One of my favorite history hikes in Colorado is Homestead Meadows, just south of Estes Park. Homesteaders built eight homes in this area starting in the late 1800s. A sign at the trailhead says the last homestead was vacated in 1952.
The trailhead is a large parking lot next to Highway 36. There’s a bathroom and a sign board that talks about the history of the area and a fire in 2002 (the Big Elk Fire) that burned more than 4,400 acres and one of the historic homesteads.
The hike starts downhill to the Little Thompson River. You’ll cross a bridge and then start heading uphill.
The first three miles are a nice wander in the forest. The trees here are mostly evergreens, so the trail is beautiful yearround.
The trail crosses the river as it climbs to Homestead Meadows. Expect four bridges to help, but there are at least four creek crossings with no bridges, so in a wet year, you may get your feet wet a couple times.
After three miles, the trees start opening up as you come to Homestead Meadows. Here you'll find several signs. The first talk about the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered citizens 160 acres if they built a house and met other requirements. The sign explains that people came to this valley for the land, but also because there was water, game animals and timber.
The next signs are at a trail split. Turn left for the Laycock, Boren and Hill homesteads. The Engert homestead is still listed on the sign, but it is gone.
Turn right for the Walker, Griffith, Brown and Irvin homesteads. Because we wanted a hike of about seven miles, we turned right to see the Walker and Griffith homesteads.
Sarah Walker was the only woman to homestead in this area. While her home is gone, you can still find her stove, some bedsprings, and a short distance away, the remnants of a brick cellar with what looks like a collapsed wood structure on top.
A sign explains that Sarah lived here for 15 years and made money selling eggs and cream in Lyons.
Follow the trail further west, deeper into the meadow, to see the Griffith homestead. While it's called the Griffith homestead, William Griffith actually bought the land from the state in 1923. Wander around this area and you'll find an old cabin with several remnants, including the old stove pipe. There are multiple collapsed buildings. Look carefully and you may spot door openings, window spaces, old bed springs and other items.
From here, you can follow the trails to the Brown and Irvin homestead. However, it's a bit easier to visit those homesteads on trails from nearby Hermit Park.
We had lunch near the cabin and hiked out.
On your way out, when you pass the sign talking about homesteading, start watching the creek bed on your right. A short distance away, you may spot two other vehicles just off the trail.
Note: Because the trails to the homesteads can be faint, I highly recommend downloading a map from AllTrails or the free COTREX map.
Details: The trail to the Walker and Griffith homesteads from the Lion Gulch Trailhead is about 7.5 miles roundtrip with 1,300 feet of elevation gain.
Directions: Google Lion Gulch Trailhead. From Lyons, take Highway 36 north 12.3 miles to the large trailhead on your left. It's about eight miles south of Estes Park.
If you have any questions, or hike suggestions, email me at HikingDebbie@gmail.com and find more great hikes by following me on Facebook at Facebook.com/DenverHikingExaminer.
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