Trap Park Trail (FS 995) begins as an old range road, rising in forest to a washed-out hairpin turn above Trap Lake. You might think this name is a legacy of beaver-trapping days, but in truth it refers to the snares set by early settlers to control pesky bears.
You’ll traverse on the old road into a narrow valley, where Trap Creek tumbles below. This uphill section doesn’t last long, and in about a mile the trail mellows in a basin. Iron Mountain makes its first appearance as a smooth, twin-humped hill in the distance. Nearer on the left are the handsome crags of Flat Top Mountain. Ahead is an expanse of meadow and willow which makes a nice neighborhood for moose. They are likely there even if you don’t see them; these largest members of the deer family obscure themselves quite well in the riverine bushes they feed on.
Moose usually keep their distance and pretend to ignore you. If one approaches, it is probably not a friendly matter. Back away slowly and don’t throw anything. Moose can be problematic for hikers because they have few natural enemies, show little fear of humans, and hate dogs, which they regard as wolves and have been known to kick. Moose cows are protective of their newborns in spring, and both males and females can be aggressive during fall mating season, when you might hear the low-pitched grunts of bulls and the higher, longer wails of cows. At other times of the year moose can seem entirely benign, curiously approaching cars and houses, even walking onto front porches and staring into windows.
The road becomes a two-track trail in the grass and crosses the creek. Now you get a sense of the park’s vastness: it stretches for two miles, to the base of Iron Mountain. As the trail continues above-right of the creek, the mountains approach as if in a slow-motion zoom. After a bit the path rises a little higher into the fringe of shady pines. Higher still on both sides is the boundary of Neota Wilderness. At 10,000 acres, Neota is small for a wilderness area, filling in a space between other reserves. In addition to having no roads, which is a requirement of all federal wilderness areas, Neota also has almost no trails.
Trap Park Trail
As you near the end of the park, the path veers to its center, crosses the stream twice, and fades away in forest. At 3 miles this is a fine picnic spot and a good place to turn around. Or you can explore the woods by continuing on a faint path along the right side of the creek, where you might find moose beds matted down in the grass. A metal sign on a tree lets you know you’ve entered the wilderness area. The social trail continues left of a small meadow, where there are nice views of the shoulder of Iron Mountain. At a stream crossing, it diverges into several freelance routes.
To kick the day’s adventure up a notch, consider hiking up Iron Mountain! It’s a straightforward ascent and adds 3 miles (round-trip) and 1,500 feet of elevation to the hike. To do it, follow social trails or make your own way up-left of the stream to where the rocky tundra takes over. From there it’s easy to pick a way to the obvious summit, where you’ll get great views across Rocky Mountain National Park and a special vista of Mount Richthofen and the formidable Nokhu Crags of the Never Summer Range.
Iron Mountain from Trap Park
From Denver. Take I-25 north to Exit 269B, then CO 14 west and US 287 north through Fort Collins. Turn left to continue on CO 14 west and proceed another 53 miles up Poudre Valley. Turn left on Long Draw Road (Forest Road 156), drive 2.9 miles, and turn right. The Trap Lake Trailhead and parking lot are 0.1 miles ahead. 2 hours, 50 mins.
11 Twin Crater Lakes
This lovely long woodsy walk goes deep into Rawah Wilderness near the Wyoming border, where a sequence of stream valleys leads to a pair of remote alpine lakes set beneath a stony cirque.
At a Glance
| Difficulty | Distance/Time | 13 miles/6 hours | |
| Trail Conditions | Trailhead ElevationTotal Hiking Gain | 8,600 feet2,600 feet | |
| Children | Features | Aspens, forested river valley, meadow, high lakes and cirque | |
| Scenery | Best Season | Summer | |
| Photo | Other Users | Horses, dogs on leash | |
| Solitude | Notes | Laramie River Road closed December to early June, toilets at trailhead | |
| Property | Rawah Wilderness | Jurisdiction | U.S. Forest Service |
Lace up your boots well for some rigorous—and rewarding—wilderness walking. It takes some effort to reach the heart of the majestic Medicine Bow Range, but intrepid day-trippers will find it worthwhile. After scoping out the region, you might feel compelled to return with overnight gear and spend days wandering this lonely northern swath of Front Range.
West Branch Trail to Twin Crater Lakes
Begin West Branch Trail (FS 960) by walking a short distance south alongside Laramie River Road, then curve right to cross a bridge over a confluence of canals. These canals divert summer meltwater east through a tunnel. Continue on a service road beside one of the canals, and then branch left to cross it and head into conifer forest. Aspens mix in and become the predominant species as the trail enters Rawah Wilderness and continues up the valley. Morning mists rise as the trail gains steadily on white stones, making occasional switchbacks to stay above the river. The grade isn’t steep, and there’s an extended downhill stretch that’s easy to forget about until the walk back.
Below is the West Branch of the Laramie, on its way to join the North Platte in Wyoming. The river—along with a city, county, fort, and mountain—is named for the French-Canadian trapper and trader Jacques La Ramie. Born in Quebec, La Ramie set out in 1815 for the headwaters of the North Platte, where he helped run an annual rendezvous of independent trappers. In autumn of 1820 he went trapping along what became his namesake river, and didn’t show up for the spring rendezvous. It’s intriguing to imagine that he spent his last days right here, along this stream, but it’s more likely that he met his doom on the Wyoming prairie, where a search party found a partly built cottonwood cabin and a broken beaver trap.
Approach to Twin Crater Lakes
At 2.75 miles keep straight as Camp Lake Trail branches right. Less than a mile farther, you’ll cross the stream and arrive at another fork; turn right here onto Rawah Trail (FS 961) to continue