The rocky hilltop at the end of Mount Margaret Trail (FS 167) is actually 150 feet lower than the trailhead, so technically you will “descend to the summit”—a funny idea—but the pleasant, easy trail offers a fun scramble to the top and some nice views in the Red Feather Lakes region.
The trail begins in rolling ponderosa forest where the trees are spaced enough apart to reveal some of the curious rock formations that exist along much of this walk. Aspens soon join the mix and remain profuse, making this trail a brilliant choice in fall. Birdsong is also plentiful along these old logging roads, and you may hear woodpeckers drumming.
At 0.8 miles, you’ll reach a willow bottom and cross a stream. Three photogenic rock mounds rise behind you. A half mile later, you’ll pass through a gated fence; the fence is used to control the cattle that graze here in summer on public land permits. A trail branches left to Dowdy Lake, a short trip worth a jaunt on the return journey. The lake is one of a chain of reservoirs built more than a century ago that were called the Mitchell Lakes—until Princess Redfeather came along, that is.
Horse and rider on Mount Margaret Trail
Fall foliage along Mount Margaret Trail
Tsianina (“Cha-nee-nah”) Redfeather was a renowned Native American mezzo-soprano and musician. Born on a reservation in Oklahoma, she received sponsorship and moved to Denver at a young age to study music. There she met composer Charles Wakefield Cadman. Cadman’s famous piece “From the Land of the Sky-blue Water” became her signature song—and later the jingle for Hamm’s beer. “Princess Redfeather” became a Denver-based celebrity, and when some developers were looking for a new name for the Mitchell Lakes, where they wanted to build a resort in the 1920s, they appropriated her Indian motif and her putative ancestor, a Cherokee leader named Redfeather. According to legend, Chief Redfeather died in a battle against the Pawnees in the region of these lakes.
At 2.5 miles, you’ll arrive at a five-way intersection; proceed straight ahead on the main trail. A half mile later, you’ll enter a huge meadow with a pond surrounded by a crossbuck fence built to keep out livestock. Keep left as Divide Trail branches right. It seems the woods and flats will go on forever, but soon a valley opens to the right with startling rock peaks across the way. Your destination becomes visible along the ridge to the left, and you realize that after all this downhill progress you really will be climbing a mountain.
Abert’s squirrel along Mount Margaret Trail
Continue to the “End of Trail” sign—but perish the thought. This is the funnest part! From a campfire ring, scramble up the rocks—any way is a good way as long as you remain close to the spine.
The summit is a conglomeration of boulders perched over North Lone Pine Creek Valley, offering views southwest to the Mummy Range. Nestled in the verdant valley to the east is a ranch that looks like a true home on the range. Now called the Maxwell Ranch, it may be the source of this mountain’s name. In 1926, a wealthy Denver widow named Margaret Goldsborough bought land there as a wedding present for her daughter. The marriage lasted only a few years, but the name of the mountain endured.
The easy walk back might be tiring for children, but only because of the distance. Save a snack for a rest break along the trail, or take the path down to Dowdy Lake and splash a bit.
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 269B, then CO 14 west and US 287 north through Fort Collins. Continue on US 287 north for about 20 miles to Livermore. Turn left on West CR 74E (Red Feather Lakes Road) and proceed 20 miles to the parking lot for Mount Margaret Trailhead, on the right. 2 hours.
8 Emmaline Lake
An easy valley stroll morphs into a stiff climb that ends in a dazzling cirque in Comanche Peak Wilderness, where two lakes are tucked up high in remote wildlands.
At a Glance
| Difficulty | Distance/Time | 12.5 miles/5 hours | |
| Trail Conditions | Trailhead ElevationTotal Hiking Gain | 9,000 feet2,000 feet | |
| Children | Features | Forest, meadow with mountain views, cirque and lakes | |
| Scenery | Best Season | Summer | |
| Photo | Other Users | Horses, dogs on leash | |
| Solitude | Notes | Toilets at nearby Tom Bennett Campground | |
| Property | Roosevelt National Forest, Comanche Peak Wilderness | Jurisdiction | U.S. Forest Service |
Don’t be put off by the length of this hike. Only the last two outbound miles involve serious uphill going; otherwise, it is a fairly easy stroll. The views are splendid from the start of the hike, where you’ll see two cirques dropping from the distant ridge between Fall Mountain and Comanche Peak. You’re heading to the cirque on the right.
Follow the jeep road from the parking area, Forest Road 147, half a mile to a gate, where it becomes Emmaline Lake Trail (FS 945). Continue through a vast grove of small aspens peppered with mountain golden banner and other flowers. Below, in Pingree Park, you’ll see the buildings of CSU’s Mountain Campus, where forestry courses have been offered since the 1910s.
Cirque through the trees, Emmaline Lake Trail
Soon young lodgepole pines appear among the aspens—confirmation that this hillside is several decades into fire recovery. The blaze, which raged in the dry summer of 1994, was likely caused by a lightning strike on the northeast ridge. Fueled by dense pines (which had sprouted after another fire all the way back in 1890), the 1994 blaze burned a 1,275-acre swath through half the campus buildings. This hillside is now an outdoor classroom for the study of forest regrowth.
The murmur of Fall Creek intensifies as you continue down the road. Cross the creek and proceed through mature lodgepoles, keeping right when Mummy Pass Trail branches left. Two hairpin turns signal your arrival at Cirque Meadows, a lovely creek bottom with views to the headwalls. At 3.5 miles it’s an attractive destination. But you’re more than halfway to the lakes, and have gained half the elevation, so why not carry on?
A right turn takes you through woods