Pike and San Isabel National Forests · Colorado

Horn Fork Basin

5.4 mi of trail, end to end · about 2,500 ft of climbing · 9,893 ft–12,400 ft · native material surface · trail No. 1449 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

10,124 ft 10,796 ft · 1.7 mi high 10,796 ft

Trailhead North Cottonwood Trailhead 9,890 ft Drive there

North Cottonwood Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

This trailhead accesses the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness via the Kroenke Lake Trail#1448 and the Horn Fork Basin Trail #1449 which allows access to Mt. Harvard (14,420 ft) and Mt. Columbia (14, 073 feet). For detailed route information please visit the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative . The hike to Kroenke Lake is especially beautiful during July when the wildflowers are in full bloom. The trail has numerous creek crossing and is lush and green with alpine vegetation.

Restrictions <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/specialplaces/?cid=stelprd3795315">Wilderness regulations apply</a> within Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. For group size restrictions contact the Salida Ranger District at 719-539-3591.

Accessibility <p>There are no universally accessible facilities at this site.</p>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.