craig park - trail #608
Beginning Elevation: 11100
High Point: 11580
End Elevation: 10940
Difficulty: Easy
Length, One Way: 5.7 miles
Seasons: Summer through early Fall
USGS Quads: Mount Logan, Shawnee, and Topaz Mountain
Other Maps: Pike National Forest, Trails Illustrated #105
Usage Level: Medium
Access: This trail has no trailhead. It is reached from either the Ben Tyler Trail or from the Brookside -McCurdy Trail.
Connecting Trails: Brookside-McCurdy, Ben Tyler
Description
The Craig Park Trail lies in a long, high mountain valley between the Kenosha Mountains and Platte River Mountains. This open east-west valley holds the headwaters of Craig Creek, and the trail parallels the north side of the Creek. The eastern terminus of the trail is the junction with the Brookside-McCurdy Trail and its western terminus is at its junction with the Ben Tyler Trail. The Craig Park Trail itself is a very gradual and easy hike. However, to reach the trail you must hike up either the Brookside-McCurdy Trail or the Ben Tyler Trail. Craig Creek offers very good opportunities for fishing for brook trout.
From the junction with the Brookside-McCurdy Trail, bear right and hike west. The trail begins a gentle ascent from this point, always staying north of the stream. There are numerous sites for camping along the length of the trail to a saddle in the ridge at the head of Craig Park. Upon reaching the saddle, the trail descends westerly to the junction of the Ben Tyler and Craig Park trails.
TRAIL'S HISTORY
In its rather remote setting, Craig Park was used for grazing and little else, although the McPhee and McGinnity Lumber Company supposedly had a millset somewhere in the park in 1888. On old maps, Craig Park is often called "Mountain Meadows".
On August 26, 2019, lightning sparked the Shawnee Peak fire on the north side of Craig Park. The burn eventually reached 70 acres in size and is visible from the trail.