Mountain Lion Trail

$7 to park at the trail head . Plenty of parking both times we visited .
Well signposted trail with options to switch or explore other trails on the route.

Trail was great. Didn’t see any mountain lions.

Went here last weekend, this is now my favorite trail in Colorado. Super well marked, not a high climb, wild flowers, aspens in bloom, just amazing!

Again, misleading on the mileage. Not sure how they manage the miles on this website, but three people of varying gaite came to the same distance of ~7 miles. No big deal... The parking from Hwy 93 is located on the left side of the road, just before the red barn on the right. It's a small dirt road leading to the trail head parking. Good parking, but overflow is on the road, so no worries.
There are two ways to attack this trail, one is to the right and one is on the left. Depends on how you really want to tackle the hike. Both are pretty even in their ratings, and nothing too difficult. If you go left, from the parking, you will have an uphill for the most part. Both trails start with a small run through the hills, but soon become service roads. No real big deal, but they are both in the sun, so wear sunscreen or wear a hat. After that, they meander through the mountains. Agree that the streams run the path, but with the lack of rain fall, not much so. It's a nice hike, shared with bikers and others. Enjoyable, none the less. Nice hike and would do so again. Considering this is the second time as we could not locate Burro trail There are many junctions off this trail.

good variety of terrain. lackluster views despite a long and grinding climb through the forest - good workout. stream was a mere trickle on labor day, but i can imagine how much nicer this trail would be if was in full flow.

very nice ! beautiful views all over...

This is a moderate trail with some beautiful spots. If you see signs for Windy Peak, keep in mind that’s a side trip that is off of the Mountain Lion trail. The trail markers end once you decide to take the Windy Peak detour, so it’s easy to get turned around.

We didn’t encounter any wildlife on the trail, although we started later in the morning around 9. It’s a great workout, but there’s no “wow” view that makes it feel like it was worth the trek.

Amazing trail. Somewhat difficult in spots but the views are worth it!

I really enjoyed this hike despite how heavily trafficked it was. Has about everything I would want in a hike.

Great trail and perfect weather! Easy until about half way through then it got a bit steeper but definitely not difficult. We went counter clockwise. Lots of water passing for pups to relax and drink from.

*keep in mind this is a state park so you will need a pass! $7 for a day pass at the visitor center 3 miles down the road!*
Started off counter clockwise as I wanted more shade on the incline. It was a nice hike with plenty of shade. Took about 3 hours to complete the loop which includes a stop for snacks. No mountain lion siting but did run into a couple snakes! Enjoy!

Beautiful trail. My husband and I started at the trailhead around 10:30am and got back to the car around 3:30. Took about twenty minutes for lunch and stopped a few times to enjoy the surroundings. We went counterclockwise and it worked out great as far as views and once you hit the steep inclines, you’re in the shade. The trail starts deceptively easy and then hits some steep climbs, particularly as you make your way out of the forest. You end on a nice decline, beware of some lose rock in some areas. It gets the heart rate up for sure and the serenity of the park makes the work worth it!!! We hiked on a Wednesday and the park was this side of empty, which for us locals is a nice change!!

I started around 6:30 AM and went clockwise. There are absolutely gorgeous views the whole way around, especially if you go to Windy Peaks. Parts of the trail can be a little steep in places so watch your step. I did not run in to anyone on the trail until I was almost back at the trailhead around 10:30.

I went counterclockwise. Started later than I'd like at 1030 and it got really hot really fast. The last two miles or so of the loop are fairly exposed. I bring this up because the trail was very hot on my dogs paws. Had I know better, I'd have hiked clockwise allowing for more shade and plenty of water crossing for my dog. Also, my Suunto GPS measured the hike at 7.1 miles.

