AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes

Coot Lake–Cougar Trail, 6 sights

9.9 mi · ▲ 194 ft · 3 hr 24 min

Coot Lake–Cougar Trail, 6 sights is a 9.9-mile out-and-back near Niwot, CO. The route reaches Coot Lake at the turnaround, 4.9 miles in. It is mostly level, with 194 ft of elevation gain, and mostly gravel. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi5,109 – 5,194 ft11.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Cougar Trail 40.10396, -105.14266
Nearest town Niwot, CO
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Coot Lake–Cougar Trail, 6 sights

9.9 mi · ▲ 194 ft · 3 hr 24 min

Elevation 5,107–5,193 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: Cougar Trail · 40.10396, -105.14266

Weather Sep 4: sunrise 6:32 AM · sunset 7:29 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Cougar Trail, heading NW.
  2. 0.5 miSharp right onto Niwot Loop Trail, heading W.
  3. 0.4 miTurn right, heading SW.
  4. 0.2 miBear left onto Hidden Star Trail, heading W.
  5. 200 ftBear left, heading S.
  6. 350 ftTurn left, heading S.
  7. 0.1 miTurn right, heading SW.
  8. 0.7 miTurn right onto Niwot Loop Trail, heading SE.
  9. 0.1 miBear right, heading W.
  10. 50 ftTurn left, heading W.
  11. 0.2 miBear left onto Niwot Loop, heading SW.
  12. 50 ftContinue straight onto Longmont-to-Boulder (LOBO) Regional Trail, heading SW.
  13. 1.9 miTurn right onto IBM Connector Trail, heading NW.
  14. 0.6 miPass Coot Lake.
  15. 0.1 miTurn right, heading NW.
  16. 500 ftReach Coot Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  17. 0.9 miTurn left onto Longmont-to-Boulder (LOBO) Regional Trail, heading SE.
  18. 1.9 miContinue straight onto Niwot Loop, heading NE.
  19. 50 ftBear right onto Niwot Loop Trail, heading NE.
  20. 0.2 miTurn left, heading NW.
  21. 50 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  22. 0.1 miTurn left onto Hidden Star Trail, heading N.
  23. 0.6 miTurn right, heading NW.
  24. 0.1 miTurn left, heading N.
  25. 0.2 miTurn left, heading E.
  26. 250 ftBear right, heading E.
  27. 0.3 miTurn left onto Niwot Loop Trail, heading E.
  28. 0.4 miSharp left onto Cougar Trail, heading N.
  29. 0.1 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/coot-lake-coot-lake-out-back-7-sights-16-km

Trail surface

77% gravel11% paved10% dirt2% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:32 AMSunset 7:29 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.2 mi in (~4 min). Leave by 7:05 PM for the 7:29 PM sunset. Back at your car by 7:49 PM — 8 min before dark.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from Cougar Trail Trailhead

Hikes near Niwot, Colorado