House Rock is a “soft”-ranked peak (elevation 9,632 feet) in Larimer County; it’s located just north of the Boulder/Larimer County border. It’s summit provides interesting views of certain peaks of Wild Basin in Rocky Mountain National Park as well as some high mountains in Indian Peaks Wilderness. From the top of House Rock the view directly west is of the Twin Sisters and their southern neighbor, South Sister. Looking toward the northeast, east, and southeast provides perspectives of many lower Larimer and Boulder County ranked peaks. Bring a map and sit on the softest rock you can find in the spacious summit area and try to identify these mountains as you munch on your lunch.
House Rock is easy to approach, with most of the 7.25-mile round trip hike on Forest Service Road 119. There is usually ample parking just before the gate where the hike begins. Expect a cumulative elevation gain of approximately 1,600 feet. As you approach the peak turn off the road and have fairly easy bushwhacking to the summit area. Once you arrive at the top find and sign the summit register. It is NOT the cache. Then go to the nearby cache coordinates and find it. The cache container is at the base of an unusual pine tree that has two trunks that splay out in different directions, initially paralleling the ground before turning upright. The cache is a small jar wrapped in black duct tape. Return it carefully to its hiding position and re-cover it with the dead wood that conceals it.
Enjoy your hike. Enjoy the views. Enjoy signing the cache log!
House Rock
| Difficulty: 
| Terrain: 
2 
1