Hiking Crags Trail | Beautiful and Diverse Day Hike

Being in the Pikes Peak vicinity of Pike-San Isabel National Forest, many people choose to hike Pikes Peak or Devil’s Playground Trail. But hiking Crags Trail is a great day hike opportunity with very beautiful scenery and an exciting destination. The finale includes numerous rock pinnacle formations to explore as well as a well earned mountain vista. Read on to find out more about what to expect hiking Crags Trail near Divide.

Quick Info: Hiking Crags Trail

Distance: About 5 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate

Directions: From Colorado Springs, follow Highway 24 East for about 26 miles to Divide. Then turn left/south on Highway 67, continue 4 miles then turn left onto Forest Road 383. After about 3 miles you will reach the trailhead for hiking Crags Trail. Or click here to get directions.

Know Before You Go: There are vault toilets at the trailhead. No camping or fires along Forest Road 383 except in the developed Crags Campground which is located just past the trailhead parking area.

Our Experience Hiking Crags Trail

Since we were dispersed camping nearby in Pikes National Forest, we decided to check out Crags Trail. When we arrived at the parking area, there were a good amount of vehicles. But this parking area is used for several hikes in the area.

The trail begins by crossing a bridge over Fourmile Creek and gently climbs through the woods.

Before long, the trail starts to parallel the pretty creek and reaches an intersection with Devil’s Playground Trail. Stay left to continue hiking Crags Trail.

After the initial climb, the trail is pretty mellow as it traverses the scenic valley. At first there were a lot of conifers, but then it opens up allowing for bigger views.

That’s when we started noticing some boulders and rock formations as well as a pointy peak in the distance.

The soft grasses along the mellow dirt trail created a perfect atmosphere for taking in the surrounding boulders, conifer covered mountainsides and eventually aspen groves. The leaves were just beginning to turn yellow, seemingly by the minute.

The trail felt so peaceful. It probably helped that there was only about 800 feet of elevation gain mostly found at the beginning and end of the hike. Plus, while we were hiking Crags Trail we only encountered one other party on the entire trail.

Hike it Later – Pin it Now

After hiking through the valley, we reentered the woods and began the ascent. We were surrounded by towering trees and many roots underfoot.

After a bit of elevation gain through the woods, the views opened up again and we were treated with some beautiful scenery! We continued hiking Crags Trail up through a pretty steep section to a large rock slab. That’s about the time that an already beautiful and refreshing hike got even better.

We were among the magnificent bristlecone pines and the cool rock formations. Plus we had wonderful views of the surrounding landscape, blue skies and the euphoria from being among such natural beauty. And it always helps to have an experience like this all to ourselves.

After taking in the beautiful scenery in every direction and trying to capture even a fraction of it on our camera, we headed back the way we came.

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you enjoyed this article about hiking Crags Trail. It was the perfect little day hike with plenty of great scenery. We love checking out new areas as we travel to new places. If you’d like to read about more of our hiking adventures, check out the links below:

• Lower Monument Canyon Loop
• Hiking Teocalli Peak
• American Lakes Trail and Thunder Pass
• Backpacking Lassen Volcanic National Park

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