Climb Green Ridge in the Roosevelt National Forest

Green Ridge is a fantastic series of summits in the Front Range that make for excellence training hikes, but is often forgotten as it lies outside of the nearby Bobcat Ridge Natural Area and just inside of Roosevelt National Forest. The summit itself at 7,402' is fantastic, featuring a nearly 900' drop into Jug Canyon to the southwest and expansive views of Rocky Mountain National Park including Longs Peak Mount Meeker.

There are two main hiking routes to the summit, none harder than a Class 2. The first is a short .5 mile off trail scramble from Storm Mountain Road / Forest Road(s) 153/348 (but where's the fun in that) off Buckhorn Road west of Masonville  Fort Collins.

The other route is a 9.8 roundtrip hike beginning at the main entrance to Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, just off W County Road 32 C near Masonville. The most direct route is to take the Valley Loop Trail from the main entrance 1 mile till it intersects with Powerline Trail. Take Powerline all the way till it intersections with the Ginny D.R. Trails in Mahoney Park (a sub-alpine meadow). From there go right onto D.R. Trail for .75 miles till it dips down into a steep gully and makes a hard cutback to the northeast at the base of the gully.

At the base of the gully instead of continuing along D.R. to the northeast, take the somewhat obvious but unmarked usetrail up the gully. The trail stays left of the small seasonal creek till it breaks right (north) after about a quarter of a mile. 

From here aim for the saddle between the Green Ridge Summit at 7,402' and the peak immediately to the south (7350'). You can head through the treeline into the burned area along the eastern and northern sides of 7350' to contour around to the saddle. At the saddle you'll be presented with incredible views of Mount Meeker and Long's Peak.

To gain the Green Ridge Summit, scramble up the South/Southeast side. The summit is relatively flat with numerous trees, and the western edge has incredible views and a massive drop 900' into the Jug Canyon. 

There is a small summit register tucked into the rocks just south of the highpoint along with a couple of campsites and fire rings.