outing.
At a Glance
| Difficulty | Distance/Time | 7.5 miles/3.5 hours | |
| Trail Conditions | Trailhead ElevationTotal Hiking Gain | 8,500 feet700 feet | |
| Children | Features | River, waterfalls and gorges, forest | |
| Scenery | Best Season | Spring and fall | |
| Photo | Other Users | Horses, dogs on leash | |
| Solitude | Notes | No toilets at trailhead | |
| Property | Roosevelt National Forest, Comanche Peak Wilderness | Jurisdiction | U.S. Forest Service |
Get ready for some deep-woods walking along a wild section of the Cache la Poudre River. Here the river flows from south to north, draining the western slopes of the Mummy Range before making a big bend toward the plains. Hence the trail’s name: Big South (FS 944).
Begin in aromatic pine forest where the river can be heard but not seen. On the opposite side of the valley, steep hillsides drop to the source of the noise. Within half a mile you’ll enter Comanche Peak Wilderness and arrive in a dramatic gorge.
It’s wild indeed, in both a physical and official sense. From this point on to its headwaters, the Poudre is classified as “Wild” under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968; downstream portions are classified as “Scenic.” It’s the only river in Colorado to receive these designations (Oregon, in contrast, has 55), which prohibit the river from being dammed or otherwise have its free flow altered. The protection extends a quarter mile on each side of the river, and while it does not confer the same level of protection as a “Wilderness Area” designation, the fact that the river is embedded in Comanche Peak Wilderness gives it a belt-and-suspenders level of security.
Big South Trail
As the valley broadens, the trail follows the river from above, then traverses a hillside, reenters the forest, and ambles back to stream level. This sequence repeats again and again: a river bottom, a hillside traverse, lush woods, stream. It is a peaceful, mesmerizing pattern, and the miles roll by. The trail is well maintained by volunteers, but the forest is dense and you are bound to encounter some uncleared treefall.
At 1.5 miles you’ll pass through an aspen grove, then, half a mile farther on, you’ll reach another gorge. Cross a rockslide on an excellently crafted trail and enjoy good views of waterfalls below. Continue through mixed forest, then cross a bridge; from here the trail veers uphill from the river and its sound becomes faint. You’ll descend to rejoin the river, then leave again to climb the next mound.
After passing a seasonal pond, the trail descends via switchbacks to another gorge. This is a good turnaround point, at 3.75 miles—or you can continue; the next stretch is lovely with many good streamside picnic spots. In fact, you could continue onward in the Comanche Peak Wilderness for days, but this wild and scenic spot, about midway between two road access points to the river, is about as deep into the Poudre’s backwoods as you can get.
Cache la Poudre River, viewed through forest on the Big South Trail
This river is likely the one that explorer Stephen Long called “Pateros Creek” when he encountered it out on the plains in 1820. This name may have originated when a Frenchman was found wandering near the river it in a pitiful condition (pitoyable being French for “piteous”). The river’s current French name, Cache la Poudre, also comes from legend. In either the 1820s or 1830s, a company of French trappers was caught in a snowstorm while camping along the river. Forced to lighten their wagon loads, they reportedly dug a pit and cached some of their goods, including a store of gunpowder (poudre). After filling the pit, they burned some brush on top to make it look like an old campsite. Had I been in that group, I would have stayed very far away from the fire burning on top of the buried gunpowder!
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 269B, then CO 14 west and US 287 north through Fort Collins. Turn left onto the continuation of CO 14 (Poudre Canyon Road) and proceed another 49 miles up Poudre Canyon to Big South Trailhead and its small parking area, on the left. 2 hours, 30 mins.
10 Trap Park
After an initial uphill stretch, this trail is a walk in the park. Views of graceful high ridges abound, and in nearer view is a riverine willow habitat favored by moose.
At a Glance
| Difficulty | Distance/Time | 7 miles/3 hours | |
| Trail Conditions | Trailhead ElevationTotal Hiking Gain | 10,000 feet700 feet | |
| Children | Features | Gentle trail, meadow and willow basin, mountain views, moose | |
| Scenery | Best Season | Early summer | |
| Photo | Other Users | Bikes on portion, horses, dogs on leash | |
| Solitude | Notes | Toilets at Long Draw parking lot, 3 miles before trailhead on Poudre Canyon Road | |
| Property | Roosevelt National Forest, Neota Wilderness | Jurisdiction | U.S. Forest Service |
Trap Park Trail (FS 995) begins as an old range road, rising in forest to a washed-out hairpin turn above Trap Lake. You might think this name is a legacy of beaver-trapping days, but in truth it refers to the snares set by early settlers to control pesky bears.
You’ll traverse on the old road into a narrow valley, where Trap Creek tumbles below. This uphill section doesn’t last long, and in about a mile the trail mellows in a basin. Iron Mountain makes its first appearance as a smooth, twin-humped hill in the distance. Nearer on the left are the handsome crags of Flat Top Mountain. Ahead is an expanse of meadow and willow which makes a nice neighborhood for moose. They are likely there even if you don’t see them; these largest members of the deer family obscure themselves quite well in the riverine bushes they feed on.
Moose usually keep their distance and pretend to ignore you. If one approaches, it is probably not a friendly matter. Back away slowly and don’t throw anything. Moose can be problematic for hikers because they have few natural enemies, show little fear of humans, and hate dogs, which they regard as wolves and have been known to kick. Moose cows are protective of their newborns in spring, and both males and females can be aggressive during fall mating season, when you might hear the low-pitched grunts of bulls and the higher, longer wails of cows. At other times of the year moose can seem entirely benign, curiously approaching cars and houses, even walking onto front porches
