Get out your snowshoes: 6 great trails in the Pikes Peak region

The Crags

The snowiest spot on Pikes Peak is a popular playground for skiers and snowshoers on long and short hikes.

Trip log: 8 miles round-trip, many shorter variations

To get there: Four-wheel drive recommended. Take U.S. Highway 24 west to Divide; turn left (south) on Colorado Highway 67. Drive 4 1/2 miles to the road to the Crags (Forest Road 383). Turn left on 383 and drive to the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. Turn right and follow road to entrance to Crags Campground. In winter it may not be plowed all the way. Park in a small parking lot about 200 yards below the campground entrance.

The hike: Hike up the road to the campground and east along a trail that rolls up a gentle valley. Soon, the forest opens to a marshy meadow that in summer is bright with wildflowers. Whimsical rock formations rise on both sides. The trail may be obscured or well-trod here. It continues northeast to the head of the valley where the crags start. Here a faint trail climbs to the crest of the crags and swings counter-clockwise back to the valley.

Seven Bridges Trail

This classic North Cheyenne Canyon hike sits in a shadowy drainage that can hold snow well into May. Be prepared to carry your snowshoes at the start on a sunny dirt road.

Trip log: 6 miles round-trip to Jones Park, 2,100 feet elevation gain

To get there: From South Tejon Street, turn west on Cheyenne Boulevard. Enter North Cheyenne Canyon and follow the canyon road to a parking lot where High Drive meets Gold Camp Road.

The hike: Start west up Gold Camp Road for a halfmile. At a switchback to the southeast, leave the road and follow a marked trail up North Cheyenne Canyon. In less than a mile of walking through spruce and fir (and crossing many bridges), the trail climbs a daunting scree slope past Undine Falls. Above the falls, the trail splits. Go right to Jones Park, left to Nelson's Camp, or return the way you came.

Schubarth Road

This high, gentle ridge in Rampart Range has easy access, but also more sun, so it's best after a recent snow.

Trip log: 10 miles there and back, with shorter options.

To get there: Drive west to Woodland Park on U.S. Highway 24. Turn right at Baldwin Street (just before the McDonald's) and drive 2.9 miles to a fork. Go right and drive 1.5 miles to the intersection with Rampart Range Road. Go straight. The road passes through private land. Follow clear signs for just over 2 miles to the Schubarth Trail. Park after the road passes a prominent Pike National Forest boundary.

The hike: Head up the wide, easy-to-follow Schubarth Road (Forest Road 307) through groves of aspen and ponderosa pine. It is open to motor vehicles, but you'll see few, if any, in winter. Most of the road is smooth and gently rolling along a wide ridge. As it rolls along, several clearly marked spur roads lead off to drainages. Stick to Road 307 unless you want to explore. At about 5 miles the road takes a sharp turn north at a large meadow on the steep eastern edge of the range. It keeps going for less than a mile and becomes Deadman's Canyon Trail, but the meadow is the best place to stop. Take along lunch and pick a sunny spot for a picnic.

Rampart Reservoir

This summer favorite of bikers, hikers and fishers is a great beginner snowshoe because it has little elevation gain. Snow conditions are similar to Schubarth.

Trip log: 13-mile loop around the reservoir

To get there: Take U.S. Highway 24 west to Woodland Park. Turn right on Baldwin Street (just before the McDonald's). Drive 2.9 miles to a fork in the road. Turn right and climb 1.5 miles to an intersection with Rampart Range Road. Turn right and drive 2 miles to the Rainbow Gulch Trailhead, with parking on your left.

The hike: Start at the trailhead for Rainbow Gulch and head out on a gentle downhill road. Follow this road until you reach the reservoir's edge. This first section makes a great there-andback family snowshoe. Those looking for more should push on along the shore. Most people do this trail clockwise. The trail contours along the many arms of the reservoir. A few spur trails meet it along the way; bear right at each one. At 8.25 miles it reaches the dam. Cross the dam and pick up the trail on the other side, just past the gate house. Follow the trail to the bridge at mile 12, where you entered the loop. Bear left toward the trailhead, unless you want to do another lap. This is also a great cross-country ski.

Frosty's Park

A gorgeous subalpine meadow with long and short trail options.

Trip log: 3 miles, 400 feet elevation gain

To get there: From west of The Broadmoor, drive about 13 miles up Old Stage Road and Gold Camp Road to the former Rosemont townsite. The road is usually plowed but snowpacked. Four-wheel drive recommended. Park at the signed junction with Forest Road 379.

The hike: Follow Forest Road 379 as it crosses a small creek and follows a valley due north 1.5 miles until it reaches a long, open meadow called Frosty's Park. Frosty was an old prospector who had a cabin in the area for many years. Careful explorers can still find some of his mine diggings. Those who want to go farther can follow Road 379 for many miles to the summit of Almagre Mountain.

Bull Park

This is a little-known meadow named for the bull elk that gather at certain times of the year. Winter blocks Jeeps from this spot, making it a snowshoer's delight.

Trip log: 5 miles, 650 feet elevation gain

To get there: From where Old Stage Road starts, west of The Broadmoor, reset your odometer. Drive 19.6 narrow, slow miles. The road is plowed but four-wheel-drive is recommended. At an intersection by some cabins, turn right onto Forest Road 376. Drive 3.2 miles up this steep road to a gate. Park along the shoulder a few hundred yards before the gate where a Jeep road goes left across a stream. The hike follows the Jeep road.

The hike: Follow a switchbacking Jeep road west 1.75 miles to the shoulder of Sheep Mountain. Here the road drops down to a high, subalpine meadow. This is Bull Park. The sheltered spot is a nice place for lunch. Return the way you came.