Trails · Red Feather Lakes
East Dowdy Lake Trail
An easy lakeside ramble right at the edge of town — short enough for little legs, pretty enough for everyone.
Toggle Terrain / USGS Topo / Satellite / Street (top-right) · route © COTREX/CPW · tap a marker for waypoints
The East Dowdy Lake Trail is about as close to home as a trail gets in Red Feather Lakes — a gentle 1.5-mile dirt path that traces the eastern shoulder of Dowdy Lake, one of the two big fishing lakes just north of the village. It runs through the ponderosa and lodgepole above the water, with the lake winking through the trees, and it’s a favorite of families camping at Dowdy Lake Campground: short, unhurried, and forgiving of small legs and slow mornings. COTREX has it open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses alike, so you’ll share it with the occasional rider or cyclist.
Because it sits inside the Canyon Lakes Ranger District’s Dowdy Lake recreation area, the trail is easy to stitch into a bigger day — loop it with the campground roads and the south-shore lanes for a longer lakeside walk, or use it as a warm-up before heading to the water. It’s a working recreation area, so a day-use or camping fee may apply at the entrance; check current conditions and fees with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District before you go, especially in shoulder seasons when the access road can be snowy or muddy.
Trail Facts
Length
1.5 mi
Elevation
8,010 → 8,210 ft
Elevation Gain
+80 ft
Type
Trail
Uses
Hike · Bike · Horse
Bikes
Allowed
Stock / Horse
Allowed
Dogs
Allowed
Surface
Dirt
Manager
USFS Canyon Lakes Ranger District
Getting There
Right in Red Feather Lakes: from the village, take Dowdy Lake Road off County Road 74E to the Dowdy Lake Campground and recreation area on the lake’s east side. The trail runs along the eastern shore — pick it up near the campground or the south-shore road. A day-use or camping fee may apply; confirm the trailhead and current fees on the map and with the Canyon Lakes Ranger District.
| 0.0 mi | Dowdy Lake Campground / trailhead (west end) |
| 1.5 mi | North-east end of the lakeside trail |
Know Before You Go
- Family-friendly. At 1.5 easy miles on dirt, it’s one of the gentlest walks in Red Feather — a good pick for kids, casual strollers, and warm-up legs.
- Shared use. COTREX lists it open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horses, so keep an eye out and yield courteously on the narrow stretches.
- Part of the Dowdy Lake network. It links naturally with the campground and south-shore roads for a longer lakeside loop within the recreation area.
- Check before you go. This is a USFS Canyon Lakes Ranger District fee area; confirm current conditions, fees, and seasonal access — the road in can be snowy or muddy in shoulder season.
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.
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- 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.