Trails · Homestead Meadows Historic District
Homestead Meadows Trail
A high mountain park scattered with the weathered cabins, barns, and fences of eight turn-of-the-century homesteads — a National Register historic district you reach on foot, up the Lion Gulch Trail.
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Homestead Meadows is a living museum you have to earn. Tucked in the hills above US-36 between Estes Park and Lyons, this broad mountain park was home to eight families who filed and proved up homesteads here between 1889 and 1923, running cattle and cutting timber in country that never gave anything away for free. When they left, the buildings stayed — and today the Roosevelt National Forest protects the surviving cabins, barns, root cellars, and fence lines as a district on the National Register of Historic Places.
You reach the meadows by climbing about three miles up the Lion Gulch Trail from the highway, then wander a network of paths that link the individual homestead sites — the Griffith, Brown, Boren, Walker, and other places — spread across the meadow over several more miles. It's a wonderful, unhurried day: part hike, part history walk. Open to hikers, horses, and mountain bikes; leashed dogs welcome. Everything here is protected — look and photograph, but leave every artifact exactly where it lies.
Trail Facts
Difficulty
Moderate (via Lion Gulch)
Trails in the meadow
~6 mi of connecting paths
Elevation
8,294 → 9,149 ft
Elevation Gain
gentle within the meadow
History
8 homesteads, 1889–1923 · National Register
Access
~3 mi up the Lion Gulch Trail
Uses
Hike · Horse · Bike
Dogs
Allowed (on leash)
Season
Late spring–fall
Manager
USFS Canyon Lakes Ranger District
Getting There
Homestead Meadows is reached on foot only, by hiking about 3 miles up the Lion Gulch Trail from its trailhead on US-36 (7 miles east of Estes Park). Once in the meadows, a signed network of paths connects the individual homestead sites — plan a full day to see several. No water or facilities; carry your own.
| 3.3 mi | Griffith Homestead (from the Lion Gulch Trailhead) |
| ~4.0 mi | Hill & Walker homestead sites |
| 4.3 mi | Brown Homestead |
| 4.8 mi | Boren Homestead |
| + | Additional homestead sites & loops deeper in the meadow |
Know Before You Go
- Protected history — leave it be. The cabins and everything in and around them are federally protected; do not enter unstable structures, remove artifacts, or disturb the sites.
- It's a full day. Just reaching the meadows is ~3 miles; seeing several homesteads adds several more — carry food, water, and layers.
- Getting here. Access is via the Lion Gulch Trail only (US-36 trailhead) — there's no drive-up.
- Dogs on leash. National Forest land — leashed dogs welcome; pack out waste.
- Bring a map. The in-meadow paths branch to many sites; a map (or the offline app) keeps you oriented.
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.