Colorado · Hiking

Backdoor

BackdoorPhoto: Glenn Harper from Grapevine, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
1.8 mi
round trip
268 ft
climb
9,258 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Jun, Sep
best months

Is Backdoor open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 11 alerts for Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Pike and San Isabel National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Backdoor is an easy 1.8-mile out-and-back hike in the Pikes Peak Ranger District of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado. It gains about 268 feet from the low point at 9,013 feet to the high point at 9,258 feet, and it's a natural-surfaced trail that's open to bikes. The most comfortable months are typically June through September. A nearby weather station at Ruxton Park records typical average highs around 70°F in June and 74°F in July, with more wet days in July and August. That station sits a few hundred feet lower than the trail, so temperatures on the high ground run a little cooler. The Rampart Reservoir Dikeside Trailhead is the parking for this route. Nichols Reservoir lies just 0.1 mile away, and Dikeside Boating Site is about 0.2 mile off. Rampart Reservoir and Homestake Fishing Site are each about 0.7 mile away.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Jun, Sep

    Best time to visit Backdoor

    Best months: May–June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      39° / 13°

      5 wet

    2. Feb

      39° / 14°

      6 wet

    3. Mar

      45° / 20°

      7 wet

    4. Apr

      50° / 26°

      8 wet

    5. May

      59° / 33°

      10 wet

    6. Jun

      70° / 42°

      11 wet

    7. Jul

      74° / 46°

      16 wet

    8. Aug

      72° / 45°

      16 wet

    9. Sep

      66° / 39°

      9 wet

    10. Oct

      56° / 30°

      6 wet

    11. Nov

      46° / 19°

      5 wet

    12. Dec

      39° / 13°

      5 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ruxton Park, CO, 9.7 mi away at 9,060 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Nichols ReservoirPhoto: Glenn Harper from Grapevine, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Nichols Reservoir

Next door

1.24-mile out-and-back trail to Nichols Reservoir in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests.

Blodgett Peak TrailPhoto: timmarshall, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Blodgett Peak Trail

~6 min drive

1.58-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado with 1,526 ft gain and 9,340 ft max elevation.

HIKE

Schubarth

~3 min drive

10.32-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 632 ft elevation gain.

Rampart ReservoirPhoto: Glenn Harper from Grapevine, Texas, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rampart Reservoir

~1 min drive

21.61-mile out-and-back trail to Rampart Reservoir in Colorado.

Douglas Fir TrailPhoto: timmarshall, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Douglas Fir Trail

~7 min drive

2.4-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 1,452 ft gain and 8,357 ft max elevation.

HIKE

West Monument Creek Trail 713

~5 min drive

5.72-mile out-and-back hike on West Monument Creek with 2,751 ft gain/loss

Hummingbird TrailPhoto: timmarshall, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hummingbird Trail

~7 min drive

1.3-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 589 ft elevation gain

HIKE

Stanley Rim

~2 min drive

3.54-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests with 298 ft of elevation gain.

Red Squirrel TrailPhoto: timmarshall, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Red Squirrel Trail

~7 min drive

0.62-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado with 401 ft gain and 7,470 ft max elevation

HIKE

W. Monument Creek

~3 min drive

1.48-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forests with 402 ft gain.