Boy Scout Trail

The Scout Trail is Glenwood Springs' local climb, starting at the end of East 8th Street a few blocks from downtown and switchbacking 1,200 feet up the hillside to a bench with the town, the confluence of the Colorado and the Roaring Fork, and the Flat Tops in view. The 3-mile round trip to the viewpoint is the workout most people want; the trail continues another 4 miles to Lookout Mountain for a long day.

From the trailhead at the end of East 8th Street, the trail climbs at once on switchbacks through scrub oak and juniper, steep and sun-exposed, with the town dropping away below. The grade rarely eases in the first mile, and the switchbacks are the only mercy.

At about 1.5 miles the trail reaches a bench with a rest spot and the view: Glenwood below, the two rivers meeting, the canyon to the east, and the Flat Tops to the north. This is the turnaround for the 3-mile version at about 7,100 feet. The trail continues up the ridge through pine and aspen to Lookout Mountain and the Forest Hollow trail for the 11-mile loop the locals run. Return the same way.

From downtown Glenwood Springs, take Grand Avenue to 8th Street and follow it east to its end at the trailhead, about half a mile from the center of town. Parking is on the street and limited; most people walk from town. No fee or permit. There is no toilet.

Dogs are allowed on leash. The steep, exposed grade is why the trail is not marked kid-friendly; older kids who hike manage it. Carry water; there is none on the trail. Rattlesnakes live in the oak in warm months. The town's hot springs are the recovery, three blocks from the trailhead. The Glenwood Springs hikes page has Hanging Lake and Grizzly Creek in the canyon.