Overview
Lair 'O The Bear OSP is a nice park along the side of Morrison Road, west of Morrison. There are a few trails within the park, but the beauty of it is that it connects to Pence Park, a Denver Mountain Park that increases distance, gain, and enjoyment factor. Some people do a huge shuttle/ride from Lair to Pence, then take the back roads to Mt Falcon OSP and then downhill Mt Falcon, either to a waiting car, or back up Morrison Road to the Lair TH.
Bathroom facilities and drinking water available at the TH. Pence Park (way up CR 120) only has a port-o-let.
Trail Description
Creekside Trail At Ouzel Bridge near
parking area 1.7 mi Shady, crushed gravel trail that follows the creek. A section of trail is Hiker only near parking & picnic area. Good fishing Trail ends at park boundary.
Creekside Loop West trail junction w/ Creekside trail 0.2 mi Hiker only, natural surface loop trail. Shady, willow brush
dominates area. Good fishing.
Brittlefern Trail West trail junction w/ Creekside Trail near Ouzel Bridge 0.3 mi Multi-use trail. Loops around to picnic areas.
Caster Cutoff West trail junction w/ Bruin Bluff Trail 0.2 mi Bisects Bruin Bluff Trail.
Bruin Bluff Trail West trail junction w/ Caster Cutoff at Dipper Bridge 1.9 mi Multi-use Trail. Trail loops away from creek; connects to Little Park, a Denver Mountain Park.
Typically, I ride Bruin Bluff first, then west along Bear Creek to pick up the other trails in Pence Park.
Getting There
From JCOS:
Approximately four miles west of Morrison along Colorado Highway 74. The parking area is located on the south side of the highway.
From me:
About 6.5 miles from Morrison, you will find a small DMP lot that puts you at the base of Pence Park. No facilities exist here. Additionally, if you want to ride about .6 miles more along the river, you can park at Little Park, a DMP property with picnic facilities and limited parking. This lot also serves as an "overflow" lot from the Lair 'O The Bear lot, which is often VERY busy on weekends.
To get to Pence Park (From DMP):
Pence Park is 2 miles southeast of Kittredge on County Highway 120, also known as Meyers Gulch Road.
When to Bike
Most of the 10-12 months of the year. Some of the trails will hold snow after heavy snows, and Bear Creek Trail will get packed and icy. Expect ice and snow during winter months.Summer is HOT and dry. Expect LARGE crowds and busy trails on weekends, and full parking lots even after work during the week. DO NOT PARK along the highway/entrance - you will be ticketed. If the parking lot is full, try parking at the west entrance (the Corwina Denver Mountain Park area). Parking is limited there, but usually not packed.
Links & Other info
DMP Pence ParkJCOS Lair O' The Bear OSP
Park Map
Images
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