This trail has so much variety! I love all of the shade , the stream crossings and even the excitement of keeping a look out for mountain lions. I was alone, hiking/ jogging from about 3-5:15 pm. I was happy to see other hikers and mountain bikers on the trail, because I agree with the trailhead sign advice ,” Do not hike or run this alone! “. I did get a little spooked on some of the densely wooded area sections by the river. The breeze was delightful today, along with the variety of wild flowers and great views.

this is a beautiful trail! My Boys and I loved it. I like that it has so many ups, downs and flat. It was a great with beautiful views!

loved it and the views were amazing. loved the rush

Fairly easy hike except the hike through the pines to the peak was a lot for this Texan. Tons of access to fresh water for the pups. Saw a lot signs of wildlife but no encounters. The trail is very clearly marked which is appreciated due to all the turn offs. A lot of shaded spots except for the way down the mountain. Not crowded at all but it was also a Wednesday. I would love to go back to this trail and with the many Golden has to offer I want to try them all.

Parts of this trail were fantastic and others were a bit less exciting. The apex of the loop doesn’t have much a view as you’re walking through the forest going up then just transitions downward. You have to take the side trail up to windy peak for a summit type view which was a really nice spot to stop and hang out on the rocks. Going counterclockwise you have a ton of fun creek crossings at the beginning of your advent. The last bit coming back to the start of the loop had some beautiful open hillsides with all the wildflowers in bloom early June.

This hike was overall very beautiful. However, it took about 8 miles to hike the whole thing and it was fairly difficult (towards the middle). In fact, the park classifies it as difficult! Plan being on taking at least 3 hours to finish or more and completely exhausted by the end!

In addition, a stream runs beside the trail and is relaxing and extremely enjoyable! The Mountain View was pretty and worth the hard work. I would definitely go again in the near future!

The full loop took us about four and a half hours. The whole hike was gorgeous. The stream ran next to the trail for most of the time.

There’s a $7 park entrance fee that you have to pay with cash.

The best view isn’t actually from the peak. It’s actually from west side of the peak. If you continue walking down the trail you’ll get to really see out onto the other peaks and valleys nearby.

Would definitely recommend this trail. Had a great time but was completely exhausted by the end.

Beautiful hike, highly recommended. Many stream crossings! We did counter clockwise, which with hindsight is IMO the best way. This way you also get the mountain bikers from the front, as that as their preferred direction. It was 7.3 miles for us though.

One of our favorites so far. Definitely more on the difficult side of moderate. We went counterclockwise and ended up avoiding a lot of the crowd which was nice. Pretty steady incline the first half of the hike, then a really nice decline along the creek. Ended with a little incline again before hitting the final decent back to the trail head. My Fitbit tracked this as 8 miles so I’m not sure what the discrepancy was there. Beautiful aspens throughout the hike.

We went counterclockwise and everything started out smooth. You definitely feel the burn when you get close to the Burro Trail around the 3-4 mile mark. The pup played in the creek every time we went to cross it, so he also had a good time. There’s lots of wildflowers blooming. Didn’t see any wildlife, but did find some moose scat (or elk, not entirely sure).

Nice trail with a good mixture of elevation changes. Our dog loved the creek the trail follows most of the way as well.

Still one of our favorites. Although it was very foggy this day and there were no views from Windy Peak, the hike through the foggy forest was surreal. The brook was running pretty good and made for a nice soundtrack to the hike and a few waterfalls. Very quiet because of the weather. However this trail tends to be pretty quiet most days. Great hike no matter the weather.

Beautiful hike! Well marked trail, a variety of different views and terrain. Didn't see a soul the entire time I was out there (for you solitude junkies)

This is a really great loop trail that passes through a remarkable variety of terrain and natural beauty. There’s quite a bit of snow on the north side, but traction is not necessary.

Did just the mountain lion trail loop today. Good time to go. Just a little snow on the back side going counterclock from the trail head parking lot. Some wildflowers and cactus beginning to bloom. Deer creek is flowing nice.

This hike was a lot of fun. We completed the trail counter-clockwise and it starts off headed down towards a creek that you follow for a decent stretch. There are plenty of nice views as you head back out towards the open front range, with gorgeous backdrop to the whitecaps. The terrain was equally diverse; rocky areas, snow, bridges. Because the trail goes down after the first mile be prepared for the strenuous part about 2/3 of the way through. Also, if you get spooked easily, this trail continues next to rock formations and cliffs that certainly appeal to be a lovely home for a mountain lion - hence the name. There are dues for the park as a heads up. Certainly check this one out, enjoy the hike!