Genesee Mountain Trail Loop

My friend John recommended that we hike the trails at Genesee Park, a short drive from Denver. He suggested hiking the American Bison and Genesee Mountain Trail loop, with an out and back side trip up Genesee Summit to the Flagstaff Trail. The total distance is just under 2 miles with about 370 feet of elevation gain.

To get to the trail head, drive west on I-70 to the Genesee Park exit, exit 254. Turn left to drive over the highway, then turn right. Drive up one mile to the parking lot on your right. From the parking lot, go up the steps to the Genesee Mountain Trail sign. Turn right at the sign to hike the loop (shown below) counter-clockwise.

At about 0.2 miles, turn left to go up the American Bison trail. This trail is forested and you can hear the sounds of I-70 traffic for awhile. The second time I hiked this section of trail, I heard the sound of elk running across the trail and caught a glimpse of them through the trees. 

The American Bison trail goes west for awhile, then turns south. On your right, you can see the fence that surrounds the area where the bison are kept.

Follow the American Bison Trail to the end, at about 0.8 miles. At the end, turn left onto Genesee Mountain Trail. After a short distance, you will see a fork in the trail with a sign on the left that says "To Genesee Summit Trail." Follow the sign on the left.

Trail Junction

At the one mile mark, there will be another Genesee Summit Trail sign. Turn left to go up the trail.

After about a quarter of a mile, you will reach a dirt parking area. Cross the parking area to the Genesee Mountain Flagstaff Trail. There is a small outhouse just below the trail. It is a short distance up Flagstaff trail to the flag, which is donated to the City and County of Denver annually by the Peace Pipe Chapter D.A.R.

Return down the Genesee Summit Trail to the trail junction. At the junction, turn left onto Genesee Mountain Trail. (Turning right will take you back down to the American Bison Trail). At the top of the Genesee Mountain Trail, cross the road. 

Across the road, you will see another Genesee Mountain Trail sign with an arrow showing that the trail goes both directions. Turn left to return back to the parking lot, which is only about .35 miles down the trail. (If you turn right at the sign, the trail will take you back to the fork in the trail pictured above).

On another hike, instead of turning left onto American Bison, I continued on Genesee Mountain trail which follows about a mile along the Genesee Trail Road. At the end, I could see the bison in the distance.