Greyrock Trail

Just eight miles up the Poudre Canyon, a footbridge over the river hands you onto one of the most-loved trails in the whole Canyon Lakes district — and it earns the crowd. Greyrock climbs west from the water through ponderosa and broken rock, then branches after about half a mile so you can go up one path and come down the other: the shorter, steeper Greyrock Trail, or the gentler, snow-holding Greyrock Meadows Trail. Waiting at the top is a great granite dome where the plains spill out to the northeast as far as the eye can carry and the mountains stand up in nearly every other direction.

Don't let all that popularity fool you into thinking it's a stroll. Both trails are rocky, with frequent steep ups and downs, and the final summit pitch is a real scramble — you'll want both hands and both feet in a few spots, and there's a seasonal pond near the top you may have to work around. Watch for poison ivy (the volunteers call it the trail's single biggest hazard), standing dead trees left from the 2012 Hewlett Fire, and afternoon lightning out on that exposed rock. Water is scarce and intermittent up here, so carry your own. Come early, wear real tread, and give yourself the whole day for the climb and the view.

Trail Facts

Getting There

From Ted's Place, follow CO-14 up the Poudre Canyon about 8.4 miles to the Greyrock parking lot on the south side of the highway (toilets at the lot). From there, walk down the steps, cross the highway, and cross the footbridge over the Poudre River to reach the trailhead. The lot is usually open in winter but isn't reliably plowed — the short, steep driveway can turn icy.

Know Before You Go

• Poison ivy is the big one. The volunteers flag it as the trail's most significant hazard — learn to spot it and stay on tread, especially in the lower canyon stretches.
• The summit is a scramble. The final 0.9-mile summit pitch is far steeper and harder to follow than the trails below; you'll need both hands and feet in places, and a warren of use-paths near the top makes route-finding tricky — watch for the wooden and metal reassurance markers.
• Burn country. Evidence of the 2012 Hewlett Fire lines much of the route — give standing dead trees a wide berth, especially in wind.
• Carry your water. Sources here are scarce and intermittent (a couple of seasonal trickles on the Greyrock Trail, none reliable on Greyrock Meadows) — pack all you'll need.
• Leashed dogs, no wheels, no stock. Dogs must be on a hand-held leash at all times; bikes, other wheeled conveyances, stock, and motorized use are all prohibited on this heavy-use National Recreation Trail.
• Camping is restricted. No camping or fires within a quarter-mile of the trailhead or within 200 feet of water or trail, and none beyond the marked sign near the summit — the two legal sites are dry, so haul water in.
• Winter is serious up high. The trailhead stays accessible year-round, but the lot ices over, snow can obliterate the Greyrock Meadows tread, and the summit trail is dangerous when icy — bring traction and don't attempt the top in winter unless you know it well.