Frog Pond Trail

If you want a walk that trades big climbs for open meadows and easy miles, the Frog Pond Trail is a gentle one. It leaves the Dowdy Lake Day Use Area along the top of the earthen dam, drops past the spillway, and heads east into a soft, sun-dappled country of ponderosa pine and quaking aspen, with a scatter of juniper and Douglas-fir along the way. The going follows old roadbeds through meadow and forest — it barely gains a hundred feet from end to end — but don't let the flat profile fool you: the trail rolls up and down for a total of about 514 feet of climbing, and it can be wet and muddy in the low spots come spring. About nine-tenths of a mile in you'll pass a small pond ringed by a log fence, built so cattle can drink without trampling the whole bank.

This is working range, so expect cows in spring and summer, cyclists sharing the tread (e-bikes aren't allowed), and a few spots — especially near the East Loop junction — where the path grows faint and takes a little route-finding. Water is scarce; the two intermittent creeks in the eastern mile usually run into late season, but carry plenty because this ground gets hot and dry in summer. About 500 feet past the East Loop junction an unnamed creek crosses with no bridge and can be a real wade in high runoff. Keep an eye out near the end: the final fork is unsigned, so take the left (north) fork downhill about a tenth of a mile to the “End of Trail” sign — and stop there, because private land begins just beyond. For a slightly different way back, close the loop on the East Dowdy Lake Trail.

Trail Facts

Getting There

From Ted's Place, follow US-287 north 10.5 miles to “The Forks” at Livermore, then turn left onto the Red Feather Lakes Road (CR-74E). At mile marker 23.0, turn north onto Dowdy Road (CR-67A) and drive until the pavement ends. Turn east (right) onto Dowdy Lake Campground Road, then north (left) toward the Dowdy Lake Day Use Area. Stop at the self-serve kiosk to pay the year-round day-use fee (write your National Park / USFS pass number on the permit if you have one), then continue past the picnic area to the trailhead at the end of the road. Toilets are at the picnic area; there is limited stock-trailer parking with a small turnaround, and no water at the trailhead. You can also reach the trail from the Mt. Margaret trailhead at CR-74E mile marker 20.8 (toilets & good stock-trailer pull-throughs), which meets the Frog Pond Trail 2.4 miles in at the 3-way junction.

Know Before You Go

• Open range. Cattle graze this country in spring and summer — give them room, leave gates as you find them, and expect cow-churned mud in the meadows.
• Shared with bikes. Bicycles are allowed on this trail (e-bikes are not), so stay alert on the old roadbeds; motorized use is prohibited.
• Rolling, not flat. It's an easy grade but the trail rides up and down for about 514 ft of total climb — and near the East Loop junction the tread gets faint and takes some route-finding.
• Unbridged crossing. About 500 ft east of the East Loop junction an unnamed creek runs with no bridge; it can be a real wade in high runoff.
• Unsigned end. The final fork isn't marked — take the left (north) fork downhill about a tenth of a mile to the “End of Trail” sign, and turn back there; private land begins just beyond.
• Carry water. Water is scarce and the trail bakes in summer; the two intermittent creeks in the eastern mile usually flow into late season, but don't count on them.
• Dogs. Voice control is required at all times, and dogs must be leashed within 300 ft of Dowdy Lake.