skull canyon
- 0.6 mi
- distance
- 165 ft
- climb
- Intermediate
- difficulty
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- best months
Skull Canyon is a short mountain biking route in Colorado, set within Lake Pueblo State Park and managed by the Bureau of Reclamation. The ride covers about 0.6 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of 165 feet from a starting point near 4,930 feet to a high point of about 5,094 feet. The steepest stretch comes at roughly 0.38 miles in, where the grade reaches about 9 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 76°F and October highs around 69°F, while July averages about 92°F and January highs sit near 47°F. The Skull Ridge hike starts just 0.1 mile away, and the Watertower Trail and Hooters Canyon are each about 0.4 mile off. Arkansas Point Campground, about 0.6 mile away, is the closest place to camp.
Local outfitters
- Broadmoor Outfitters38 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Skull RidgeHiking0.1 mi
- Watertower TrailHiking0.4 mi
- Hooters CanyonHiking0.4 mi
Arkansas Point CampgroundCampingPhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.6 mi- Juniper Breaks CampgroundCamping2.3 mi
Prairie Ridge CampgroundCampingPhoto: jaygannett from La Veta, CO, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.7 mi- Abandoned D&RGW LineCanoeing3.8 mi
- ATSF Canon City DistrictCanoeing3.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
The ShivMountain biking · ~54 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Hard TimeMountain biking · ~54 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Hot ShotsMountain biking · ~54 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Island In The SkyMountain biking · ~54 min drivePhoto: Jacob Montgomery, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Fire CanyonMountain biking · ~54 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- AnticlineMountain biking · ~55 min drivePhoto: Frans-Banja Mulder, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
MOOve OverMountain biking · ~55 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- the dukeMountain biking · Next door
- arkansas point trailMountain biking · Next door
- rock canyonMountain biking · Next door
Also worth it near here
- Arkansas Point CampgroundCamping · ~1 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Pueblo City Park LakeLake fishing · ~2 min drive
Valco Ponds Fishing and Arkansas River Access TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Paul.J.Hurtado, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic BywayScenic drive · ~13 min drive
Best time to visit skull canyon
Best months: April–May and September–October. 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.
Jan
47° / 18°
4 wet · 2 snow
Feb
49° / 20°
5 wet · 2 snow
Mar
59° / 28°
6 wet · 1 snow
Apr
66° / 36°
8 wet
May
76° / 46°
9 wet
Jun
87° / 56°
8 wet
Jul
92° / 62°
9 wet
Aug
90° / 60°
9 wet
Sep
82° / 51°
6 wet
Oct
69° / 38°
5 wet
Nov
56° / 27°
5 wet · 1 snow
Dec
47° / 19°
4 wet · 2 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pueblo Rsvr, CO, 1.6 mi away at 4,861 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
