Elkhead State Park: Osprey Trail

Elkhead Reservoir State Park

Elkhead Reservoir State Park is located near Craig, Colorado on the border of Moffat and Routt counties. The State Park offers two campgrounds, one electric and one non-electric, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, archery and more. The reservoir is 900 acres with a ton of options for recreation. My second visit started with hike of the Elkhead State Osprey Trail.

Getting Started – East Beach

To start the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park head over to East Beach. You can get to the beach by crossing over the dam and driving past the campground to a small parking lot. The trailhead is in the back of the parking lot opposite of the beach but I decided to take a bit of minute at the beach to see the early morning water.

In the opposite direction of the sand is the start of the Osprey Trail. There is a sign marking the narrow trail that starts right up the hill east of the water. As the trail heads up the hill you will pass through an open section of fence. Around that point the trail will split into a loop which will encircle the big hill in front of you. I decided to take the trail to the left to get some more water time. That’s how I will be writing this but you could head either direction.

Lake Side

My favorite part of this hike was how much time is spent right near the water. The trail is on a small hill above the water giving really amazing views of the reservoir for a majority of the hike. The trail takes you from the beach and up the hill then almost immediately follows the the curve of the lake for the next mile. I hiked on a cloudy morning with very little wind that resulted in a mostly flat lake with plenty of cool reflections.

Elkhead Reservoir isn’t too big so I could see across it for most of the hike. I alternated between some of the early budding flowers and glances back to the water to watch the clouds move in. The trail itself is narrow and a little overgrown. This park is more about water activities and I don’t think hiking is top on its list but the trail was still enjoyable. About a mile into the hike, the trail starts its switchback up to the top of the main hill overlooking the water. At this point the reservoir also extends a bit and shows off a small island in the middle. The hill is also where you get your steepest elevation gains of the hike.

The Hill

The hill on the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park isn’t too bad but it does have a bit of elevation. It can be reached as part of the loop or from the next parking area and boat launch over. You will never actually get to the top of the hill but instead will double back and circle around the top to connect the loop back by the beach. This gives you a bit of a birds eye view of the water and also one of my favorite looks at this single tree on the top of the hill.

The trail wraps around the hill and brings you back to the main trail completing a bit of a lollypop loop. This wasn’t too challenging of a hike but a really nice one to see the water and a great way to start a morning at the state park. I really enjoyed it and think anyone who enjoys the water views would like this one without a ton of extra effort.

Video of the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park

I have put this time-lapse video together of hiking to Elkhead Reservoir State Parks Osprey Trail so other hikers can get a feel of what the hike is like. If you enjoy this video make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest outdoor content.

Distance and Elevation

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 1.92 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 174 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 6,493 feet. I was also moving for a total of 45 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

The Osprey Trail at Elkhead Reservoir State Park isn’t too much of a challenge but there are some hills that add to the difficulty. For the most part the trail is flat and has some nice views walking next to the lake but there is a short incline with a 10% grade that some might find to be a challenge. I am going to list this as an easy to moderate hike for anyone who isn’t comfortable with inclines.

Terrain

The path for Osprey Trail is a very narrow dirt path best for single file hiking. There is also a lot of grass and brush that is close or overgrown on the trail so you may want to keep long pants on as I came off the trail with a couple of ticks. The trail is also totally exposed so make sure you have sun and weather protection. I would recommend some hiking boots as well to make sure you have coverage against all the brush.

Access to the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park

The Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park starts at the East Beach parking lot. Elkhead Reservoir State Park is part of the Colorado State Park system and there is a $10 day use fee or you can use a yearly pass. The parking lot has room for maybe 20 cars and there is a vault toilet there.

Wrapping up the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park

This was my first weekend in Craig, Colorado and visiting Elkhead Reservoir State Park and I have to tell you that it is a really nice place. It is smaller but with a nice lake, campgrounds and some hiking trails. The trails aren’t the main draw but the first two that I have hiked were both really enjoyable.

The Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park was really enjoyable with some great water views the entire time. The trail was mostly easy but had enough ups and downs to get the blood flowing in the morning. I was really happy with the hike and starting at the beach is really cool. If you find yourself near Elkhead, make sure to stop and check it out!

 have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or 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!

Gallery of the Osprey Trail at Elkhead State Park