Summary
Muscoco Mountain, above Cheyenne Canyon, has the distinction of being right in the city's back yard and far off the beaten path. The gentle climb up a ridge is a perfect half-day hike.

Location
Cheyenne Canyon

Hike
This hike follows the Mount Cutler trail for a half-mile before veering off on its own. Mount Cutler can be crowded this time of year, but once you turn onto the Muscoco trail, you probably will lose some of the traffic. Follow the wide, gravel Mount Cutler trail as it gently jaunts up to a saddle between North and South Cheyenne canyons. The trail straight ahead leads to Mount Cutler. At the saddle, look to the right for a trail that climbs west along a ridge to the granite-capped bulge of Muscoco. The first hundred meters of the trail are the worst, scrambling over Pikes Peak granite that has eroded to slippery pebbles. Stick with it and soon you'll level out on a grassy ridge. From here the trail is like a car key: You'll probably lose it a few times, but if you do, just go back to where you last saw it and eventually you'll find it again. While you're looking, take the time to stick your nose in the red, scaly bark of a ponderosa pine. In the hot summer sun, the trees smell like sweet vanilla or butterscotch. Generally, the trail hugs the top of the ridge until it runs up against Muscoco's stone walls where it tarries along the north (right) side. The trail reaches a shady saddle behind Muscoco's summit and splits into three branches. The one straight ahead leads down to Gold Camp Road. The one on the right goes to a small crag. You should take a left and trudge east up a few switchbacks to Muscoco's rambling rock summit. Muscoco squats in the center of an audience of higher mountains that makes a spectacular natural bowl around it. Sit quietly on the summit and you'll hear the rush of Helen Hunt Falls below. Don't be startled when you also hear the rush of swifts performing aerial acrobatics inches above your head.

To get there
From downtown Colorado Springs, take U.S. Highway 24 west to 21st Street. Turn south on 21st until you reach Cheyenne Boulevard. Turn west on Cheyenne Boulevard and follow about a half-mile to the mouth of Cheyenne Canyon. Bear right into the canyon and look for the Mount Cutler trailhead 1.5 miles up on the left.

Trip Log
3 boots, 3 miles round-trip, 1,000 feet elevation gain.

Details

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