Flowers Trail
Description:
The
Flowers Trail begins at the end of the Old Flowers Road at an elevation of
8,870 feet, travels 15.1 miles through an elevation of 11,360 feet, and ends
at the Big South Trail along the Cache La Poudre River. This trail intersects
several trails including the Little Beaver Creek, Browns Lake, Beaver Creek,
Mirror Lake, and Big South trails. It crosses the Browns Lake Travel Zone
and ends in the Big South Travel Zone. Most of the trail travels through dense
stands of spruce and lodgepole pine with about 15 percent of the trail above
timberline. The trail leaves the trailhead and follows the Old Flowers Road
through lodgepole pine forest, climbing to 9,332 feet and then descending
to Beaver Park at 8,987 feet. From here it makes a long steady climb through
dense lodgpole pine forest, passing just south of Crown (11,637 feet) before
intersecting with the Browns Lake Trail (7.4 miles from the trailhead).
From
the Browns Lake Trail travels a short distance along the edge of a spruce
forest before climbing up over the alpine tundra. You'll pass points where
you will get breathtaking views of Browns Lake and Crown Point. The trail
over the tundra can be faint but is well marked with rock cairns. It eventually
descends into a dense spruce forest as it winds west and comes out on a rocky
ridge above the ruins of an old sheepherder's cabin. Here the Beaver Creek
and Brackenbury trails join. It is a short distance west along the ridge to
the Zimmerman Trail.
The
trail west from the Zimmerman Trail intersection is fairly level and travels
through scattered stands of spruce trees. It climbs up to a large, windswept
saddle where it intersects the Mirror Lake Trail and then continues down a
drainage to the Poudre River. Here it meets the Big South Trail. The trail
is very faint across the tundra, but is marked with rock cairns. You'll get
a spectacular view of the Rawahs and Rocky Mountain National Park from the
saddle.
Camping,
livestock, and open campfires are permitted in most of the areas traversed
by the trail. Within travel zones, camping is allowed only in designated campsites
and open campfires are prohibited (stoves only). Livestock are not permitted
overnight within the Browns Lake Travel Zone
Features:
| Length: |
15.1 miles (24.3 kilometers) |
| Elevation Range: |
8,884' - 11,352' |
| Elevation change: |
6,774 feet |
| Season: |
June 1 - Sept 30 |
| Difficulty: |
Moderate |
| Use: |
High |
| USGS maps: |
Chambers Lake, Comanche Peak, Kinikinik,
Rustic |
| Trailheads: |
Flowers |
| Restrictions: |
Pets must be on a leash, no open fires
in travel zones, camping in desinated campsites only in travel zones |
| Suitable for mountain bikes: |
No (not permitted in wilderness) |
| Suitable for horses: |
Yes |
Vicinity Map
Altitude Profile
Other
Nearby Resources:
Directions:
Take
Highway 287 north from Fort Collins to Laporte. Continue on Highway 287 to Highway
14. Travel west on 14 for 24 miles to the Pinegree Park Road. Turn left and
travel 6.4 miles to the Jacks Gulch Campground. The campground is on the right
side of the road. Take the Flowers Road through the campground for about 3.5
miles to the trailhead.
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