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HAPPY TRAILS: Indian Creek Trail
If you're looking for an enjoyable forest trail for hikers of all ages, this is it. It's probably best for hikers in late spring or early summer, when wildflowers are blooming. It’s a good beginner to intermediate mountain bike ride any time of year.
This trail in itself isn’t a destination hike unless you live in north El Paso County, but you can make a great day of hiking by combining this trail with others in the area. This trail also connects with the Colorado Trail, which you can walk, bike or ride along for days.
To get there: From downtown Colorado Springs, drive north on Interstate 25 to Castle Rock and take Highway 85 to Sedalia. From Sedalia, take Highway 67 south toward Deckers and look for the trailhead and campground after about 10.5 miles.
The hike: The trail begins at the south end of the parking lot. This well-maintained trail gently climbs through a forest of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir with stands of aspen, never ascending so greatly you cannot hold a conversation. Look for wildflowers in spring and summer. In fall, examine signs of a forest in transition, with undergrowth recovering from fire.
You’ll walk through gambel oak thickets and also see seedlings only 3 inches tall. There are periodic views of towering Devil’s Head and the forest around Deckers to the west and of Pikes Peak to the south.
After about 1.5 miles, you reach a junction at a saddle. Do not continue on the Indian Creek Trail unless you are up for a 14-mile loop hike to Roxborough State Park. Return the way you came or turn right and walk down the fire road, which winds through the forest.
If you take the road, turn right and cut through the campground to gently descend to the trailhead and your vehicle.
Details: This trail is in the Pike National Forest — (719) 553-1400 — and is open to bikes, dogs and horses. There is a $6 day use fee. (Yes, there are pullouts nearby along Highway 67 if you must avoid the fee.)
Trip Log: 2 boots, 3 miles round-trip, 250 feet elevation gain
Rating system: A scale of one to four boots. One is easiest, with little elevation gain, and it is at a reasonable altitude. Four is most difficult, with severe elevation gain, difficult terrain, or extreme length or elevation.
