Colorado · Mountain biking · West Magnolia · Near Idaho Springs

Lookout Trail

0.7 mi
distance
92 ft
climb
Intermediate
difficulty
Sep
best months

Is Lookout Trail open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.

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

Lookout Trail is a short mountain biking route in the Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. It lies about 0.67 miles long, with a one-way climb of 92 feet from a starting elevation of about 8,678 feet to a high point of about 8,780 feet. The route has a steepest stretch of about 8% at roughly 0.26 miles in, and the total descent is about 124 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to ride. Typical averages from the nearby Coal Creek Canyon weather station, at a similar elevation, show July highs around 73°F with lows near 48°F, while winter highs stay around freezing. The Observatory and the West Magnolia Short Stack Trail both sit about 0.2 miles away. West Magnolia campground is about half a mile off, and Eldora Summer Slab, a climbing area, is about 0.8 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Site 2

    Campground

    Campground · 0.5 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Sundance Cafe

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 1 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Matt Golon, CC BY-SA 3.0 (commons)

More in Idaho Springs

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · Sep

    Best time to visit Lookout Trail

    Best months: 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

      33° / 16°

      10 wet

    2. Feb

      34° / 15°

      10 wet

    3. Mar

      41° / 20°

      11 wet

    4. Apr

      46° / 24°

      13 wet

    5. May

      55° / 33°

      14 wet

    6. Jun

      67° / 41°

      13 wet

    7. Jul

      73° / 48°

      14 wet

    8. Aug

      71° / 46°

      15 wet

    9. Sep

      64° / 39°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      52° / 30°

      8 wet

    11. Nov

      41° / 21°

      8 wet

    12. Dec

      33° / 15°

      9 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Coal Creek Canyon, CO, 8.4 mi away at 8,950 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors