Horsethief Park a hike for all seasons.(Spotlight)

Byline: Deb Acord, Special to the Rocky

When the aspen turned golden this fall, I was drawn to Horsethief Park. When the first frost covered the ground, Horsethief beckoned. And when the first early-season snow blanketed the landscape, I was lured to Horsethief. This trail - actually three trails that connect with a short but steep summit hike and a maze of other trails in Pike National Forest - is an accessible year-round destination that offers something special for each season.

Many of my favorite summer trails are hard to reach in the winter, and some of my favorite winter haunts aren't that appealing in the summer. Horsethief is as good on cross-country skis or snowshoes as it is on a mountain bike or on foot. It offers great close-in backcountry camping, and has some great little features - a waterfall, a sun-drenched meadow, and turrets and knobs of weather- beaten Pikes Peak granite.

Start at the Little Ike, a narrow tunnel built in 1893 for the Midland Terminal Railroad. The trail climbs steadily for about three-fourths of a mile. This is an old mining road, so there's plenty of room for passing others on bikes, skis or snowshoes. When the trees begin to thin out, the trail levels. Here, you have your first choice - take a left over the creek to Horsethief Park, continue ahead about a half-mile to the waterfall, or keep going to a sign for Pancake Rocks, and begin climbing up steep switchbacks to an open rock-strewn meadow at 11,046 feet.

Take the Horsethief Park turn, and you'll find yourself in a wide, protected meadow. The creek meanders through, and the trail parallels it. Cabin ruins from the days when this place was supposedly a hideout for horse thieves dot the hillsides. This is fairly level terrain and allows for great skiing or snowshoeing after a big storm. Again, you're following an old ranching road, so the trail is hard to lose. Continue through the valley about a mile and a half to where the trail forks. Head uphill into the trees and you can hook up with the miles of trails that are joined in the Ring the Peak Trail (fotp.com). Take the right fork to a trail that scales Sentinel Point, a rocky, 12,527-foot peak. The trail to the summit of this peak is sketchy, with rock cairns strewn among rock fields, but if you just head uphill, you'll be on track (check topo maps before planning this 6.5-mile trip).

Turn around and walk back through Horsethief, crossing the stream at the same point and then turning left for a short hike (.5 mile) to Horsethief Falls. In the winter, deep snow hides this petite waterfall, but in the summer, it's the perfect spot to rest and cool off. Darkly shaded by towering Douglas fir, the falls cascades merrily over granite slabs.

Get your waterfall fix and head back to where you passed a sign to Pancake Rocks. Turn and begin a series of steep switchbacks to a mountain hillside dotted with the aptly named rock formations. I know some hikers who end their trip to Pancake Rocks before they get to the actual granite flapjacks. They call the smaller formations where they stop to rest "dollar pancakes."

This trail is narrower than the one that meanders through Horsethief Park, and it climbs 2,550 feet in 2.75 miles. In the summer, it's dark and cool. In the winter, it's dark and frigid. We've hiked it in January when the temperature at the trailhead was about 20 degrees, and the temperature on the darkest parts of the trail was a bone-chilling 5 degrees.

Still, one of my best hiking days ever was the day a snowstorm moved in while we were hiking to Pancake Rocks. The snow piled up fast, the trees cast blue shadows, and the only sounds were our snowshoes in the thigh-deep powder.

INFOBOX

Horsethief Park/ Pancake Rocks

* To get there: From Denver, take I-25 south to Colorado Springs; west on U.S. 24 to Divide; nine miles south on Colorado 67 toward Cripple Creek. Pass the closed Little Ike tunnel and park in the large lot on the highway. The trail starts there and heads up and over the tunnel.

* Where: Southwest of Colorado Springs, near the historic town of Cripple Creek

* Watch for: Bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bears, beavers, golden eagles, porcupines.

* Difficulty of hike: Moderate; a little more difficult on Pancake Rocks because of elevation gain.

* Details: Not handicapped accessible; dogs, bikes and horses allowed. All of the Horsethief trails are open to dogs, but the Sentinel Point summit is too rocky for most of them, and Pancake Rocks sometimes too cold for them in the winter. Dispersed camping is popular here. No fees.

* More information: Pikes Peak Ranger District, 1-719-636-1602.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Horsethief Park / Pancake Rocks.

