| Distance | 7.17 mi |
| Elevation Gain | 1145 feet |
| My Time | 2 hrs 50 min |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Closest Town | Evergreen |
| Food Nearby | Parkside Cafe |
Beaver Brook Watershed
The Beaver Brook Watershed Loop is a nice hike in the woods that has a small lake and stream. It wasn’t overly crowded on a weekend morning in Evergreen making for a really nice relaxing walk.
Starting off
There is a nice little downhill grade to start this hike and you will have the option of staying on the main dirt road trail or taking a smaller trail through the woods. I took the woods route on the way out as I saw a couple of Elk running but never caught up to them.
The wooded section only lasts 2 tenths of a mile before you are back connected to the road. The dirt road will go about another mile before you come to a small lake. There are no trespassing signs around the lake as it is a water source so make sure you keep your dogs leashed and out of the water.
The Junction
Shortly after the lake you will come to a junction where you can either go straight on a smaller trail or curve around to the right and stay on the road. I kept to the road as I was looking for the second spot on the loop. I of course missed the second part of the loop and continued about a mile down the road.
While this isn’t the way that you are supposed to go, it does have some of the best views of surrounding areas and the lake.
After I got to the point where I took the above picture I finally looked at my map and realized I missed the loop turn so I back tracked a bit. The proper trail took me through a small clearing and then onto a small dirt and rock trail that headed straight through some dense woods. Note that none of the trails are marked at this open space.
The trail in the woods is where you will get a majority of the elevation gain with 400 feet in about a mile. You will also be totally shaded by the tall trees before connecting again with a dirt road that you can take back to finish the loop.
There is really no “wow” moment that is usually at the end of a hike. You are pretty much just surrounded by trees and then you end up on a road to head back. No peaks or clearings really to mark the end.
Elevation and Distance
If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 7.17 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 1145 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 9,141 feet. I was also moving for a total of 2 hours and 50 minutes.
I am a Pro member of AllTrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.
Effort
About half of this hike is walking on a dirt access road so that made it pretty easy to navigate. There are some elevation pushes but with some long sections that are flat or descending. Not too much added effort. Here is the step count from my Fitbit.
Terrain
A good half of the hike is on a dirt road which is easy to navigate with a few rocks scattered about the road. As you get closer to the woods the trail becomes more of a small dirt trail or walking through tire ruts. There were a few people biking and my research said that this area is also really big for trail runners as well.
Access
This trail is located in Frosberg Park in Evergreen on Squaw Pass Road. There isn’t a parking lot but enough room on the side of the road for about 8-10 cars to park. There are no restroom facilities at this location.
Wrap up
While this wasn’t the flashiest trail with great mountain views, it was a really nice walk on a weekend morning. The fall leaves were starting to change in a few places which was really nice to see. I did enjoy just having a nice walk being surrounded by tall trees and grasses for the entire hike.
Doing this hike early in the morning was nice as well as it gave some nice color changes with the rising sun hitting the leaves. I really enjoyed myself even though there wasn’t much for huge views. Hey sometimes you just need a walk through the woods right!
I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map section that you can find here. If you have suggestions for hikes or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!
