Cherokee Park Road

Trail Run on July 2, 2016
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader

Roger R.

White 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

Monica I.

Red 2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Ted M.

White 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

We weren't sure what to expect from Cherokee Park Road. We thought it would be an easy drive, but we had no idea what the scenery would be like. None of us had been in that area of Colorado before, so we were looking forward to the drive. We came off of Deadman Road and turned right to do the trail in reverse and complete the Red Feather Lakes Loop.

The trail was a climb for us, initially, but it wasn't very steep. It was a very easy road that had recently been graded. The scenery was gorgeous, though. It looked like we were driving through Windows XP wallpaper. We skipped the side trip to Eaton Reservoir and kept heading east.

As we passed spur after spur, we knew we'd need to spend some time in the area someday. There was still so much to do. We enjoyed the drive, passing people every once in a while. There were a few ranches here and there, and it was a beautiful place to live.

We stopped at one of the pit toilet areas for a break. There was a hiking trail there and information about land use. We kept seeing people fishing, so it must be a popular spot for that. The pit toilets didn't look like they usually did, but they were clean.

We almost stopped for the side trip to Halligan Reservoir, but it had been a long day. We stopped at a wide spot when we were in sight of Highway 287 to air up, and we were off the trail long before sundown. This was a great loop, and it had the potential to give us a great weekend in the future. We'll be back!