| NOTE: I have had to remove much of the information regarding the Mt. Tom wreck site including the hiking directions per the landowners request. The landowner does not want anyone hiking on his property without express permission. Unfortunately different landowners have different attitudes, and we have to respect the landowner’s rights regardless. Sometimes the real tragedy lies in the nature of the casualty… On April 8, 1952, Capt. Hilton B. Wilcox, Jr. and Lt.Col Merrill E. Smith lost their lives in a B-25 bomber crash in the area of what is now Golden Gate Canyon State Park. This hike takes you to the crash site. Unlike most touristy war memorials, there are no concrete walkways, statues, and bronze plaques. What lies here is as real as it gets: raw plane wreckage scattered over a beautiful mountainside. There is no trail to the site, this is a backcountry bushwhack all the way. The journey through sawmill gulch might just be too much for you, but if you can make it through, you will be rewarded with a fascinating, if not solemn, experience. I ask that you remember what happened here and respect the area for what it is. Please leave everything as you have found it. At first this wreck may seem senseless, but if you ascend to the top of the wreckage area and look eastward, you can clearly see how this could have happened. Also, here is a link to another site about the plane wreck site: Colorado Wreck Chasing Site . |
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