Crosier Mountain Hike

Distance: 7.5 miles round trip
Elevation: 7,044 ft - 9,204 ft
Elevation Gain: 2,280 ft
Date Hiked: 11 May, 2008
Dogs: Off leash (Forest Service)

The view of the Continental Divide from the summit of Crosier Mountain

Crosier Mountain is a lesser-known, lower mountain to the northeast of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park that is perfect for a shoulder season outing. It has significant elevation gain, glorious views of Longs Peak, Mt. Meeker, Estes Park, and the Mummy Range. There are at least three different trails that approach the mountain, each offering different features. I have done two of the three and of those two, I prefer the one that will be described in this post. It just has more expansive views.

The lower part of the trail travels through an open Ponderosa Pine forest

You can get to any of the trailheads via Loveland and Hwy 34 or via Estes Park and Devil’s Gulch Road. Since I had never driven Hwy 34, we decided to take that route. The canyon walls east of Drake are very pretty and worth the drive. From Hwy 34, you can access one of the first trailheads right after turning onto Devil’s Gulch road. A colleague of mine usually takes this route and indicated it is longer, at least 10 miles, and wanders through many open meadows. Around 6 miles from the turn off is another trailhead that is well marked. A large dirt parking lot can hold many cars. There is a trail map and gate to the left of parking lot. The other trailhead is in the town of Glen Haven itself. The trail starts on the left just beyond the stables when heading towards Estes Park. The Glen Haven trail goes through a very large meadow and comes back around the mountain. The other trailhead approaches the mountain from the south and intersects the Glen Haven trail at the 2-mile interval, so the trails only differ for the first half of the route.

(On the left: An example of the rocky trail). The early part of the second trail ascends quickly up a slope with nice views of the rocky cliffs to the north of Hwy 34. After a half mile or so, there is a nice view down the canyon itself and out onto the plains. The trail is covered in loose quartz rock that has eroded out of the hillside. Ankle high boots are advised for anyone with weak ankles.

At 1.8 miles, there is large aspen grove with very large old growth trees. It would be very pretty in the fall. The trail in this area is very sunken and in places the ground was above the level of my knees. This trench was also narrow, which made walking difficult. It is just past this area that the trail intersects with the Glen Haven route. The spot is well marked with a trail sign and a very large log suitable for resting.

(On the right: An example of an open meadow) From this point the trail begins a steady accent through stunted Ponderosa pine. I am a true Coloradoan and I don’t like staying in trees for very long without vistas, so I found an iPod with music to be helpful on this stretch.

The final pitch to the summit is also well marked. It is here that the third trail intersects. Parts of the summit pitch are very steep and the trail is very eroded in places. The trees thin as you ascend though, offering nice views of the foothills to the east. There are also several interesting rock formations. The summit is very broad allowing for significant exploration. There is a nice cut in the rock that allows for direct views of Estes Park without climbing the small rock pile on the right.

Crosier Mountain is not my favorite hike simply because it is a bit too monotonous for me but during the spring it is a nice alternative to the trails around Boulder. We can take the dogs and let them run their paws off. The trail is multi-use and you will occasionally run into horses and mountain bikers but in our half-day outing, we only ran into 3 other groups.

The trail opens up nicely on the summit approach