The Crags Trail: Teller County's granite window onto Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak forms Teller County’s eastern wall, and the county’s own high point rides its shoulder: a 13,000-foot-plus knob the maps call Devils Playground. You can stand in its shadow without a hard climb. From Crags Campground southeast of Divide, the Crags Trail (#664) runs about 2.5 miles one way through stands of timber into an open basin of granite pinnacles, with roughly 800 feet of climbing along the way. The Forest Service rates it moderately difficult, and it makes a fine half-day out with kids who like rocks to scramble on.

It is a high place, so plan like it. The trailhead sits near 10,900 feet, where afternoon thunderstorms build fast; the “Devils Playground” name is often tied to how lightning skips across the rocks up high, so turn around if clouds stack up. The access road (Forest System Road 383) is closed December 1 to June 1, and the small first-come, first-served campground typically runs late May to late September. Bears are reported here, so store food well, and check current fire restrictions before you light anything.

The same trailhead is the back way toward the 14,115-foot summit, but that route is long and strenuous. Confirm conditions, hours, and closures on the Forest Service’s Crags pages before you go.