loop where we headed east. I’ve hiked Pole Knoll several times, but Cinnamon had never been there. She strolled along looking around and occasionally snatching a bite of grass. She also sampled some aspen leaves. She considers tasting a new trail an essential part of the experience.

We took the Meadow Lark trail and did a little foxtrotting, trotting, and cantering. We’d dropped back to a walk when Cinnamon alerted us to a couple of ladies standing at a trail junction looking at the signs and their GPS. They looked up as we approached and one of them exclaimed, “What a surprise to find someone I know out here!” We attend the same church. I stopped and dismounted to show them my paper map. We chatted for a few minutes, then they continued their walk to the trailhead. Cinnamon and I continued along Meadow Lark trail. There are very few aspens on Meadow Lark trail so when Meadow Lark re-connected with Pole Knoll Loop we followed it to Raven trail where there were more aspens.

We strolled down Raven Trail with Cinnamon snatching grass when I was distracted by my photography. She had stopped completely to graze an especially tasty patch when a man coming slowly up the trail on a mountain bicycle greeted me and asked if the horse was okay with bikes. I assured him she was and told him I appreciated his consideration. He went carefully by us. Cinnamon was so busy eating she ignored him. After the bicyclist was safely past I interrupted Cinnamon’s snack and we continued down the trail at a more purposeful walk.

Raven Trail took us to a junction with Osprey Trail which we took up to Red Tail Trail and then to the Summit Trail. Cinnamon looked around as we climbed, sometimes watching something behind us, though I didn’t see anybody when I looked. The aspens were quite colorful there too. We met the bicyclist again.

When we got to the junction with the Viewpoint trail we took its single track through a tunnel of evergreens and aspens. Both Summit Trail and Viewpoint Trail are rated “most difficult”. The Viewpoint trail was narrower, steep, and rocky. We had this trail to ourselves. Several trees had fallen across the trail. We went around the first one. I ducked alongside Cinnamon’s neck to get under the second one. Cinnamon neatly stepped over the third one. We passed the trail to the actual Viewpoint and began the descent. The trail continued to be narrow and steep, surrounded by golden aspen. A fourth tree had fallen and been caught by its neighbors, propped up much too high to step over but too low to duck under. On the downhill side, the tree was high enough that Cinnamon could walk under it. I dismounted on the uphill side and led her a few feet around and through the aspens that were holding up the snag. Cinnamon hesitated briefly, then followed me. Back on the trail I mounted again. We resumed following the narrow singletrack switchbacks down the hill. The spaces between trees were so narrow and the switchbacks so tight I wondered how anybody could ski this trail! Cinnamon seemed to be enjoying the challenges of the trail as she marched carefully downhill to the junction with the Pole Knoll Loop trail, which is wider, smoother, and rated “easiest”.

By this time, it was late in the afternoon. I wanted to get home before dark, so we took the more direct but steeper Grouse Trail. Part way down Grouse trail we met some hikers and their dog coming the other way. We greeted each other and they got off the trail to let us pass. A few minutes later we met another group of hikers. They had to call their dog who started following us after I wished them a nice hike. The woman explained that the dog’s name was “Hi”, so the word “hike” confused him. When Grouse Trail merged with Pole Knoll loop again we took the slightly steeper but more direct route back to the parking lot.



Most of the vehicles had gone by the time we got back to the trailer. I thought Cinnamon would be thirsty after our 3-hour, 9.4-mile ride but she again only dabbled in the water. While I was unsaddling a young family approached and greeted us so their little boy could see Cinnamon, but he was content to watch from a distance. After a few minutes, they thanked me and departed. I loaded Cinnamon into the trailer and went home. Our ride on Pole Knoll was as lovely as I had imagined it would be.