San Isabel National Forest
North Fork Trail #1309

The North Fork Trail trailhead is along the road leading into the Purgatoire Campground, just up the hill above the campground entrance. The trail follows the valley floor of the North Fork of the Purgatoire River for 4.5 miles before rising to meet the Trinchera Peak Road. This valley seems to get more rainfall than the valleys around it and the wildflowers seem to be more prolific here.

A couple miles into the trail, you have to ford the stream (which can be great fun during spring run-off). At this point you are entering into Parson's Cow Camp, an inholding of private land within the Forest. Beyond the northern edge of the Cow Camp, the trail leaves the valley floor and ascends through a thick pine forest to the ridge crest where it ends at the Trinchera Peak Road.

North Fork Trail is rated as easy and sees most traffic in the late spring, summer and fall. This is a foot and horseback trail only. Trout fishing along the main stream is pretty good.

To get here: take State Highway 12 south from La Veta for 27 miles to North Lake. Just past North Lake is the well-signed Forest Service Road #34 leading 4 miles west across the North Fork-North Lake State Wildlife Area and then into San Isabel National Forest to the Purgatoire Campground.