Memorial Day weekend provided us with an amazing opportunity to camp and ride up to Wigwam Park in the Lost Creek Wilderness Area for some Fly Fishing.
Location: 45 minutes from Deckers
(Because of the road conditions)
Date: May 23rd – 25th, 2008
Photos: Click to view album
Getting There:
- HWY-24 from Colorado Springs to Woodland Park.
- HWY-67 to Deckers
- HWY-126 about 2.75 miles to NF-211
- NF-211 (Wigwam Creek Rd/Goose Creek Rd) is a groomed dirt road, but it is narrow in many places, so go slow. Wigwam Creek Rd turns into Goose Creek Rd at the gate to Cheesman Lake.
- NF-211 to NF-560 (Stoney Pass RD) about 3.7 miles. NF-560 is not so pretty, but very passable; just go slow.
- NF-560 to NF-545 about 4 miles. There is a sign to the Wigwam Trail Head. Look for camping/parking areas right when you enter the trees.
Trail Ride Description: This trail provides a less-crowded alternative to the Goose Creek Trailhead. Originally used to drive cattle from Webster Park, north of the Wigwam Trailhead, over into Lost Park, the trail accesses the east side of the Lost Creek Wilderness by following the Wigwam Creek drainage up to an open meadow called Wigwam Park and on to a saddle at the end of the valley. I am not really sure what kind of cattle they moved through this area, but they would have the be part billy goat to make this trip?
The first quarter of the trail northwest from the trailhead is a pleasant ride following the Wigwam Creek. However, the last three quarters of the trail are quite steep up the tight canyon and we often came upon downed trees blocking the trail; however, with a little scouting we were able to negotiate around them. The trail passes around to the west and offers some very dramatic views of prominent granite pinnacles. We reached Wigwan Park right at the four mile mark. But don’t let that fool you; what this trail lacked in distance, was made up in altitude climb and technicality! We climbed 1,775 feet in those four miles, and in Colorado’s typical granite rocks. Wigwam Park is a grassy meadow area full of beaver ponds and made for some great brookie fishing; and a nap or two!
Click for full view of the trail profile
Camping Description: Wigwam Trailhead is at the end of NF-545 and is an old National Forest Campsite. The campsite was closed after the Hayman Fire, but on NF-545 you will find 8-12 areas marked for Parking & Camping. Most will get one, maybe two rigs into them, but there are two that can get more. They are spread out enough so that you don’t notice other campers, but close enough that if you brought a group, you could all still be together.
We stayed in the site at the very end of the road, and we were (with a little tugging & pulling) able to get two trailers up in our site, while leaving a third at a site about 50 yards below us. There was plenty of room to setup two hot wire corrals for our eight horses and to high-line the nineth horse. Not knowing the area, we brought our own water; while Wigwam Creek turned out to be close, having our own water made life a little easier. We also brought weed-free cubes for feeding; there was some grass, but not enough to sustain nine horses.
A note about the Hayman Burn:This area is at the north end of the burn area. We did see some remnants of hot spots around camp, it really was not noticeable. Since we rode west from camp, we were out of the burn area; but you could still see it from the trail through some of the clearings. The Trails Illustrated Map #135 (Deckers & Rampart Range) does have the burn area marked out.
The Basics:This is one tough trail on the horses and on the kids. Make sure that you have horses that are in good shape and are shod. Make sure that the kids are skilled in riding the horse they will use. There are many obstacles that are are very dangerous if one does not know their horse very well. There are hikers, backpackers and back country campers along the trail, but even though it was a holiday weekend, we did not see many of them.
Connecting Trails: There are many connecting trails form here.
- Goose Creek Trail
- Rolling Creek Trail
- Brookside-McCurdy Trail
- Lost Park Trailhead
Maps to Download:
Google Earth KMZ file with Photos & Waypoints
