Cottonwood Peak–Big Meadows Road, 3 sights
7.9 mi · ▲ 1,209 ft · 3 hr 14 min
Cottonwood Peak–Big Meadows Road, 3 sights is a 7.9-mile out-and-back in Arapaho National Forest near Hot Sulphur Springs, CO. The route reaches Cottonwood Peak at the turnaround, 4 miles in. It climbs 1,209 ft, with sections as steep as 18% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 85/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Cottonwood Peak–Big Meadows Road, 3 sights
7.9 mi · ▲ 1,209 ft · 3 hr 14 min
Elevation 8,895–10,120 ft
Out & Back · Arapaho National Forest
Trailhead: Big Meadows Road · 40.04986, -106.03059
Weather Sep 4: Overcast, high 75°F / low 45° · precip 7% · wind 7 mph · sunrise 6:36 AM · sunset 7:33 PM
- Start on Big Meadows Road, heading SW.
- 3.6 miSharp right onto Conttonwood Repeater Road, heading NE.
- 0.4 miReach Cottonwood Peak, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.4 miSharp left onto Big Meadows Road, heading SE.
- 3.5 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 7:13 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 7:33 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 8:00 PM.
More from Big Meadows Road Trailhead
- Big Meadows Road & Big Meadows 15 mi · ▲ 2,068 ft
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Hikes near Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado