Explore Steamboat, Main Fork Trail #1152

Trail access

#1: Go west of Steamboat about 2 miles. Turn north on County Road #129 and travel for approximately 25 miles to the Seedhouse Road (Forest Road #400) and go east 11 miles to Lost Dog Road #433. Take #433 to Diamond Park Road (north) and travel about 1 1/2 miles to the trailhead. Two miles of this road, between Lost Dog Rd. and Diamond Park Rd., is steep and winding. Please travel with caution. Trailers are not recommended.

#2: Take County Road 6W west from Cowdrey, past Pearl, and turn left on County Road 6B, toward Hog Park Reservoir. At the Forest boundary, continue west to Commissary Park. Turn left just past the Encampment River Bridge and follow past the Guard Station. The Ellis Trail 4-WD road will branch to the right, but stay to the left toward the Encampment River. After fording the West Fork, the road branches again. Go left, and continue two miles to the trailhead, crossing the Main Fork one time in the process.

Trail attractions

For ACCESS #1, a 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended to reach the Diamond Park end of the trail. Some of Diamond Park is privately owned. Trail 1152 is located adjacent to this private land. Please stay on the trail which is located entirely on National Forest System land. For ACCESS #2, the road to the trailhead is rough with several fords across the Encampment River. Parking just south of the Guard Station is recommended to avoid this area. Parking is adequate at the trailhead. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. Campsites are plentiful and the fishing is good along most of the river. Horse forage is available in the larger meadows near the Continental Divide. This trail is closed to motorized vehicles.

Narrative

This narrative is addressed beginning the hike from access #1. The first half of this trail follows the North Fork of the Elk River as it winds through willows and alders. Two unimproved trails leave the main trail to the hikers left: One continues up the North Fork and offers some spectacular views of the Sawtooth Range, Mt. Zirkel, two water falls, and Big Agnes Mountain as it proceeds to the headwaters of the river; the second leads to Lake Diana. The main trail continues to the north on the east slope of the Continental Divide. The trail continues north along the Encampment River into the North Park District of the Routt National Forest. Dropping onto the eastern side of the Continental Divide, you are entering the Encampment Meadows. The brook that meanders through the meadows is the Encampment River. As you continue, the brook will change to a boulder strewn rushing stream and eventually into the Encampment River. On the eastern side four forks are encountered: the first on the left will guide you up to Gem Lake; the second on the right will take you into the Seven Lakes area; at this point the hiker will enter more old dark spruce forest and encounter the third fork which will take you to West Fork Lake. Staying right on 1152 about a mile up the trail the encounter with the fourth fork occurs, if taken it will take you to Stump Park. Keeping left on 1152 for the long haul into Hog Park approximately 7 miles remain to the trailhead. Black Mountain looms on the west side of the river and small openings along the trail provide several panoramic views. The fishing is good in the Encampment River, with brown trout being the primary species. Mature forest exists of subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce and eventually lodgepole pine. With four miles remaining, the user fords the Encampment River and leaves the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. During the rest of the trail several old cabins built during the tie hack days are situated along the Main Fork Encampment River. These small dwellings were home for those hardy souls who in the early 1890's lived in the Encampment wilderness, cutting railroad ties which were floated down the Encampment River to the railroad in Wyoming. High stumps, a few old cabins, and a rusty nail or two are the only remnants of an era gone by.