Near Evergreen, Colorado, the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead offers an out-and-back trail. It is a dog-friendly, family-friendly hike that is suitable for hikers of all abilities. Hiking on this trail is an excellent activity for the weekend or during the week, regardless of the time of year.
In contrast to many hiking trails, the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead begins at the highest elevation of the hike and descends to the reservoir. This means that your hike to the reservoir is much more leisurely than the walk back to the car. The elevation gain is not steep or taxing, but worth mentioning. Trail conditions are almost exclusively sand and dirt as the majority of the hike is up an old 4WD road. Several options are available for hiking to the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead. If you are traveling from the west, take exit 247 off of I-70, and go right off of the highway if you are from Denver, or left off the highway if you are coming from the east. Follow this for about three miles until you turn right and remain on Beaver Brook Canyon Road. At this point, the road turns to dirt. Park at one of the different spots that are available at the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead. The official parking area is along Beaver Brook Canyon Road and the road near the trailhead. The official lot is about 500 yards from the start of the trail near Pat Creek road. The official lot can fit about 10 cars.
If you want to park in the “unofficial” area, there is a small pull-off on the side of Beaver Brook Canyon Road that can fit about 5 cars. Those who prefer a shorter hike can park on Squaw Pass Road and hike to the reservoir in under 1.5 miles RT. To find the trailhead, follow Pat Creek Road for a few hundred yards and you will see a gated trail on the left. This is the start of the Beaver Brook Watershed trail. While there is moderate traffic at the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead hike, it is not as busy as many other trails in the area. Neither parking area has a bathroom, but both are free. The hiking trail is also dog friendly, so you’d be able to bring your pet along. Unfortunately, there is no camping allowed on the Beaver Brook Watershed Trailhead.
With the Beaver Brook Watershed hike, you can enjoy nature without having to drive too far into the mountains. During the fall, this hike offers good views of the leaves changing, and throughout the year there are good opportunities for landscape photography. Once at the watershed, it’s a peaceful spot to enjoy the water with a backdrop of some smaller mountains in the area. This is also a spot where you can see deer, elk, eagles, and other wildlife that call in
Evergreen, CO home.
This trail is popular in the fall as it is a hot spot for golden Aspens groves. The trail itself is unnamed but open to the public. Pass through the opening in the wooden fence and follow the trail as it follows a natural gas right-of-way.
It is unclear if this trail is meant to simply provide access for utility companies or if it is also meant for public recreation. Either way, in the fall it makes for a nice and easy fall color hike close to
Evergreen.
