Trap Park Trail

Trap Park is the rare high-country trail that gives you a lot and asks for a little. From the small lot off Long Draw Road it starts up an old road bed, and within the first quarter-mile you pick your way across a talus slope — loose footing, a switchback through the boulders, and then a reward: a clean view down to Trap Lake, where moose stand in the shallows at just about any season. Keep climbing along the hillside east of Trap Creek and, near the one-mile mark, the trees open into the park itself — a wide, willow-laden meadow with Iron Mountain off to the southwest and Flat Top Mountain to the south. In late August the boulder field near the top hides raspberries, and in wet meadow season the wildflowers come on thick.

This is genuinely easy hiking by mountain standards — only about 580 feet of net gain over 3.1 miles — but the creek keeps you honest. There are three unbridged crossings of Trap Creek (near miles 1.0, 2.9, and 3.0) plus a dozen or more little intermittent channels and boggy patches, so in high runoff dry boots are a lost cause; pack water shoes or sandals and trekking poles and take the crossings slowly. Moose are common the whole way, so give them a wide, quiet berth. The maintained trail ends at a birdhouse sign on the Neota Wilderness boundary; beyond it the country turns to off-trail tundra above timberline. Come prepared for a wet, remote day — and know that Long Draw Road isn't plowed and usually doesn't open until early July.

Trail Facts

Getting There

From Ted's Place, drive west on CO-14 for 53.7 miles to mile marker 69.5 and turn left onto Long Draw Road (FDR-156), directly across from the Blue Lake parking lot. Follow Long Draw Road 2.9 miles, then turn right onto a short, rough road (marked 148-1) that crosses Trap Creek and leads to the small trailhead lot. The lot is small with little turn-around room for stock trailers, and there are no toilets. Long Draw Road isn't plowed in winter and usually opens in early July.

Know Before You Go

• Moose country. Moose are frequently seen in and near Trap Lake and throughout the willowy park — keep your distance, keep dogs leashed and close, and never get between a cow and her calf.
• Wet feet are likely. Three unbridged Trap Creek crossings (near miles 1.0, 2.9, and 3.0) plus a dozen or more intermittent channels and boggy meadows mean high runoff can make dry boots impossible — carry water shoes or sandals and trekking poles.
• Talus early. A talus slope with poor footing begins about 0.15 mile in and switchbacks through the boulders around 0.25 mile — slow, careful steps, and a nice Trap Lake view as the payoff.
• Treat your water. Trap Creek and its tributaries run alongside most of the trail (dry only along the lower 0.5 mile), so water is easy to find — but purify it before drinking.
• Short season. Long Draw Road isn't plowed and typically opens in early July; in snow season the only way in is to ski, snowshoe, or snowmobile the 2.9 miles from CO-14.
• No bikes, no motors. Bicycles, other wheeled conveyances, and motorized transport are all prohibited; dogs must be on a hand-held leash with hikers, and camping and fires are banned within a ¼ mile of the trailhead.
• Edge of the wild. The maintained trail ends at the Neota Wilderness boundary — beyond the birdhouse sign it's off-trail travel on open tundra above timberline, so turn back here unless you're equipped for it.