Trails · Comanche Peak Wilderness
Comanche Peak Trail
A dirt path that climbs the high, quiet edge of the Comanche Peak Wilderness to the roof of the range on the Rocky Mountain National Park boundary.
Toggle Terrain / USGS Topo / Satellite / Street (top-right) · route © COTREX/CPW · tap a marker for waypoints
The Comanche Peak Trail is a short, honest climb — about 2.2 miles of dirt tread — that carries you up through the high country of the Comanche Peak Wilderness west of Pingree Park. COTREX has it as a hiking and horse trail, no bikes and no motors, which is exactly what you want up here: quiet timber, the hush of wind in the spruce, and the sense that the land is doing the talking. It runs roughly southwest to northeast, gaining ground steadily as it goes, until the trees thin and the country opens toward the crest.
At its upper end the trail brushes the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park near its namesake, Comanche Peak — a broad, tundra-topped summit on the divide between the wilderness and the park. This is real high-country wilderness travel: bring layers, carry water and treat it, and keep one eye on the afternoon sky, because storms build fast over these ridgelines. Trail conditions and access change with the seasons and with fire history in this drainage, so check current conditions with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District before you go.
Trail Facts
Length
2.2 mi
Elevation
10,680 → 12,530 ft
Elevation Gain
+1,850 ft
Type
Trail
Uses
Hike · Horse
Bikes
Not allowed
Stock / Horse
Allowed
Dogs
Not allowed
Surface
Dirt
Manager
USFS Canyon Lakes RD (RMNP boundary up top)
Getting There
Reached from the upper Pingree Park area off Pingree Park Road (CR-63E), which leaves CO-14 in the Poudre Canyon. The trail climbs the Comanche Peak Wilderness toward Comanche Peak on the Rocky Mountain National Park boundary; confirm the trailhead and current access on the map, and check with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District for road and trail status.
| 0.0 mi | Lower end (access) — Pingree Park / Cirque Meadows side |
| 2.2 mi | Upper end — RMNP boundary near Comanche Peak |
Know Before You Go
- Wilderness rules apply. This is the Comanche Peak Wilderness — no bikes, no e-bikes, no motorized use; travel on foot or horseback only.
- Foot and stock. COTREX lists this as a hiking and horse trail on dirt tread; bikes and motors are not allowed.
- Park boundary up top. The upper end meets the Rocky Mountain National Park boundary near Comanche Peak — dogs are not allowed in that country, so leave them home for this one.
- Check current conditions. Weather, snow, and fire history change access in this drainage; confirm road and trail status with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District before heading up.
Take the Trail With You
Load the route onto your phone's GPS app, or print the details for the glovebox.
Coming soon — the Red Feather Lakes Trail App: offline maps and live GPS for every local trail, right in your pocket.
Built by Many Hands — Give a Little Back
Love this guide? Wear it. Every hat, tee, and cozy layer in our Red Feather Lakes collection helps us keep mapping trails and keeping this guide free — mountain apparel designed right here in the high country, with more trail gear on the way.
Shop the Collection →These trails don't tend themselves either. Every mile is watched over by volunteers and public stewards we lean on to bring you this guide — if you love these mountains, please pitch in for them too:
- Poudre Wilderness Volunteers — trail patrols & the official trail description Donate →
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife / COTREX — the mapped trail route & statewide trail data Donate →
- Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest (USFS) — the public land itself Support →
- OpenStreetMap contributors — the Street basemap Donate →
- Google & USGS — trailhead location, ratings & topographic maps
Trail details compiled by the Red Feather Lakes Travel Guide from the sources above. Photography by us — more of our own trail images coming as we hike them.