Location: Located just 40 minutes west of Colorado Springs and just south of Divide on the western slope of Pikes Peak.
Dates: July 19th
Photos: Click to view album
Trail Description:On a scale of 1 to 10 this is a 15! This ride give you everything from beautiful views of Pikes Peak and the Continental Divide to gorgeous rides through aspen groves and evergreens and deep river crossings. You’ll also be thrilled with the beauty of the huge granite rock formations, especially Dome Rock itself which rises 800 feet above the canyon floor. We started our ride at the west parking lot on the Willow Creek Trail #40 and rode for three (3) miles up a gentle slope on a packed sand two-lane trail. After about three (3), the trail narrows to a single file and shortly thereafter we came to a “Y” in the trail. We took the right branch, up a steep climb. [The left heads down to a locked gate] At the highest view point we were at 9,700 feet, which is a long way up from the parking lot which was at 8,800 feet. We then continued on this trail, passing the Sand Creek Trail #41 on the right which is a great short cut if you need a shorter ride. We turned off onto Spring Creek Trail #43 and followed it all the way to Dome Rock. The trail makes some steep drops as it approaches Dome Rock but nothing that was a problem1. Just as we rode past the south side of Dome Rock we had our first water crossing. It was deep and wide2 but the bottom of the river was sandy, so it was very easy to cross. We had lunch in a meadow by the rock. We then circled around the rock3on Dome Rock Trail #46. This trail takes you back and forth over Fourmile Creek nine times. It also takes you into Muller State Park at some points. About 2.5 miles from the end, we came across the ruins of Jackrabbit Lodge. This had been a private hunting lodge that burned to the ground in the 1940′s. All that remains is the stone chimney and part of the foundation.
At this lodge you can choose to go left into Muller State Park. We continued on the Dome Rock Trail having fun crossing the river and viewing the heard of Big Horn Sheep the live there. River crossing can be avoided by staying on the north side of the river along the footpath. We stayed on the wide road, that was once a stage coach road, and had fun playing in the water. At times the river was so deep2from the beaver dams that the water came above our horses’ bellies! About 0.5 miles from the end we came across the ruins of an old collapsed mine. This trail returns to the east parking lot. This is an easy trail and shoes would not be required as the surface is packed sand.
Note: This complete 9.4 mile loop is only open from July 16th to November 30th. It is closed for the rest of the year for the Big Horn Sheep lambing. But you can take shorter loops, such as Sand Creek Trail loop, or going out and back on the Willow Creek Trail or the Dome Rock Trail.
- We took the opportunity to have lunch, water and graze our horses in a beautiful meadow just left of the base of Dome Rock right by the creek.
- We were told by a local that last years rains flooded out most all the beaver dams; thus all the water crossings were very easy to negotiate and none of them were very deep.
- From the meadow you will head slightly south and cross the creek; this will take you around a large pile of rock formations and them back heading north on Dome Rock Trail #46 following the river up the canyon.
About the author: This trail description was written by Margi Evens - Author of Riding Colorado I & II. If you would like to know more about Margi and her books, please click here.
Maps to Download:
Google Earth KMZ File
