Disclaimer: this is an opinion about our personal experience of this hike. Others may have a different opinion, and that is perfectly acceptable. Everyone has a right to their own opinion.
The Catamount Loop, known as the “Lumber Pine, Mule Deer, Mackinaw and Ridge Trails Loop” on AllTrails is an 8 1/2 mile loop trail around a gorgeous reservoir near Woodland Park in Colorado. Here is what we think you need to know about this hike.
1 - The views are STUNNING.
As you hike around the reservoir, you will have endless views of Pikes Peak, a 14,000 ft mountain in Colorado. We went counter-clockwise on the loop, so we got to stare at the mountain for 3/4 of the hike without having to turn our heads all that much. If you are more a water person, the reservoir itself offers stunning views of the blue/green water.
2 - The hike goes in and out of actual trails and dirt roads.
The dirt roads are NOT my favorite. It was honestly very disappointing to discover that the trail becomes a road for 2ish miles, in multiple different sections of the loop. During these stretches, there is no tree cover and can get really dusty if cars use the road to get down to the reservoir.
3 - There are very steep grinds up and down.
While the elevation gain listed on AllTrails says about 1,000 feet, there are a few extremely steep ups / downs that are full of loose gravel. Hello butt-burner!!
4 - Parking is free but spots in the lot are limited.
The designated parking lot for the trailhead has maybe a dozen or so parking spots, but the good news is, parking along the road is allowed! When we got there, all spots were taken, but it was pretty easy to find a spot on the side of the road - no high clearance vehicle needed.
5 - All in, we give this 3 out of 5 stars.
Without the views this hike offered, we’d honestly rank it less, just due to the fact that the trails go in and out of dirt roads to actual trails. Out of all the hikes we’ve done, it’s hard to justify ranking this one much higher - a hike to us is a trail fully submersed in nature, not something that you have to watch out for vehicles for a significant portion of the hike. We loved the views, loved the distance, and loved the variability of challenging inclines to flat trail. We just really wish there was a trail running next to the areas of dirt road instead of merging them into one.
