Upper Limbaugh Trailhead

The Upper Limbaugh Trailhead is located on Mt Herman Road, 2.8 miles up from its intersection with Red Rocks Drive west of the town of Monument. This is at the next switchback beyond the official Mount Herman Trail 716 trailhead. There is room for about 8 vehicles at the trailhead and space for more along the side of the road just a bit further up. Trail 715 crosses the road here, going down/south/behind toward the Monument Fire Center and up/north/ahead toward Limbaugh Canyon.

Upper Limbaugh Canyon Out & Back: 

• Roundtrip to 3rd dirtbike trail is 7.5 miles, 1900' total elevation gain, highpoint 8903' at turnaround
• Take Trail 715 north over a small ridge and descend a drainage toward Monument Creek. Just before the trail turns right to follow the main canyon, about 1 mile from the trailhead, Trail 756 goes to the left at an unsigned junction. It immediately crosses an often dry streamlet, traverses up the ridge opposite, and then contours west up the canyon. Much of this trail is in poor condition and needs maintenance; it is not for a novice hiker and the tread is too narrow for winter hiking to be enjoyable. Much of it is flagged from time to time to help with navigation as the trail gets worn in with more use. On the other hand, it offers views of spectacular rock formations, meadows, and ponds and it proceeds upstream. The trail intersects routes used by dirtbikes 1.3 and 1.5 miles from Trail 715 -- the second of these ascends south up a lovely rock-filled valley to the intersection of FR320 and FR320D. A good place to end the hike as an out and back would be when it reaches a third dirtbike route about 2.6 miles from Trail 715 or when it crosses Monument Creek a short distance beyond.

Upper Limbaugh Canyon Through Hike (Short): 

• One-way distance 3.0 miles, 500' elevation gain west to east (1250' east to west), high point 8958' at west trailhead.
• Use the Upper Limbaugh Trailhead as one end of a car shuttle to see the most scenic parts of the canyon. Best done west to east, so start the hike 3.2 miles further up (west) on Mt Herman Road at the junction with FR320D. There is a lot of room for vehicles off the road at that intersection. The hike begins on a nonsystem trail used by dirtbikers; this is found directly east of the "no shooting" sign in the northeast portion of the intersection. Hike down through a lovely valley with standing rocks and aspen for a half mile and reach Trail 756 in a large meadow along Monument Creek. Turn right and follow Trail 756 east down the south side of the canyon for 1.5 miles and intersect Trail 715. Turn right to go up to the Upper Limbaugh Trailhead. Watch for flagging on Trail 756; the only particularly difficult routefinding is immediately after the trail crosses a dirtbike route--go straight into the meadow and pick up the flags and trail within a few hundred feet.

Upper Limbaugh Canyon Through Hike (Full):

• One-way distance 5.9 miles, 1000' elevation gain west to east (2000' east to west) high point 9200' at west trailhead
• Use the Upper Limbaugh Trailhead as one end of a car shuttle to see the full canyon. This is best done west to east, which is how this description is written, but until better signage is installed some of the turns are easy to miss -- so perhaps best done for the first time by a leader going east to west, follow the out & back route and continue. Start this hike 5.4 miles up (west) Mt Herman Road at its intersection with Forest Road 315. There is minimal room for parking on the sides of the roads. Follow the old FR322A beyond the motor vehicle closure gate to the north, down toward Monument Creek. Pass the ruins of a chimney along the way to a wide valley dominated by a castle-like formation, then continue up the north slope of the valley. At 1.5 miles from Mt Herman road, look for a motor vehicle closure fence (and flagging) that blocks the start of Trail 756. The trail continues down a long ridge, until it steeply descends toward Monument Creek and joins another route. Go right (west) and then south across the creek; watch for flagging to see where Trail 756 turns back to the east off the continuing dirtbike trail. This point is about .78 miles from the old FR322A. From here, follow Trail 756 east for 2.6 miles, always remaining on the south side of Monument Creek, until you reach Trail 715. Turn right to go back up to Mount Herman Road.

Lower Limbaugh Canyon Through Hike:

• 4.1 miles one-way, 350' elevation south to north (1200' north to south), high point 8447'
• This is a straightforward hike down lower Limbaugh Canyon on Trail 715. Go north over a small ridge then down most of the rest of the way to a trailhead on Rock Ridge Road on the south side of Palmer Lake -- limited parking there and no parking allowed on town streets. After reaching Limbaugh Canyon a mile into the hike, the next 1.6 miles are in a wide valley known for wildflowers. Trail 715 takes a sharp left at the end of the meadows area at an unmarked junction. Continue straight on Trail 715A into a tighter section of the canyon, eventually reaching an overlook of Palmer Lake. Continuing, watch for the unmarked spot where the trail begins switchbacking down to Palmer Lake -- if you go straight you will end up on private property. This route can be done as an out-and-back, of course. It can also be combined with various nonsystem trails into a partial loop, or in combination with some nonsystem trails used to connect to the Monument Fire Center and the Schilling Road trailhead for Trail 715, but all of that gets complicated if you do not know the area.

Limbaugh to Reservoirs Through Hike:

• 5.2 miles one-way, 470' elevation gain south to north (1500' north to south), high point 8447'
• This hike takes you to the Reservoir Trailhead in Palmer Lake -- a pay parking area. Take Trail 715 north over the small ridge and down the tributary. After reaching Limbaugh Canyon a mile into the hike, the next 1.6 miles are in a wide valley known for wildflowers. Trail 715 takes a sharp left at the end of the meadows area at an unmarked junction.A recently rerouted but poorly signed trail goes .4 miles up to Balanced Rock Road (if you miss a turn, you either go up much more steeply or have to come back longer on the road). Turn right on the road and go down past the two Palmer Reservoirs, perhaps the prettiest lakes in the area. A bit over 2 miles gets you to Palmer Lake -- watch for the trail to leave the utilities road to the right just after it passes through a gate at the mouth of the canyon. This can be done as an out and back, or one can use Palmer Lake town roads to get to the Rock Ridge Road trailhead and return up Limbaugh Canyon.

Monument Trail Through Hike:

• 3.5 miles one way, 160' elevation gain west to east (1370' east to west), high point 8244' at trailhead
• A nice downhill hike can be done on Trail 715 going south from this trailhead. This will take you into Beaver Creek canyon and then traverses the slopes below Mount Herman Road before passing through the Monument Fire Center (aka the Preserve). It features expansive views to the east but can be very hot in the summertime. Trail 715 ends at the corner of Schilling and Lindbergh Roads, where there is parking for about a dozen vehicles. Several other parking areas are along the perimeter of the Fire Center.

• Suitable Activities: Hiking
• Seasons: Year-round
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Land Manager: U.S. Forest Service
  Pikes Peak Ranger District (PSINF)
• Parking Permit Required: USFS Permits & Passes
• Recommended Party Size: 12
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12