Lionshead Rock Trail
Minturn, Colorado
See it on Google Maps
See it on AllTrails
Distance: About 4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Day, Time, & Season: Friday, Afternoon, August
Human Traffic: Minimal
Dog Traffic: None
On/Off Leash?: On Leash
Parking: Free, with a decent lot size
(Torch and I at the top)
Good Stuff
This trail had lots of different and beautiful scenery, which you can see in the video above. It’s an out and back trail. There are a couple scenic stops on the way to the top. It’s pretty easy to navigate, but there is a point at which you reach a very obvious fork in the road with not much direction. On the left is another trail and on the right, you have to cross a small stream. Go right and cross the stream. We made the mistake of going left, which was a different (and fairly overgrown) trail. Once you pass the stream, you’re going up on an incline almost the entire time on your way to the top. To give you an idea of how steep it is, AllTrails reports the elevation gain to be 1689 feet and it’s about 2 miles to the top. It’s a decent incline, but certainly not impossible. The highest point of elevation on this trail is about 9,400 feet. It’s a nice balance of difficulty and pretty views.
Bad Stuff
There really wasn’t much bad about this trail. It might be difficult for someone who has trouble with incline or altitude. If you’re unsure about how you will handle the high altitude, you may want to take a portable can of oxygen. There were a few rocky areas, but nothing that made me worry much about the dogs’ paws. The five dogs we took hiked no problem and were able to compete in a disc dog competition the next day. Wear shoes with good traction because it is steep going down.
Torch’s Thoughts in 5 Words or Less…
CAN I SWIM NOW?!
In conclusion, would we go again?
Yes.
(Key, Muse, Torch, Flash, and Volt at the first scenic overview)
SKY HIGH FLYING CANINES 