Homestead Meadows to Lions Gulch
Forest Service Trail Map
Chosen Trail
We rode right down the main road to the Homestead Meadows Trailhead. We started off on the Moose Meadow Trail until it ended at the beginning of the National Forest trail, Forest Service Trail 971. Trail 971 goes past the Brown Homestead and branches to become 971.1 and 949.2. We rode 949.2 in a loop then headed back the way we came on 971. We rode for 2 hours out and 1 hr back with fast walking horses. You could keep riding to Lions Gulch or go on the other longer loop around Griffith Homestead on 971 to 949.
Trail Experience
I will start our narrative at the Moose Meadows-Limber Pine Junction. See the day one ride for info on the Moose Meadows trail. We turned left to follow Limber Pine.
Limber Pine did some switchbacks then headed downhill to meet up with the old road that took you to the cabins from Homestead Meadows Trailhead. These cabins have been relocated and if you follow the road to the left of the picture you find a gate and private property. We continued to the right to go to the Homestead Meadows Trail or Forest Service Trail 971.
This part of the trail was nice and wide and would be a good place to trot/canter. We came upon the border of Hermit Park Open Space and the beginning of Forest Service Trail 971 (Homestead Meadows Trail).
The Homestead Meadows trail forked. Going to the right you pass Brown's Homestead then a gate to private property. This is pretty misleading. On my All Trails App it looked like there was a loop past Brown's Homestead that would meet up with the other Homesteads. This loop does not go through.
We took the green route and back-tracked at the gate indicated in red. The Yellow trail does cut across to rejoin the main trail in green. However, Linda in our group warned us that the middle yellow trail was rocky and narrow and a lot of rock-climbing so we decided against it. This was the map I had on my phone from my All Trails app.
We turned around and back-tracked past the Brown Homestead and when we could see the fork we crossed the meadow to take the other fork of the Homestead Meadows Trail.
Going up the left fork the trail was wide and fairly soft. This was a good place to trot and canter up a gentle hill.
We could go left to the Irvin Homestead or right to the Griffith Homestead. We went right up the hill.
There was a sign when we crossed the next fork. This was the fork for the middle, yellow, trail. We continued straight.
We met up with a fork for Lions Gulch Trail 949. Going left on this trail we had the option of riding past the Griffith Homestead. There was not a whole lot left of the old building.
At this point we had been riding for 2 hours so we turned left past the Griffith Homestead, up the hill and headed back.
We went left up Limber Pine Trail then right on Moose Meadows. Limber Pine was uphill and had lots of sections of flat rock.
Almost back to the Homestead Meadows Trail head and Moose Meadows was beautiful!