HAPPY TRAILS: Bison Peak

HAPPY TRAILS: Bison Peak
3 boots
12 miles roundtrip
3,671 feet of elevation gain

Here at Out There, we like Lost Creek Wilderness. A lot.

It’s the closest wilderness area to Colorado Springs and a backpacker’s delight, with bizarre, twisted rocks that will make you think of Yosemite. This grueling yet non-technical climb will take you to the high point of the wilderness, the summit of 12,431-foot Bison Peak, which can be safely climbed in spring without snow gear in dry years like this one.

To get there
Take U.S. Highway 24 west to Lake George and head north on Park County Road 77 (Taryall Road). After 17 miles park at the Ute Creek Trailhead on the right. See map.

The hike
Enjoy the gentle stroll through meadows and the gradual uphill hike through a pine forest, because it gets tougher. At Bison Pass turn right on the Brookside-McCurdy Trail, Trail No. 607, and you’ll see how it earned a “3 boots” rating.

Leave the trees behind and climb steeply to the shoulder of Bison Peak, a broad, open summit dotted with rock piles. Once you have a good view of the rock heap that is the summit, leave the trail and continue northeast.

The summit is the highest pile of rocks. Carefully scramble to the top. It’s probably unlike any mountain summit you’ve ever been on, and offers views of distant peaks. Pikes Peak rises to the southwest. Return the way you came.

Details
South Park Ranger District, Pike National Forest, 836-2031.
Most of the hike is in the wilderness area, so bikes and vehicles aren’t allowed and dogs must be leashed. There is a small parking fee at the trailhead.

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 altitude.

It's all Happy Trails all the time at our Trail Finder at OutThereColorado.com!