The Sierra Madre Mountain Range

THE SIERRA MADRE SCENIC LOOP TOUR

The Sierra Madre Scenic Loop Tour, which begins in Encampment, includes several stops along the way of historical and natural interest. The tour ultimately ends in Riverside and can be done in reverse order, if preferred. The majority of this self-guided tour is traveled on well-maintained gravel roads. Click here for a printable map.

• Bottle Creek Campground, beside the Hog Park Road (FS 550), was originally the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. The CCC helped build the Battle Highway (Highway 70). There are 12 campsites and a large picnic area, but it is relatively exposed.
• The Halfway House was built in 1902 as a stopping place halfway between Encampment and the mining camps in the Hog Park area. Several tie hack cabin remnants are located behind the Halfway House.
• The Green Mountain Trail ties into the Continental Divide Trail here in the Huston Park Wilderness at 10,000 ft. in elevation. This 5-mile trail is lined with lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce and sub-alpine fir trees.
• Hog Park Reservoir was formed in the 1960's when an earthen dam was constructed to store water for municipal use in Cheyenne. The project was later expanded, becoming a favorite spot to fish and boat.
• This is the main southern access point for the 15-mile Encampment River Trail, named for the River it follows. This hike is picturesque, with portions shadowed by steep canyon walls. Bring your fishing pole along as there are plenty of brown trout. Since this trail is roughly 15 miles one way, consider leaving a vehicle at the upper trailhead near the Encampment River Campground and driving to the lower trailhead near the Hog Park Campground for an all-day hike down River.
• The East Fork Trail follows the east fork of the Encampment River and is dotted with remnant tie hack camps. This is the original trail that connected the Blackhall Fire Lookout Tower and Commissary Park in Colorado. Commissary Park was a major supply point for tie hacks and a social center for timber and railroad executives.
• The Billie Creek Junction joins FS 496 with FS 409 (the Blackhall Road). The road forks here with a branch to the right providing access to the Blackhall Mountain Fire Lookout Tower; left proceeds to Riverside. The road to the tower is a low maintenance gravel road--4WD vehicles recommended. Road, mountain and tower are named after the first Forest Supervisor in the area, James Blackhall. Although no longer in use, the tower offers impressive views of the Continental Divide and the northern Colorado mountains.
• The Purgatory Gulch Trail is accessible from two rough gravel roads. 4WD recommended. This steep portion of the tour offers spectacular views of the Encampment River Canyon and Bridger Peak, the highest peak in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range at 11,004 ft.
• Famed Indian Bathtubs, a natural rock formation about 5 minutes SE of Riverside, is a short 3/4-mile hike from County Road 211. It is believed that Native Americans used these rocks for summertime bathing.