Brookside-Payne Creek Trailhead

Starting from the Payne Creek/Brookside Trailhead, the trail rises gently and soon reaches the junction at which the Payne Creek and Brookside-McCurdy trails diverge. The Payne Creek Trail goes left, and then swings southeast on its way to join the Colorado Trail. The Brookside-McCurdy continues south, climbing gradually at first, and then steepening as it climbs the Platte River Range. After crossing the boundary of the Lost Creek Wilderness the trail eventually meets the Brookside AG Trail, which rises up from the west after leaving MacArthur Gulch. As of 2001, this trail is in place, but has not yet been opened while a new trailhead for the Ben Tyler and Brookside AG trails is constructed. Check with the South Platte District office for current information. From the junction, the Brookside trail continues to climb up and over into Craig Park, where it intersects with the Craig Park Trail. The next segment rises south out of Craig Park over a saddle, and then descends into North Lost Park, where it leaves the Wilderness and joins the Colorado Trail. A couple of miles down valley from this junction, the North Fork Trailhead is reached, where the two trails part. The Colorado Trail runs east and north to the Rolling Creek Trailhead on the northeast side of the wilderness and the Brookside-McCurdy veers south following North Lost Creek to the Lost Park Trailhead. From Lost Park the trail goes south across Lost Creek to a junction with the Wigwam Trail. The Wigwam Trail goes left (east) through the Wilderness to the east side at the Wigwam Trailhead. The Brookside-McCurdy continues south and soon re-enters the Wilderness, then follows Indian Creek upstream to a high saddle between the Lost Creek and Tarryall Creek drainages, where it meets the Ute Creek Trail climbing up from the south. Here the trail swings southeast, continuing to climb for a short distance to its high point on the southwest shoulder of Bison Peak. From the high point the trail follows a ridge to