Mount McConnel Trail

Mount McConnel Trail

Legend has it that in 1820 a number of French fur trappers were caught in a terrific snowstorm in northern Colorado. It was vital to drop everything but the bare essentials in order to survive. Rather than waste their gunpowder, the trappers decided to bury it near the river bordering their travel route. That river is now known as the Cache la Poudre, or “hiding place of powder.” The high canyon walls and rolling forests of this area attracted Native Americans, trappers, miners, and timber crews. Today the Poudre Canyon draws adventurers of a different breed to hike, fish, raft, or camp. The Mount McConnel Trail in the Cache la Poudre Wilderness Area delivers terrific views of the northern reaches of the Mummy Range and of the canyon and its namesake river below. The path switchbacks all the way up to the summit and follows a steep and challenging descent back to the beginning of this short loop.

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