Brackenbury Trail

There aren't many trails around here that spend nearly their whole length above the trees, and Brackenbury is one of them. It begins high on the shoulder of the Comanche Peak Wilderness, right beside the weathered Brackenbury Cabin where the upper Beaver Creek Trail hands you off, and from that first step you're out in the open — rolling alpine meadow, knee-high willows, and views that run clear to the horizon in every direction. Come in early or mid-summer and the tundra is stitched with wildflowers; the whole 2.1 miles gains only a couple hundred net feet, so this is less a climb than a long, breezy walk across the roof of the range.

Don't let the gentle numbers fool you, though. The tread comes and goes — in places it's plain underfoot, and in others you'll be reading the land from one medium-sized rock cairn to the next, so keep your eyes up and your route-finding honest. The footing is rocky and uneven more often than not, water is scarce until you reach the small creeks near the north end, and there's no shelter at all when the weather turns. Up here the sky is the whole story: start early, be off the exposed stretches before the afternoon builds, and turn back the moment you hear thunder. The trail ends where it meets the Mirror Lake Trail, a fine turnaround or the start of a longer loop.

Trail Facts

Getting There

There's no road to this one — the Brackenbury Trail is reached only by other trails. The usual approach from Ted's Place is up the Poudre Canyon and Pingree Park, then in on foot via the Zimmerman Trail (South) to short connecting segments of the Flowers & Beaver Creek trails, which deliver you to the Brackenbury junction near the old cabin. The access depends on Crown Point Road, which typically opens in late June and is closed all winter, so plan for a mid-summer to fall trip. See the Zimmerman, Flowers & Beaver Creek descriptions for the full approach.

Know Before You Go

• Above timberline the whole way. There's no tree cover for shelter, which makes lightning the real hazard — storms build fast up here, so start early and be off the exposed tundra by early afternoon.
• Cairn-to-cairn route-finding. The tread is faint or missing in stretches; follow the medium-sized rock cairns, and don't count on an obvious path. The footing is rocky and uneven in many spots.
• Carry your water. Little to none along the trail, especially by late August and September. Reliable sources are the two small creeks near the north end and a creek on the Mirror Lake Trail near the south end — treat anything you draw.
• It's a Wilderness trail. No bikes, no wheeled conveyances, no motorized use of any kind; group size is capped at 12 people and stock combined in the Comanche Peak Wilderness.
• Dogs on a hand-held leash with hikers (voice control with stock).
• Leave No Trace camping only. This is nearly all alpine meadow, so the only sound campsites are near the two ends — by the Beaver Creek junction or on the Mirror Lake Trail; keep camps and fires 200 feet from water and trail.
• Closed in winter. Crown Point Road doesn't open until about late June, so this is a mid-summer through fall trail.