Hike to Mt. Rosa
Manitou Springs, Colorado
Details
Distance
3.7 miles
Elevation Gain
1322 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Jake Sells
For 360 degree views of Pike National Forest and an interesting perspective of Pike's Peak from the South, this half day hike offers a relatively short but rewarding hike.
To get to the trailhead start on Old Stage Rd. After 11 miles turn right onto Forest Service Rd 379. This is a 4WD road. A small/large SUV, or truck should do the trick, nothing too crazy though. Drive on FS 379 for 1.5 miles until you come to an open field on the right known as Frosty Park. There are no signs but when the road opens up into the field it'll be obvious to park here, where the trail starts through a fence opening to the right.
If you don't have a 4WD vehicle, you can park at the intersection of Old Stage Rd and 379. This will just add 1.5 miles each way to the hike.
Now lets start hiking! Fun fact, this is the same route pioneer Zebulan Pike followed to the summit of Mt. Rosa.
The trail funnels into obvious 4WD tracks as you enter the forest. At 0.4 miles, turn right and head into the thicker forest. The trail will continue climbing 700 ft from here until you reach your second trail junction. Here you'll turn right and head up the side of Mt. Rosa (if you go straight, you'll end up at St. Mary's Falls by a very unknown route. Continue up the side of Mt. Rosa until you reach the summit at 11,533 ft!
Continue down along the same route up to return to the parking area.
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Reviews
A nice hike that Is not too long. It takes a while to drive to the trailhead despite the minimal mileage due to road conditions. An awd high clearance would probably be fine to the trailhead. The top has great views of pikes
4.0
We left in 4 AM in the morning to begin our hike. I would recommend parking outside FS Road 379 or at least go down the road for a little bit and park on an open space on the side if you can. I had a SUV and it was a little rough on it. The hike itself wasn’t bad at all, should take you three hours round trip and you can capture amazing shots as the sun rises! If you don’t go on the trail and keep following the main road up, there is a nice open area on the side of the mountain that is great for a hammock, photography or just chilling. I would recommend this hike!
5.0
The drive to this point was crazy. I would recommend adding the extra mileage to your hike and parking further down the mountain. The hike itself was pretty challenging with steep switchbacks, but the views at the top made it all worth it. Plan for about a 3 hour hike (2 hours up and 1 down).
5.0
Great hike, in total it took me about 2 hours at a decent pace. 379 is pretty rough road lots and lots of pot holes but if you have a 4wd you'll enjoy it overall. The way up there is kinda ambiguous but just stay with 379, then you'll see frosty park. Truly amazing views, well worth it!
5.0
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