Hike Review: Legault Mountain, Conifer, CO

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.

If you live on the southwest side of Denver and are looking for a great hike that doesn’t take too long to drive to, this is one we would recommend!

The Legault Mountain trail is a 5 1/4 mile hike, part of which is a loop, and other parts are out and back. What we mean by that is after the first mile or so, there is a split and you can pick to go left or right - either way will get you to the same place. If you are looking to head to the summit, there is a spot at the top of the loop that branches off, and becomes an out and back.

Trailhead!

Parking:

This hike has limited park lot parking, so unless you get there really early in the summer, be prepared to park on the side of the road. When we went, we had about a 1/4 mile walk to get to the trailhead from where we found parking on the side of the road. Luckily, there is a lot of road side availability!

Restrooms:

Yes, there is a restroom vault on this hike! They were closed for cleaning when we hiked by them, and we didn’t need to use them on the way down, so we don’t know what they offer as to running water or not.

The Hike:

We give this hike a 4 out of 5 stars. It has a wonderful mix of steep inclines and flat trail. When we hiked, it was rainy and the trail didn’t get slick or overly washed out. The reviews on AllTrails said the views from the top were amazing - we were unable to see much due to the rain, so we will be back to check them out in the future!

Know before you go:

• The turn off to continue to the top of the mountain is not marked. There is a downed tree that kind of blocks off the turn, so the first time we hiked on by without realizing it was the turn off to continue up. Luckily, it’s a loop, so if you miss the turn like we did, you are heading back down to the base - you will not get lost.

• It’s crowded. We knew it would be crowded and chose to hike it anyway - but based on the amount of vehicles parked on the side of the road on a day that was rainy and cooler, it has to be extremely crowded on nice days.

• You will be able to hear traffic from 285 for pretty much the entire hike. While it didn’t bother us too much, if you are looking to only hear the sounds of birds chirping and the wind between the leaves, you’ll be disappointed to know that the sounds you are hearing are in fact the motorcycles out for a day drive along 285.

• There are TONS of designated picnic spots! If you are interested in sitting at a table and enjoying lunch or a snack, there are a lot of picnic tables at the base of the hike.

All in, we liked the hike and want to return when the sun in shining so we can check out the views from the top! If you check this hike out, or already have, let us know what you think of it in the comments!

Happy Trails!
~ Team Be Outdoors

Additional Resources You Might Enjoy:

Eagle’s View Trail

Maxwell Falls Trail

Day Trip Hiking Pack List

Sunny Aspen Trail is the loop that will take you up and back down - it does not matter which way you choose to go.

Behind this downed tree is the trail that will take you to the top. There is no sign pointing up - it’s to the left from this photo perspective - so you just have to know where it is, or use your GPS to find it.

Hike Review: Catamount Loop, Woodland Park, Colorado

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.

Additional Resources You Might Enjoy:

Day Trip Hiking Pack List

Hiking Reviews

Our Top 5 Quarantine Activities

We have officially been on “self quarantine” orders for a month now. To say the adjustment hasn’t been easy is an understatement, which we are sure the entire world can relate to. We miss our trails, the mountains, the freedom of happy hours and time spent with friends and family. But through this all, we’ve found a new routine and a few favorite activities to help us compensate our need to be in the mountains somewhere. We hope you enjoy these as much as we have been!

1. Walking and Biking on Local Trails

   We talked about the fact that we live very close to bike trails in our blog post on how to not feel as cooped up inside (check it out here!) and we have been making daily use of them. We can walk or ride down to the trails - which are paved bike and running trails - and have our pick of which direction to head. One way heads toward a brewery (major bonus that they are still open for to-go beers!), the other heads toward downtown Denver. If we really wanted to, we could easily get a 40+ mile bike ride in on the same trail.

2. Bonfires in the Backyard

   We are making use of our fire pit on a weekly basis! We love camping, and having a bonfire makes us feel like we are enjoying a peaceful night at a campsite. Bonus points if you make s’mores and extra bonus points if you pitch your tent in your backyard (or living room)!

3. Watching National Park Documentaries

   Hello, Disney+! If you have been on the fence on subscribing, let us be the first to tell you that the National Geographic Documentaries they have are 1,000% worth cost of the subscription! Our favorite is the 8 episode series “America’s National Parks”. Each episode highlights a National Park and the wildlife that lives in the park. Basically, it’s trip planning material for us! Leave us a comment below on what you think of the series if you have watched it!

4. Working on Puzzles of National & State Parks

   We were puzzle people prior to the lock down, but now we are constantly working to put puzzles together. Since we can’t enjoy the outdoors as much as normal, we decided to bring the outdoors to us with a couple of our puzzles. We have put together one of all Colorado activities and places, and are currently working on putting together a Yosemite National Park puzzle. Both have been fun and ways for us to think about places we want to go or book trips to when the lock down is lifted.

5. Reading and Working While Sitting Outside

   Prior to the lock down, we would enjoy our deck on weekend nights, and once in a while through out the work weeks, but not as often as we are now. These days, we are spending as much time as possible out there. We both work from laptops, and our wifi reaches to the deck, so as long as we don’t have video conference calls and the weather is nice, we are setting up shop outside. Post work, it’s nice to relax with a book and beverage on the deck before making dinner.

What have been your favorite activities during the “stay at home”/ “self quarantine”/ “lock down”? Leave us a comment below - we’d love some suggestions!