Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Two reported mountain lion sightings in Butcherknife Canyon caused a scare at two Steamboat Springs schools this week.  (That's a file photo from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, above.)

As a result, school officials refused to allow students to use the popular Butcherknife Trail that leads from the schools’ shared campus.

After the second reported sighting was made just before classes let out Tuesday afternoon, staff members took up watch around the campus.

Parks and Wildlife officers are investigating the reported sightings.

One caller described a reported cat in her neighbor’s yard as “smaller than a pony" with light yellow fur and a long tail.

“It sounds like a typical lion encounter out here,” Area Wildlife Manager Jim Haskins told the Steamboat Pilot.

Parents planned to monitor the trail during hours when students walk to and from the campus.

Read more about the mountain lion sighting in Steamboat and see a wildlife officer's safety tips video.

Mountain lion sightings have been reported in recent weeks in Monument and southwest Colorado Springs.  We live in mountain lion habitat.  Learn more about living with the big cats at the Parks and Wildlife website.

A dead mountain lion was reported in Stratton Open Space in southwest Colorado Springs.  The cat apparently was killed by another mountain lion, Parks and Wildlife officials said, probably in a dispute over territory.  (See photos of the mountain lion that was found dead along the trail  -- but beware: they're graphic in nature.)

See fun photos of a Maine Coon cat meeting a mountain lion -- with a sliding glass door between them!