Crosier Mountain Trail

Crosier Mountain rises south of County Road 43 (Devil's Gulch Road) between Glen Haven and Drake, in the Roosevelt National Forest under the Canyon Lakes Ranger District. It's one of the best low-effort viewpoints in the Estes Valley, and most people hike it one of two ways from the Glen Haven trailhead at the west end of the village, behind the horse stables.

The classic route is a 5.4-mile loop: head up the Glen Haven trail about two miles to the first junction, bear onto the Rainbow (Gravel Pit) Trail and drop down to its trailhead on CR-43, then walk the road a little over a mile back to your car. If you want the summit, stay on the Glen Haven trail past that junction — it climbs through ponderosa, aspen, and open parks, passes a small weathered old cabin near the Garden Gate junction (a quiet reminder of the homesteaders who worked this country), and finishes with a short half-mile spur to the 9,246-foot top, about 3.8 miles one-way. From up there the view opens in every direction: Longs Peak and the Twin Sisters to the south, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park to the southwest and west, Signal Mountain to the northwest, and the plains rolling away east.

Trail Facts

Getting There

The Glen Haven Trailhead is at the west end of the village of Glen Haven, behind the horse stables — from Estes Park, take Devil's Gulch Road (CR-43) about 7 miles northeast. For the loop you finish at the Rainbow / Gravel Pit Trailhead, about 1.3 miles back down CR-43, and walk the road to your car (no shuttle needed). There is no water and no fee at the trailhead — use the map above to line up your start, and check current conditions with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District before you go.

0.0 mi	Glen Haven Trailhead — behind the stables at the west end of Glen Haven (CR-43)
2.1 mi	First junction — bear onto the Rainbow (Gravel Pit) Trail for the loop, or stay left/up for the summit
4.0 mi	Rainbow / Gravel Pit Trailhead on Devil's Gulch Road
5.4 mi	Back to the Glen Haven Trailhead via Devil's Gulch Road

Know Before You Go

• Two ways to hike it. The classic 5.4-mile loop — up the Glen Haven trail to the first junction, down the Rainbow (Gravel Pit) Trail, and about 1.3 miles of Devil's Gulch Road back to your car — or continue past the junction to the 9,246-ft summit (about 7.6 miles out-and-back).
• The loop closes on the road. The last stretch back to the Glen Haven trailhead is a walk along Devil's Gulch Road (CR-43), not trail — a little over a mile, and no car shuttle needed.
• Big views up top. If you go for the summit, it opens up to Longs Peak and the Twin Sisters, Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, Signal Mountain, and the eastern plains.
• Shared, multi-use trail. Open to hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers — no motorized use (per COTREX). Yield to horses and step aside on blind corners.
• Dogs on a leash. Dogs are welcome; keep them leashed and pack out waste.
• Carry your own water. This is a dry ridge with little to no reliable water — bring plenty, and watch the afternoon sky for lightning up on the open summit.
• Check the season. The lower forest is hikeable much of the year, but the upper mountain holds snow in winter and can be icy — confirm current conditions with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District.