devil's head fire lookout

One of the most beautiful views in all of Colorado. A short hike to the top of Devil's Head, easy on kids and adults. the fire station at the top is open to all.

The trail is short (approximately 1.5 miles) but the gain in elevation is what makes the hike a challenge. Then there are the steps to get to the lookout tower. We have it easy. I've heard the rangers who live there must have their supplies packed in by mule. Worth the climb. Go early. Pack a lunch and eat it before you head down the hill. Enjoy!

Hiked this trail a Saturday morning, it is 1.4 miles to the fire lookout. The trail path is very will marked with benches along the way to stop and rest. Once o the tower you go up 143 steps. The view from the tower is spectacular. The views along the whole trail is fantastic.

just south of Denver is the rocky mtn lookout stationthe hike is fairly easy and worth the reward of the Denver and rocky mountain views

Go early in the day to avoid the crowds. This must be a popular hike. A website I looked at said medium difficulty. I'd say challenging. It's only 3 miles but all incline, an elevation gain of 940'. Dogs on leashes are allowed. At the top are 143 steps to the fire lookout tower. The view is beautiful but I was hoping for more fall colors.

Took out of state guests to hike one of our favorite hikes and never thought it would be so full of people and dogs! It's past the holiday so no more Park Ranger and evidently not much of any maintenance. Bags of dog poop were piled up in front of the bathrooms at the trailhead. No garbage cans for them. No paper in the bathrooms, and they were filthy. The hike and trail are really quite wonderful. And of course the view so rewarding. But the stench of dog poop went for over half of the hike. Most likely for every bag of dog poop there was, there were three times as many dogs pooping that never got scooped up! Then the bathrooms at the top were closed. So would recommend this trail only if you love, love, love other people's dogs, or try a week day to hike maybe avoiding the crowds of people, and bring your own T-paper.

Great hike; fairly short with a great reward of the fire watch tower view at the end. If you are afraid of heights getting up to the tower may be a little scary but the view is worth it! I'm visiting from Minnesota so the altitude makes what is probably considered an easy hike to locals a nice challenge for me. I read other reviews for this hike and saw some complaints about the bathrooms....I was actually thankful that facilities were available and found them to be well supplied with toilet paper and comparable to any other vaulted toilet in Colorado. The trail was fairly busy with people, families, dogs. I actually felt a little wimpy because the altitude made this hike a challenge for me while there was a girl with a leg brace, toddlers, and girls wearing fashion boots along the trail making it look like no big deal. One funny thing about the hike was the bags of dog poop in a rainbow of colors lining the trail. I'm happy the dog owners bothered to bag up the poo; but not sure why they stopped short of disposing of it.

This hike was perfect for my family! It was me, who is pretty good shape, my husband who is in really good shape, teen daughter, and two boys ages 6 and 4 who love hiking. The hike up was beautiful and the trail is in good shape, the views on the way up are just breathtaking and the hike was enough to get your heart going but not so challenging that my kids couldn't do it or ended up not enjoying doing it. I am terrified of heights but made it all the way to the top with some handholding going up the stairs and I am so thankful I did. It really is beautiful. I highly recommend this hike! It took us 3.5 hours round trip from parking lot back to parking lot and that included breaks and taking a moment to take it all in.

Getting there was half the adventure. Devi's Head is located in an ATV playland/campground. You have to drive miles on a dirt road before reaching the parking lot for Devil's Head. I made the climb to lookout tower with my 9 and 11 year old. The trail starts off by hiking through a majestic Aspen forest, which gave us time to admire the shimmering leaves. Then morphs into a traditional Pine forest going up. The trail was nicely labeled with the half way point. Once we reached the summit, wasn't long, we enjoyed the panoramic view from the tower. There is a restroom near the top..If you go after 9:30, you get the chance to talk with the ranger on duty. I would advice going early because it is a well traveled trail. Going up, we were the first to arrive and got to enjoy dozens of chipmunks and squirrels along the way. We hung out at the Zen Lookout for a while so going down there were numerous large groups (we went on a Sunday), some quite noisy in nature. On the descent, my nine year old told me, "The hike up was worth every step. If sure was inspiring." We will go back.

Great short trail with amazing views at the top! Steep climb especially for those not used to the altitude, but totally worth it.

It is so beautiful at the top and climbing up to the lookout station theview is like no other. The climb was hard and pretty step. I would almost compare to hanging lake. Not as difficult but close enough for government work. Went with hubby and another couple. Lots of pics we're taken and my hubby's phone died. Lol. Well do this again next year with daughter and granddaughter. Trails are basically wide on most of it so there isn't much crowding. Limited parking so get there early. It's a popular trail.

Who knew?!! This was a great hike (over 1.5 miles one way) that got our hearts beating! A climb pretty much all of the way but very pretty with aspen, rock outcrops and views. Once you get to the end of the trail there is a cabin where the ranger lives out of in the summertime. Nice board with the info on the lookout next to the stairs that you climb to the lookout. Over 100 steps (can't remember how many) on a narrow staircase so if you don't like heights this might not be for you. Once you master the stairs you will walk on a narrow walkway of boulders to the lookout which is a building with windows and catwalk all around. Inside is the ranger and lots of very interesting info and old photos. He will point out the different peaks that you can see from here which include Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, Meeker, etc. On a clear day he said you could see Kansas! It was starting to cloud up while we were up there. Took some pics, bought a postcard and headed down to the cabin area for a quick snack before hiking back down. Lots of room for this for the hikers. The road to the lookout is gravel and washboards galore. Parking lot is small so go early. There was a restroom (nasty tho). We saw lots of families/kids on the trail it is definitely for all.

This is a moderate 1.5 mile hike up to spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains. The last 150+ feet of elevation is to the top of the fire lookout station. We went late afternoon on the weekend and there were no issues with parking. There are a lot of kid's groups that were there at that time. The views from the lookout are amazing. This is our favorite front range hike.

I haven't been for years, but we used to go every year when I was younger. It's a great view of the Rockies and the plains beyond. It's a fun family trip and hike.

We've been there last weekend and enjoyed it a lot.First it is a little bit of a hike on a 9 mile dirt road to get there. Its very bumpy at times, and that part alone takes about half an hour.If you are not early in the morning the parking lot may be crowded already and the trail may be busy.Its a good climb... about 1100 ft or altitude change on a 1.4 mile hike, but it is manageable. I saw a lot of dads (primarily) carrying little children on their back (and panting). The trail is well maintained and safe, with steps inbetween.The fire lookout on top has quite a rewarding view. A picnic at the bottom of the stairs to the lookout in the shadow on the rocks and relaxing before the descent.