Enjoy this 7.3-mile loop trail near Estes Park, Colorado. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 34 min to complete. This is a popular trail for hiking, mountain biking, and off-road driving, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.
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Hikers, I'd recommend doing this loop Dec-June as it's closed to vehicles then. This was a lovely winter hike for the most part, I did it counter clockwise and it was totally manageable save for the North section marked FDR247B - super deep snow, postholing thigh deep and impossible to know where the trail is - everything else is straightforward. Lots of mountain lion and moose/elk tracks but no sightings. The views of Mount Olympus from The Notch were my favorite!
Great day. 95% snow covered, but hiking boots were fine for me (brought microscopes, never put them on). Almost all the loop had been trod already (easy to follow), except for the forest road 247D connector between Panorama and the Notch. That 'road' is fenced off (no vehicle access presumably, not signed private or anything), but only had animal tracks and the odd ski track that didn't follow the route. Once this connector reunited with Pole Hill rd and the loop to the Notch it was smooth sailing again. Happy hiking!
Steep fire roads that have been well-weathered and thoroughly used, so lots of v-shaped sections with scrabble in the middle. Not the best grip, but mostly manageable. Descending is adventures in brake-dragging, as speed will kill. A few puddles, but mostly dry. Very popular 4x4 and ATV ride. At least for most of it, I was pretty confident that if I crashed and needed to be dragged out, I wouldn't have to wait long for a motor to carry me out. Gorgeous day to ride!
Panorama Peak is closed and has apparently been closed for years as private owners closed the road. Pretty easy trail requiring good ground clearance, and is a great trail to learn off-roading on. Good views and lots of places to stop and walk around. Lots of biting flies and mosquitoes if you do stop.
Some small patchy areas that were wet, nothing to be concerned of for any Off-raiders or hikers. Definitely watch out for any construction equipment and give way to them. Fantastic trail for any off road vehicles. I took my mostly stock Ram 1500 (35” tires) through everything, including the notch and had 0 problems besides my skill.
Wide and accessible trail. All Trails was confused about how to get us from The Notch to Panorama Peak. If you do The Notch first, be careful when to try to get to Panorama. AT missed the left turn until we were well past it. We had weather coming in so we had to get back to the car. STILL… my wife and I loved all the colorful rocks and great views. We also were not expecting to see real estate development along the way. A wide swath was made for a lot of electrical. Don’t expect a trailhead or a parking lot. Just follow Pole Hill Rd up till you see a dirt “area”‘ in front a locked gate. That’s the place. Park on left or right side. Not in front of the gate. Enjoy your hike.
It's not an easy trail. Not sure why it says easy. Id say moderate. You can do it in an suv if you have a good spotter guiding you. However, on your own, I'd say at least 33inch tires and 1.5 lift to get through without issue. Some snow on the ground that made hells staircase harder for stock vehicles. My jeep with 33inch tires and 3 inch lift goes through without issue everytime.
Pretty, easy trail, any stock 4x4 should be able to do it all if you are smart about your lines. Realistically, you could pull a ruggedized "off-road" trailer or similar and find some really good camping. The trail route is off by a little, there is a segment which is closed between the meadow and the loop for the Notch. Panorama peak itself is closed, and barred with a gate. The portion of pole hill trail that goes over to hwy 34 is barred by a locked gate with a "Private Property" sign, so despite what it looks like, there is no opportunity to cross over to 34.
