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Start: Spruce Mountain Trailhead on Spruce Mountain Road / Douglas County Road 53 north of Palmer Lake

Distance: 5.3-mile double loop

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation gain: 505 feet

Trail surface: Singletrack dirt

Seasons: Year-round. Winter is icy.

Schedule: Open daily, sunrise to sunset

Other trail users: Mountain bikers, runners, horses

Canine compatibility: Leashed dogs only

Land status: Douglas County public land

Fees and permits: None

Maps: USGS Larkspur. Douglas County Open Space map.

Trail contact: Douglas County Division of Open Space and Natural Resources, 100 Third St., Castle Rock, CO 80104; (303) 660-7400; www.douglas.co.us/openspace

Special considerations: Bring water; none found along trail. Watch for rattlesnakes. Steep cliffs are found at the end of the trail and below the summit—keep an eye on children and watch your step. No horse trailers at the trailhead; park those at Spruce Meadows Trailhead on Noe Road to the northeast.

Finding the trailhead: From Colorado Springs drive north on I-25 past Monument. At the top of Monument Hill, take exit 163, turn left (west) on County Line Road, and drive a couple miles to the north side of Palmer Lake. After crossing railroad tracks, the road dead-ends against Spruce Mountain Road / Douglas County Road 53. Turn right, drive 3.5 miles north, and make a left turn into the marked Spruce Mountain Open Space parking lot. The trailhead is at the west end of the parking lot (GPS: 39.167841, -104.874408).

The Hike

The 5.3-mile-long Spruce Mountain Trail is a wonderful hike north of Palmer Lake and east of the Rampart Range, a low mountain range that runs from Ute Pass and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs to the South Platte River at Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver. The singletrack trail climbs to the eastern end of Spruce Mountain’s long mesa summit and then makes a long loop, first following the mountain’s southern rim to its rocky 7,605-foot summit at the southwest end of the mesa before returning along its northern rim.

The trail offers easy hiking on a good single- and doubletrack dirt trail with gradual grades, open ponderosa pine and scrub oak woodlands, and spacious scenic views that stretch from Pikes Peak in the south to Longs Peak in the north. The trail and mountain are on Spruce Mountain Open Space land, a parkland that was purchased by Douglas County between 2000 and 2009 to protect it from development as a resort. A developer had proposed building a hotel on top of the mountain, a golf course on the rolling grassland below, and 180 luxury homes scattered across the property.

The hike begins from a trailhead at the west end of a parking area on the west side of Spruce Mountain Road north of Palmer Lake. The only amenities at the trailhead are a bear-proof trash container and a portable toilet. Park cars and trucks only in the lot; no trailers or horse trailers. Remember to pack out your trash, keep your dog leashed, pick up your dog’s waste, and stay on the trails—no shortcutting! Keep an eye out for mountain bikers and horseback riders on this multiuse trail.

At the trailhead, pass through a gate and walk 350 feet to the first trail junction. Go straight on the Spruce Mountain Trail and pass through a dense thicket of scrub oak. Continue hiking west up the slowly rising trail across open grassy meadows on the northern slope of Spruce Mountain. Eagle Mountain rises to the northwest, ringed by high sandstone cliffs like an ancient battlement. After 0.4 mile go left at a trail junction signed Mountain Top Loop, on Spruce Mountain Trail. Eagle Pass Trail goes straight.

The singletrack trail bends left and contours up the steep north flank of Spruce Mountain. The damp north-facing slope is blanketed in a mixed forest of scrub or Gambel oak, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees. After 0.3 mile of climbing, the trail reaches a junction with Oak Shortcut Trail on a slight knoll. Go right on the main trail.

The next half mile of trail is the toughest section of the hike. The trail switchbacks up the wooded east side of the mountain, passing beneath a jutting outcrop of Dawson arkose, a coarse sandstone, before crossing onto the cooler northern slope. After climbing 0.6 mile from the last junction or 1.2 miles from the trailhead, you reach Greenland Overlook, a lofty viewpoint that overlooks the rolling grasslands of Greenland Open Space. More good views are southwest toward 14,115-foot Pikes Peak, which rises beyond humpbacked Mount Herman.

The trail slowly climbs and passes onto the north side of Spruce Mountain’s long cliff-rimmed summit and reaches Paddock’s Point, a rocky viewpoint that looks north at 7,515-foot Eagle Mountain. Continue up the trail through dry pine woods to the Y junction for the 2.3-mile-long Mountain Top Loop, which follows the south rim out to Windy Point and then continues back along the north rim to this junction. Go left on the doubletrack trail. This junction is 1.6 miles from the trailhead.

Follow the wide trail for the next 0.8 mile along the airy south rim of Spruce Mountain. Some strategically placed benches and picnic tables make for good snack stops. The trail dips across broad ravines, climbs gentle slopes, and passes lots of rock-rimmed overlooks. None of these are fenced and all are dangerous, with vertical drops of 60 feet. Keep a close watch on small children. The cliff rim is soft and loose.

After hiking 2.8 miles from the trailhead, you reach Windy Point, the 7,605-foot high point of Spruce Mountain, on the far western edge of the summit plateau. This exposed overlook makes for a good water break and some marvelous scenic views. Look southwest toward the town of Palmer Lake cradled in a broad valley below and snowcapped Pikes Peak rising beyond. Warning: This overlook is very dangerous. Keep away from the cliff edge.

After resting begin your return hike on the next trail segment, which runs 0.4 mile northeast from Windy Point to a junction with the Service Road. Go right on the doubletrack loop trail for the described hike. Alternatively, a left turn on the Service Road descends 0.5 mile to Eagle Pass Trail, which you can follow back east for 1.8 miles along the base of the mountain to the trailhead.

To complete the upper loop trail, keep right at the junction, and hike 0.7 mile along the wooded north rim of Spruce Mountain to the end of the loop at the Y junction. Go straight on the main trail. It is 1.6 miles from here to the trailhead and parking area. Retrace your steps back to Greenland Overlook, then down the switchbacks to Pine Junction.

Instead of going left on Spruce Mountain Trail, the way you came up, take a right on the Oak Shortcut Trail. Descend this short, steep trail for just over 0.1 mile to a junction with Spruce Meadows Trail. Go left (north) and follow the trail downhill for 0.2 mile to a cross junction with Spruce Mountain Trail. Turn right and hike a few hundred feet to the trailhead and the end of another great Pikes Peak Country hike.

0.0	Start at the trailhead on the west side of Spruce Mountain Road / Douglas County Road 53 (GPS: 39.167896, -104.874792). After 350 feet you cross a junction with Spruce Meadows Trail. Go straight on Spruce Mountain Trail.
0.4	Junction with Eagle Pass Trail (GPS: 39.167804, -104.881156). Go left, following Spruce Mountain Trail.
0.6	Junction with Oak Shortcut. Go right.
1.2	Greenland Overlook.
1.6	Junction with Mountain Top Loop Trail (GPS 39.163626, -104.883723). Go left on doubletrack trail and follow the trail along the south rim of Spruce Mountain.
2.8	Reach Windy Point and the farthest west point on the hike (GPS: 39.15516, -104.898723). A short spur trail goes from the main trail to the point. Return to the trail and go left (north).
3.9	Return to the Y junction. Go straight.
5.3	After following the Oak Shortcut Trail northeast, you’ll arrive back at the trailhead and parking area.