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Pierson Park North
Estes Park,
Colorado
(Larimer County)
Last Updated:
06/16/2023
Trail Information
Highlights
Named after the nearby Pierson Mountain, Pierson Park Road North travels through the backcountry south of Estes Park, Colorado. You will find spectacular views of the Estes Park Valley as well as access to the Pierson Park Trail, a hiking trail that wanders through old homesteads from the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 2013, heavy rainfall created havoc on the landscape of the surrounding area. The excessive rain caused a significant landslide from the Twin Sisters Mountain that borders the western edge of the valley. The landslide was deemed unstable by the US Forest Service and the Pierson Park Road was basically cut in half by the natural disaster. Today, the once-through road is open as an out-and-back from the north and from the south. Remnants of the landslide are still clearly visible on the eastern slope of Twin Sisters Mountain.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
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Tim Palmer
Official Crew
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Trail Reviews
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 09/08/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Pretty good views at the beginning, particularly WP2 at Observation Point. After that the views dwindle and the trail runs mostly through a forest. Most of the trail is spot on with a 3 rating, a lot of it is going uphill on some rocks which aren't bad. I'd say the rock garden at WP8 is definitely harder than a 3 rating. I opted the far line which I would consider to be the bypass but if you go up the main line it's probably at least a 4. No issues on a stock 2005 4Runner.
Open
Visited: 06/16/2023
This trail is now open for the season. Happy Wheeling!!
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 06/15/2023
Many trails in the high country remain closed due to snow pack and potential for resource damage. This trail is on that closed list. We'll keep you updated about conditions and road status as they change.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/12/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Harder
Solid trail. Close enough to Estes to be able to access this quickly for a camp trip. Be sure to drive slow through the neighborhood you cross into. Saw a large heard of elk in the road while coming around a corner. The rock garden at WP 8 might need a spotter for when dropping into the valley. Over all a short trail but worth the trip to the bottom to read the history of the 2013 landslide.
Open
Visited: 06/24/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
I picked this trail as a good spot to go camping due to no fire restrictions. A local man came up on a side by side and told us there was a fire ban and that we needed to put it out. We didn't listen to him because we had thoroughly researched the fire ban maps and checked the national park websites. I'm guessing his wife came up later that day and told us there was a fire ban and threatened us with large fines. We should not have listened to her because we packed up and went home 2 nights early because of this horrible couple. We were being respectful of the land and had a very well thought out fire pit that was attended at all times. This couple is a menace to society and I will be going back next to build a larger and more engineered fire with binder showing all of the different resources available that proves no fire ban is in place.
As for the valley part of the trail - my Raptor lost 4WD going down the valley part and I made it back up with quite a bit of speed and 2WD but I wouldn't recommend doing that to anyone.
Beautiful trail!
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