Wilson Meadows #512

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Spring · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

The quickest approach to Wilson Meadows comes by way of the Lizard Head Trail #505 from Lizard Head Pass. 1.9 miles from the trailhead, just after summiting the switchbacks beside Black Face, a trail marker offers a choice between the Black Face traverse to Lizard Head, or Wilson Meadow. Turn right here.

Keeping to the forest over the first half mile, the Wilson Meadows Trail soon comes to a clay shoulder, and the route plods down the gravelly spine. Inching closer, the woods come and go, but the meadow stays hidden until its final reveal.

While neither Wilson Peak nor Mount Wilson can been seen at any point, the meadow, along with the two summits, are actually named after A.D. Wilson, a climber and cartographer who was in the first party to summit Colorado’s Mount Wilson in 1874.

A mere mile from the fork, the trail spills from the forest at the southern edge of Wilson Meadow, which surrounds the bulk of the short-lived Wilson Creek. Lizard Head stands prominent to the west, Sunshine and San Bernardo Mountains to the north.

Much of the trail travels through coniferous pines before the route opens up at Wilson Meadow. The meadow is a popular spot for birding.

The waters of Wilson Creek bring wildlife, including deer, elk, and bear, out of the forest. Always observe them from a distance.