Happy Trails: Rampart Reservoir

This favorite loop for bikers, hikers, trail runners and fishermen boasts the rare combination of mountain views and very little altitude gain. In a few weeks, add changing aspen and you have one of the best trails in the region.

To get there

Take U.S. Highway 24 west to Woodland Park. Turn right on Baldwin Street (at the light at McDonald's). Drive past the high school three miles to a fork in the road.

Turn right and climb 1.5 miles to an intersection with Rampart Range Road.

Turn right and drive two miles to the Rainbow Gulch Trailhead.

The hike

Start at the trailhead for Rainbow Gulch. Follow a gentle downhill road 1.25 miles until you reach the reservoir's edge. You'll see a wood bridge crossing the creek (which is actually not a creek, but water piped in from the Arkansas River). At this point, most people do the trail clockwise. In summer, this trail is a great place to look for wild iris, blue columbine and a host of other wildflowers. The trail contours along the many arms of the reservoir. A few spur trails meet it along the way; bear right at each one. In the first five miles of shoreline, bikers will encounter a few sections with huge boulders, but they are brief. In general the trail is smooth, fast and very rideable. At 8.25 miles the trail reaches the dam. If you're tired, don't worry, you're more than halfway and the hardest parts are done. Cross the dam and pick up the trail on the other side, just past the gate house. Follow the trail back along the shore to the bridge at Mile 12. You're now back in Rainbow Gulch. Bear left toward the trailhead, unless you want to do another lap. In winter, this is a great cross-country ski.

Details

Dogs welcome. Pikes Peak district, 636-1602.

Rating system

A scale of one to four boots. One is more gentle, with little elevation gain at a reasonable altitude. Four is most difficult, with severe elevation gain, difficult terrain or extreme distance or altitude.

Trip log

• Three boots
• 13-mile loop
• 300-foot elevation gain