Labor Day weekend is typically a pretty crowded time to head to the mountains, but I've been eyeing Niwot Ridge in the Indian Peaks Wilderness for a few years. It's located in the Brainard Lake recreation area only 45 minutes from home, but the hike isn't a well-known one and doesn't end at a lake like most of the other hikes in the area. I woke up early to beat the crowds, and it paid off: it seemed like I had the place to myself. Waking up early paid off in another way too- on the way to the TH next to Brainard Lake, I saw two gigantic moose out for a morning walk.