The Crags (Pikes Peak Area)

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After a few weeks of bad weather, my folks and I decided to head down to the Pikes Peak area for what would be our last hike of the season. By this point, several areas in the mountains had already received a fair amount of snow and there was a very noticable chill to the air. The Pikes Peak Massif towers over Colorado Springs to the east and provides some of the most stunning mountain views in all of Colorado. The Crags area is a genuinely unusual and impressive region on the northwest corner of the massif featuring huge outcroppings of Pikes Peak granite formed during a period of ancient volcanic instability. These aptly named formations jut out over the pine and aspen forest, creating a rather surreal hiking environment. The trail itself is only about five miles long and is never particularly difficult until a short incline is reached at the end.

Despite the pleasent weather in Denver, it was downright cold on this hike. There were ominous grey clouds swirling around Pikes Peak, making it look like something out of a creepy movie. Recent snow made the trail soggy and muddy, but none of these issues affected my enjoyment of the hike. As we passed through the towering rocks, I was struck by the feeling that we may not actually be on Planet Earth anymore. Needless to say, the Crags are unlike anything I've ever seen. Despite the threat of nasty weather rolling down off of the peak, we decided to see the hike through to the end. After the short, but fairly steep climb at the end, we were rewarded with incredible views of most of the Crags, the snow-covered slopes of Pikes Peak, and the rolling foothills to the east. This is a really fun and easy hike, but it requires a fairly lengthy drive if you're headed there from Denver. I would recommend getting an early start to avoid inclement weather.

Directions: From Denver, take I-25 south to Colorado Springs. Take US highway 24 east to the town of Divide, then follow state highway 67 south for a little over 4 miles towards Cripple Creek. As you are headed south, look for signs indicating the Crags campground. Turn left (east) onto County Road 62 which turns into the unpaved Forest Road 383. The road dead-ends at the Crags trailhead.

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