GC1CY46 The Lion's Den
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: acefaser @ | Hide Date: 06/13/2008 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 18.560 W105° 28.082 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
       

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The Lion's Den

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This cache is located at the summit of Lion Head Mountain. Lion Head is a modest, rocky prominence located between Pierson Park and Lion Gulch in Roosevelt National Forest. This pleasant peak is enjoyable to climb and offers a great view of the twin summits of Pierson Mountain, as well as Fish Creek, Hermit Park, and Twin Sisters Mountain.

How to get there

From the junction of US 36 and Fish Creek Road in Estes Park, drive south on Fish Creek Road for 2.8 miles to Little Valley Road. Take a left onto unpaved Little Valley Road and follow it 2 miles to a Forest Service gate at the intersection of FR119 and Moss Rock Drive. This is the winter parking area, with room for several vehicles to park on a slanted pull-off near the gate. In summer, those with high-clearance vehicles may continue to the Pierson Park Trailhead (#1000), 1.8 miles farther along FR119, and park at the trailhead near a scenic meadow.

Follow Pierson Park Trailhead as it ambles downhill, leading toward Homestead Meadows and Lion Gulch. Follow the trail for .6 mile to a small open area. From this point the Pierson Park Trail bends to the southeast and climbs along the southern slope of Pierson Mountain. Leave the trail and follow a dirt road that leads north. After a short distance, leave the road and bushwhack northeast through the thinned forest toward the saddle between Pierson Mountain and Lion Head. From the saddle, a well-cairned trail zigzags up the southwestern slope of Lion Head.

07/02/2015 By Barngineer
After finding "A Cute Triangle," I headed to the saddle between Pierson and Lion Head, where I encountered a protective mother grouse. First she charged me with her tail feathers fanned out as she squawked and tried to divert my attention as her babies hopped into the tall grass. Then she pretended her wings were broken and tried to lure me away. Then she paced back and forth, clucking and hoping I would just leave. So I left.
I really liked the views from the top of Lion Head, and I also really liked the nice big ammo can cache. It's still stocked with some nice goodies. Thanks for hauling it all the way up here. This is my favorite type of cache: great scenery with nobody else around.

07/19/2014 By icezebra11
Well the triangle hasn't been visited by a cacher since June 2011. I figured that was way too long and I decided these three caches deserved to be logged again. I headed up to Estes this morning from my home in Loveland and made my way south to the locked Forest Service gate on Road 119. Threw on the pack, grabbed the trekking poles and headed up the road. Soon I reached the point where I left the road and headed east for the north ridge of Pierson Mountain. I eventually made it to the ridge and then headed south up to the peak. Soon I was at GZ for "A Cute Triangle" and a quick find was made. Ate a sandwich and then headed back down the ridge to the saddle between Pierson and Lion Head, on my way to "The Lion's Den". I couldn't locate the cairned trail that lead up the mountain so I continued bushwacking east. It wasn't long before I arrived at GZ and quickly found the hiding spot of the ammo box. Signed the log and took a few pictures before continuing south to "Homestead Overlook". Thanks acefaser for this great backcountry cache!!

06/24/2011 By kipster11
My final leg of the "cute little triangle". Great views. Tftc!

This entry was edited by kipster11 on Friday, 09 December 2011 at 05:48:02 UTC.

08/19/2010 By Silver Trekker
I found this summit cache along with Denali41 and pup Tee after having also reached the top of nearby Mt Pierson, thereby adding 2 more summits to my list of completed Larimer County "ranked" peaks. I really enjoy the added challenge that the mountain geocaches provide. Thanks for placing this one !

08/19/2010 By Denali41
Hey, what a great cache! Thanks! Today, Silver Trekker, my puppy Teewinot, and I set out to get to the summits of Pierson Mountain and Lion Head. My puppy Teewinot and I have been to both of these high points before, but these were new destinations for Silver Trekker. While on Lion Head, we located this cache and signed its log. My puppy Teewinot tried, but for the 2000th time she couldn't figure out how to hold the pen in her paw, so she "dipped" on yet another cache. She wants so much to be legitimate as a cacher, but this handicap remains with her....poor, poor puppy Teewinot. Perhaps the caching rules should be modified to account for this limitation. But she can't even inscribe an "X". Oh, what's the use...In any event, Silver Trekker and I (and my puppy Teewinot) had a marvelous time up here today. Thanks so much for this cache. The container and its contents are in excellent condition.