Watrous Gulch Trail

Grasslands, mountains, and forests make up most of the terrain surrounding the Watrous Gulch Trail. The trail itself is short, with only two miles of terrain to follow before having to turn around to go back to the parking area again, but it still offers a dog-friendly escape to view the area.

One of the best reasons to head out onto the Watrous Gulch Trail is because it's usually quiet and not as populated as its neighbor, the Herman Gulch Trail. The Watrous Gulch Trail can be gotten to by parking in the Herman Gulch Trailhead parking lot, where a large paved parking area is available for cars, with benches, restrooms, and trash bins. Bring your own water and clean up bags for the trek. You will have to hike the first 200 yards of Herman Gulch Trail before coming to a fork that leads to the Watrous Gulch Trail on the right.

Once on the trail, you and Fido will be bombarded with views of small grassy fields with poppies, tall grass, and wildflowers. The trail is mostly open with little shade. After about a mile of hiking through fields, the trail begins to turn north, meeting up with Watrous Gulch. The gulch is marked by Watrous Creek, creating a deep ravine of sandy and rocky shores that can be walked on to visit the edge of the creek to fish. The trail follows the trail north for about a mile as it follows along the gulch until it reaches a small wildflower field with a view of the surrounding mountains, which is where you and Fido will need to turn back.

The calm and quiet area is perfect for hiking with Fido, as you won't have to worry about running into as many people and can relish in the calm and relaxing scenery that will surround you.