Trip Date: Saturday, May 15, 1999 Trailhead Elevation: 8,780 feet Elevation Gain: 1080 feet Round Trip Hiking Time: 2 hours Round Trip Distance: 2.8 miles Difficulty: Class 1 hiking, but the stairway to the lookout tower may cause unease for some people USGS Map: Devils Head 7.5 minute
On May 15, 1999, my wife Kenna and I went on a hike to Devils Head, which I believe to be the highest point in the Rampart Range. Robert Ormes, the author of the Guide to the Colorado Mountains, noted that Devils Head was named for the "rough points of rock that rise from it like the horns of a mythical monster." We discovered later that this hike is described in Dave Muller's guidebook: "Colorado Mountain Hikes for Everyone." Muller writes that this trail should normally be accessible from May through November.
The route to this interesting summit follows an over-developed National Scenic Trail in a very popular section of Pike National Forest. We got the idea for this hike from visiting the Colorado State Capitol dome. The walkway around the dome has a series of direction plaques pointing towards various Front Range mountains which we have nicknamed the "Capitol Dome Peaks." Of these, I have hiked Longs Peak, Lookout Mountain, Mount Evans, Pikes Peak, and now Devils Head. The remaining destinations include Mount Audubon, the Arapaho Peaks, Cub (Black?) Mountain, and Red Rocks Park. The plaque at the capitol dome incorrectly lists the elevation of Devils Head as 9,348 feet.
The trip to Devils Head has some good points and some bad points. The worst part, in our opinion, was getting to the trailhead. From the town of Sedalia, take Route 67 southwest about 9 miles to FR 300, a dirt road which is marked as the Rampart Range Road. A sign at this intersections indicates that it is 9 more miles to the trailhead for Devils Head, but I think it was closer to 10 or 11 miles. We turned left here on the Rampart Range Road and drove south on it for about 10 miles to the signed turnoff for Devils Head Campground. We turned left at that intersection for a final half mile to the trailhead, just beyond the campground. The Rampart Range Road is generally well-graded and definitely passable for passenger cars, at least for the portion we drove. However, it had a lot of washboard and ruts, making for a rougher, slower drive than we had anticipated. This area is very popular for motorbikes and ATVs, with too many roads and trails carved out of the woods. We found ample parking at the trailhead. Keep in mind, however, that we were there in mid-May, and you might find many more cars parked here on a summer weekend. Muller's guidebook instructs readers to park half a mile before the trailhead and walk from there, but hopefully this should not be necessary.
On a topographical map, it appears that the round trip distance for the trail to Devils Head is only 1.5 miles. However, a large number of switchbacks makes the hike significantly longer than the map would suggest. Muller gives the actual distance as 3.8 miles round trip from the turnoff on the Rampart Range Road. We completed the round trip hike in two hours, including several rest breaks.
The scenery on this hike is quite nice. It features a lot of boulders and impressive rock outcroppings in a wooded setting. The major drawback is that this is an old-fashioned, industrial era trail. There are occasional patches of concrete, numerous benches, and kitschy, uninteresting "nature trail" signs along the way. The trail was damp and sometimes muddy, with a few lingering patches of ice and snow. It's a good, short family hike. If you have kids or can borrow some, this could be a fun place to take them for an outing. The final ascent is dramatic. A metal stairway with 143 steps leads to a fire lookout station atop an impressive pillar of rock. Despite the stairway's sturdy construction, the exposure of this section can make a person who's afraid of heights feel a bit queasy.
At the lookout station, we were greeted by a friendly ranger who handed us cards which commemorated our hike up Devils Head and welcomed us into the "Ancient and Honorable Order of Squirrels." For those with an interest in such things, Devils Head T-shirts were available for sale. The ranger told us about the history of the lookout station and pointed out the various peaks that could be seen from the summit. He also offered us his binoculars to get some better views. We walked around the platform surrounding the station, and he advised us not to climb over the railing. This was evidently wry humor, as a person climbing over the railing could easily cover the same vertical distance in one step as they did in 143 steps on the way up. Please note that the stairway to the lookout station is closed to the public when there is a threat of lightning, for obvious reasons.
Gary Swing