When looking for a uniquely Colorado trail running experience near the heart of the city, look no further than Lair o’ the Bear park. Located just four miles west of Morrison, this park offers smooth trails ranging in elevation from 6,500 feet to 7,500 feet.
One of the most notable historical features of this park can be found in the northeast corner of the parking lot. Here, lilac bushes and cherry trees, along with the stone remnants of a fireplace, mark the spot of the once bustling Mountain Nook Ranch house. In 1902, John Albin Johnson and his wife, Mathilda, purchased 560 acres in this area, and named it “Mountain Nook Ranch.” In addition to raising Red Durham cattle, the Johnsons grew a variety of produce, which they trucked to Evergreen and Denver. Mountain Nook’s crops were irrigated with the help of three log dams, which John designed. John and Mathilda also planted over 200 cherry and apple trees, many of which can still be found throughout the park. Mathilda moved to California after John died in 1928. She held on to Mountain Nook Ranch until 1959, when she had her sons sell the land to Marcus and Muriel Wright. The Wrights were well known in Idledale as the owners of the famed Wright Castle, which is still visible across Bear Creek from the Creekside Trail. In the mid-1960s, the land was sold to the Mountain Air Corporation, which, in turn, sold it to Jefferson County Open Space in 1987. “Lair o’ the Bear” was the name that members of the Mountain Air Corporation gave to the property when they owned it. The name was taken from the student union at the University of California, whose mascot is a bear.
Starting in Bear Creek Canyon, the first mile of the Bear Creek Trail travels slightly uphill against the flow of the river. As you travel west along this trail, the canyon narrows. Pay attention to the north- facing canyon wall as it supports a wide array of wildflowers, ferns and mosses, as well as blue spruce and Douglas-fir trees.
After about a mile and a half, the Bear Creek Trail takes a dramatic turn as it climbs up and away from the river into the forest. After a mile and half of climbing, the trail drops down into O’Fallen Park, being crossed by numerous smaller trails heading back down towards the river. Bear Creek Trail continues to roll along at about an elevation of 7,000 feet, weaving its way in and out of the forest, providing wonderful views of nearby Kittridge and the mountains above Evergreen. After the trail passes the 3.5 mile marker (the trail is marked every half mile once it leaves the canyon floor), it begins its final climb to Myers Gulch Road. The five mile marker is across the road, near the map in the Pence Park parking lot, marking the high point of the trail at 7,480 feet and 6.3 miles from the starting point at Lair o’ the Bear.
Because of the out and back nature of this trail, it allows for any distance from one mile to twelve miles.
To get to the park, travel four miles west on Colorado Highway 74 from Morrison or eight miles east from Evergreen. Lair o’ the Bear is located on the south side of the highway, between Idledale and Kittridge.