North Lone Pine Trail

Tucked up Deadman Road past the Pot Belly, North Lone Pine is the kind of quiet, mostly shady trail that rewards a slow eye. The first mile runs nearly level through a lodgepole forest still stitched with old USFS axe blazes and small rock cairns — watch, too, for the occasional orange “953” marker nailed to a tree. It's easy walking until the path drops to North Lone Pine Creek and makes three quick crossings between miles 0.9 and 1.2; that lower stretch is your only dependable water, so tank up and treat it, because the southern three-plus miles run dry.

Above the creek the trail steepens and the route-finding earns its keep: you'll cross an old logging road twice, thread a clear-cut where cairns are your best friend, and pick your way over rocky ground and granite outcrops toward a boggy, wildflower-filled bench near the top. It finishes in dry, open forest east of Middle Bald Mountain, ending at Bald Mountain Road (FDR-517) beneath a little “953” sign. Two honest cautions: give the collapsing experiment shed near mile 0.8 a wide berth — the ground around it is snarled with loose barbed wire — and remember bikes are allowed here, so keep an ear out on the blind corners.

Trail Facts

Getting There

From Ted's Place, drive north on US-287 for 10.5 miles to “The Forks” at Livermore, turn left, and follow the Red Feather Lakes Road (CR-74E) toward the community of Red Feather Lakes. Just after the Pot Belly Restaurant, turn left onto Deadman Road (CR-86) and follow it to the trailhead — on a ridge to your left (south), 1.5 miles past a Forest Service gate and emergency call box. Total distance from The Forks is about 28 miles. Deadman Road is closed in winter. Limited stock-trailer parking sits at the trailhead, with more across the road or ¼ mile farther at the FR 300 junction. No water at the trailhead; the nearest toilets are at the North Fork Poudre Campground (when open), about 2.5 miles farther up the road.

Know Before You Go

• Route-finding. The tread runs faint in spots — follow the old axe blazes, rock cairns, and orange “953” markers, especially through the clear-cut and across the two logging-road crossings.
• Barbed wire. An abandoned USFS experiment shed near mile 0.8 is ringed with loose barbed wire and is falling apart — steer clear and do not go inside.
• Creek crossings. Three unbridged crossings of North Lone Pine Creek between miles 0.9 and 1.2 can be wet; the lower 1.25 miles is your only reliable water — treat it, and expect the southern 3+ miles to be dry.
• Burn country. A Cameron Peak Fire (2020) fire line shows at the start and end of the trail — watch for standing dead trees and washouts after rain.
• Bikes on trail. Bicycles are allowed (e-bikes and all motorized use are prohibited), so stay alert for riders on blind corners.
• Rocky footing for stock. Above the second road crossing the trail turns rocky with poor footing; stock must be fed only pellets or certified weed-free hay throughout the trip.
• Season & dogs. Deadman Road (CR-86) is closed in winter — the trail is typically reachable mid-June once it opens. Keep dogs under voice control at all times.