Devil's Head Fire Lookout

Devil's Head Fire Lookout is north of Woodland Park, CO in the Pike National Forest. It's on a forest service road that is mostly gravel. For the first few miles out of Woodland Park, it was a paved but narrow road. We were swerving around boulders by the side of the road. It's called Devil's Head because it looks like it has two horns sticking out the top of the mountain.

Then the road became gravel and wider.

It was washboarded in some places but overall a nice gravel road.

Then it narrowed and was curvier. We really had to watch for people going too fast around the curves.

Lots of boulders around. We went up and down mountains where the roads were really narrow and rough. Sometimes the bumps in the road were large rocks.

The start of the trail to get to Devil's Head. it's a 3 mile round trip with a 900'+ elevation gain.

The trail was well maintained with plenty of benches for resting.

Walking through the aspen trees.

Still lots of boulders around.

On of the rocky mountain peaks in the area.

The path was concrete and grated in this short segment.

What a view and we're not even to the top!

We called this "Thumb Rock".

A narrow place right before we get to the top of the trail.

First sight of the stairs leading up to the watch tower. Yep, 143 steps up. Pretty steep too.

The watchperson's cabin at the foot of the stairs. Electricity but no running water.

Sign at the base of the stairs.

The next few photos are the view from the watch tower. Supposedly you can see 100 miles in each direction.

Rain clouds moving in from the west.

Pikes Peak with its head in the clouds again.

I wonder if one of these comprise the "horns" of Devil's Head.

A few peaks inside the watch tower.

You know we're just a couple of overgrown kids.

Downtown Denver - Yeah I know you can't see the skyscrapers but we could. It's only 35 miles away.

Right at the top of the rocks were a couple of bushes covered in ladybugs. Yes, all that red is ladybugs.

We went back down the stairs and walked around.

Then we looked back up at the watch tower.

I thought the rock behind the tree looked like a pig's head.

Saw plenty of these varmints during our walk.

Saw this pile of rocks off in the distance....

A close up of the rock pile. Ok, who stacked those?

Seven Falls

Seven Falls is located in Colorado Springs and is privately owned.

The view from the Nest observation platform that is accessed by an elevator located inside the mountain or up a 184 step stairway. We took the elevator up.

Double-click to enlarge this sign that shows the names of the seven falls. At night the falls are individualy lit in different colors.

Our next feat was to climb the stairs to the top of the falls.

This sign says it all.

Close up of Shorty Falls.

Bridal Vail Falls under Ramona Falls.

Looking back down the first flight of stairs. The stage at the bottom is for the Indian dance shows that are performed almost every day.

Ramona Falls.

Looking back down the second flight of stairs.

Once at the top we started walking the trail.

We hiked both of these but we did the top one first. Helen Hunt Jackson was an author and an activist for the Native Americans. She loved South Cheyenne Canyon and requested to be buried at the top. She was buried there in 1885 but her body has since been moved.

Another caution sign.

The trail going up to Inspiration Point was very steep in places and had a lot of steps. It's only a mile long (round trip) but has a 600' elevation gain.

Thank goodness we didn't see much litter.

Just one of the views we saw as we climbed.

Helen Hunt Jackson's grave site.

Plaque memoralizing another owner of Seven Falls.

The next few photos are a panoramic view from Inspiration Point.

Helen Hunt Jackson's grave as seen from Inspiration Point.

On the way back down the trail we came across this evidence of a squirrel's hard work.

The squirrel was hurriedly stripping the needles off this cluster of cones so he could haul them away.

We disturbed him so he turned his back on us hoping we would go away. LOL

When we didn't go away, he grabbed a cluster of cones and scampered away.

There he goes!

On the way to Midnight Falls, we saw this tree growing out of a rock.

Midnight Falls.