Beaver Meadows Trail

When you enter the Beaver Meadows Trail, you'll find a nice solid path that meanders through open fields and dense patches of trees. The trail itself stretches over miles of hills through a small valley, and past ridged cliffs to showcase the number of features that the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee National Grassland has to offer its hikers. Made from compacted soil that cuts through the trees and grass, the trail is a little wider than most, offering a nearly 4-foot wide path for horses and hikers to occupy.

The trail starts at the Camp Rock Campground and Trailhead, where hikers can use features besides just parking. There are vault toilets, trash bins, and picnic tables to relax at before heading out for the hike. Carry water with you to share, and clean up bags for the trek. The winding path starts on the west side of the campsite where the trees begin to open up. Being swallowed up by the forest, you and Fido will walk past pine and tall Douglas firs. 

The forest itself stretches for nearly 4 miles of the trail, offering shade and a cool breeze when walking. It's through this area that you'll notice the amount of wildlife increase, from beavers to bears, foxes, deer, and sometimes moose in the winter months. After finally escaping the clutches of the forest, you and Fido will break open into an open field that stretches for miles, with tall grass on each side of the trail that climbs the ridge and nearby mountains. You'll notice remaining marks from a large fire that's happened in the 1960s as you walk your last mile until you reach the shore of Lincoln Lake. The lake is a hotspot for beavers and bird watching, and provides a rocky shore that surrounds the water, mixing with the grassland terrain. The trail stops at this point, and you'll be able to head back down the incline to the campground once again.

Pretty and quiet, the Beaver Meadows Trail provides you and Fido a safe and dog-friendly place to relax and walk through nature mostly undisturbed by others.