Milner Pass to Forest Canyon Pass

Milner Pass to Forest Canyon Pass

Rocky Mountain National Park's diversity is justly famous, and over three million visitors a year witness the wonder of the park’s 415 square miles. Some of these folks opt for an intimate view of that diversity on some 355 miles of trail. Milner Pass to Forest Canyon Pass Trail covers only 2.3 miles, but offers about 80 of the roughly 1,000 wildflower species that grow in the park. Milner Pass, on the Continental Divide, sends water west to the Pacific Ocean and east to the Gulf of Mexico. Poudre Lake, at the outset of the trailhead, sends its water down the Cache la Poudre River, which eventually ends up in the Gulf. The Arapaho called the pass Ba Ha Thoson, “Deer Pass.” In damp areas, you may find not only deer tracks but also those of elk or even bighorn sheep. Almost directly above the trailhead is Sheep Rock, a jutting granite crag. And farther up the trail is a view of Specimen Mountain, a rockbound breeding ground for bighorns. While wildlife sightings—even tracks—are iffy events, wildflowers await your viewing pleasure, blooming in the forest, glens, ravines, seeps, bogs, pocket meadows, and finally, tundra. Watch for building thunderstorms. Wildflower Alert: This trail is a great chance to meet some of Rocky Mountain National Park’s many wildflowers.

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