Horsethief Park a hike for all seasons.(Spotlight)

Byline: Deb Acord, Special to the Rocky

When the aspen turned golden this fall, I was drawn to Horsethief Park. When the first frost covered the ground, Horsethief beckoned. And when the first early-season snow blanketed the landscape, I was lured to Horsethief. This trail - actually three trails that connect with a short but steep summit hike and a maze of other trails in Pike National Forest - is an accessible year-round destination that offers something special for each season.

Many of my favorite summer trails are hard to reach in the winter, and some of my favorite winter haunts aren't that appealing in the summer. Horsethief is as good on cross-country skis or snowshoes as it is on a mountain bike or on foot. It offers great close-in backcountry camping, and has some great little features - a waterfall, a sun-drenched meadow, and turrets and knobs of weather- beaten Pikes Peak granite.

Start at the Little Ike, a narrow tunnel built in 1893 for the Midland Terminal Railroad. The trail climbs steadily for about three-fourths of a mile. This is an old mining road, so there's plenty of room for passing others on bikes, skis or snowshoes. When the trees begin to thin out, the trail levels. Here, you have your first choice - take a left over the creek to Horsethief Park, continue ahead about a half-mile to the waterfall, or keep going to a sign for Pancake Rocks, and begin climbing up steep switchbacks to an open rock-strewn meadow at 11,046 feet.

Take the Horsethief Park turn, and you'll find yourself in a wide, protected meadow. The creek meanders through, and the trail parallels it. Cabin ruins from the days when this place was supposedly a hideout for horse thieves dot the hillsides. This is fairly level terrain and allows for great skiing or snowshoeing after a big storm. Again, you're following an old ranching road, so the trail is hard to lose. Continue through the valley about a mile and a half to where the trail forks. Head uphill into the trees and you can hook up with the miles of trails that are joined in the Ring the Peak Trail (fotp.com). Take the right fork to a trail that scales Sentinel Point, a rocky, 12,527-foot peak. The trail to the summit of this peak is sketchy, with rock cairns strewn among rock fields, but if you just head uphill, you'll be on track (check topo maps before planning this 6.5-mile trip).

Turn around and walk back through Horsethief, crossing the stream at the same point and then turning left for a short hike (.5 mile) to Horsethief Falls. In the winter, deep snow hides this petite waterfall, but in the summer, it's the perfect spot to rest and cool off. Darkly shaded by towering Douglas fir, the falls cascades merrily over granite slabs.

Get your waterfall fix and head back to where you passed a sign to Pancake Rocks. Turn and begin a series of steep switchbacks to a mountain hillside dotted with the aptly named rock formations. I know some hikers who end their trip to Pancake Rocks before they get to the actual granite flapjacks. They call the smaller formations where they stop to rest "dollar pancakes."

This trail is narrower than the one that meanders through Horsethief Park, and it climbs 2,550 feet in 2.75 miles. In the summer, it's dark and cool. In the winter, it's dark and frigid. We've hiked it in January when the temperature at the trailhead was about 20 degrees, and the temperature on the darkest parts of the trail was a bone-chilling 5 degrees.

Still, one of my best hiking days ever was the day a snowstorm moved in while we were hiking to Pancake Rocks. The snow piled up fast, the trees cast blue shadows, and the only sounds were our snowshoes in the thigh-deep powder.

INFOBOX

Horsethief Park/ Pancake Rocks

* To get there: From Denver, take I-25 south to Colorado Springs; west on U.S. 24 to Divide; nine miles south on Colorado 67 toward Cripple Creek. Pass the closed Little Ike tunnel and park in the large lot on the highway. The trail starts there and heads up and over the tunnel.

* Where: Southwest of Colorado Springs, near the historic town of Cripple Creek

* Watch for: Bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bears, beavers, golden eagles, porcupines.

* Difficulty of hike: Moderate; a little more difficult on Pancake Rocks because of elevation gain.

* Details: Not handicapped accessible; dogs, bikes and horses allowed. All of the Horsethief trails are open to dogs, but the Sentinel Point summit is too rocky for most of them, and Pancake Rocks sometimes too cold for them in the winter. Dispersed camping is popular here. No fees.

* More information: Pikes Peak Ranger District, 1-719-636-1602.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Horsethief Park / Pancake Rocks.