Hiking Guide to Colorado’s Horsethief Falls

I can officially say that I’ve been hiking up in Divide, CO! There are trails up there I’ve been wanting to check out for over a year now, and I finally did this summer!  Between being pregnant and working the night shift last year, I really slacked on doing all the outdoor adventures I wanted to…but I’m making up for it! I’m so blessed that my little baby loves to be outdoors on the trail..she’s such an adventurer already!!

Horsethief Falls is located in the Pike National Forest, just a little past the town of Divide.  The forest in this area is a beautiful mix of Aspen and Evergreens, which is my favorite combo!

Directions: From Colorado Springs – Take Hwy 24W toward Divide.  Stay on Hwy 24W until you get to Divide (your turn-off will be where Venture Food Store is).  Turn left at CO-67, which will direct you toward Cripple Creek for roughly 8-9 miles.  The trailhead will be on your left directly on the side of CO-67.

Restrooms: No.  Would advise going at a gas station in Divide.

Distance: roughly 2.5 miles out and back

Difficulty: I would give this trail an easy to moderate.  The initial portion of the hike is steep, but it soon levels out for the greater portion of the hike.

Pets OK: Dogs are OK on leash

Crowds: moderate-heavy

Fees/Permits: none

Tips:

• Be prepared for a strenuous beginning of this hike, but don’t be too discouraged – it evens out pretty good for the rest of the trail!
• Even though the initial part of the hike is a little steep, I would still consider this a family friendly hike.
• If you hike this in the spring the trail will most likely be muddy.  Early spring the falls may still be covered in ice and snow, late spring the falls should be rushing at their peak.
• Bring lots of water! This hike gets above 10,000 ft, so if you aren’t used to the altitude you’ll want to stay well hydrated!
• This trail is shaded pretty well for the most part, so I wouldn’t say a hat is absolutely necessary.
• Be sure to note the tee-pee and shelter close to the falls! (Pictured below)
• Be aware that there are wildlife in the area, so watch your small children!
• There are a few trails accessed from this particular trail (Pancake Rocks trail and Horsethief Park trail just to name a few), so check out the interactive map on this website to play around with your options!
• We went all the way to the mouth of Horsethief Falls but I wouldn’t recommend it for people with balance issues or poor shoes.  You have to walk over a large rocky area that is fairly steep to get to it.
• If you’re hiking July-August be aware that there are often afternoon showers.  Be sure to check the weather before beginning your hike!

Beginning of the trail..once you get past the switchbacks!

The trail follows this creek part of the way

As you can see, the trail and all networking trails were really well marked.

We got off the trail a bit to enjoy these views of Sentinel Point!

Just beautiful.

When you get to this sign you know you are getting close!

Once you pass the turnoff to Pancake Rocks, you will soon come upon this tee pee! It’s actually a pretty large scale shelter.  It’s cool that someone would build this for everyone to enjoy!

I was really lovingPike up all the giant trees!

This is another cool feature someone left for all to enjoy! This shelter is on your left once you reach the falls area.

Horsethief Falls

Such a beautiful area!

My little Colorado Magpie gets pretty fascinated by waterfalls!

The above picture gives you a pretty good overview of Horsethief Falls (top left of pic) and the surrounding area.  Obviously not a huge waterfall, but a really beautiful area and overall hike.  I’ve seen pictures of the falls in the spring and even though there can be snow and mud, the falls are much more impressive.

Hiking back to the car

The afternoon showers were just rolling in as we finished.  We really enjoyed this hike, it wasn’t too long to be too taxing carrying our daughter, and it wasn’t so short that we didn’t really feel like it was a hike! I definitely recommend visiting if you are in the area, even if you are a beginner hiker!

Don’t forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you guys think!

Until next time!