Just a few minutes out of town is 13 mile drive on a scenic dirt road to Deadman Lookout. The lookout tower was named to the National Historic Lookout Register in 1991. Part of the fun is the drive. There are wonderful vista views and a pretty bridge at the Roosevelt National Forest North Fork Poudre Campground, which is about the halfway point. The road does get narrow with a steep drop-off before you turn right for the final stretch to the tower. Crews were grating the road when we were there, which made for some interesting maneuvering for us. After you turn off, the Deadman Lookout quickly comes into view. The name has nothing to do with a dead man. The road and lookout get their name from the old logging term “deadmon,” which is some type of wooden, concrete, or metal bar anchored into the ground to hold a guy rope (or guy line which is a tensioned cable for stability). A “deadmon” was also commonly called “deadman.”

Dubbed the “visitor center in the sky” by Canyon Lakes Ranger District, Deadman Lookout is the last of eight historic towers in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. It has not been permanently staffed since 1970. Because it sits at 10,710 feet, the site is snowed in for much of the year and typically opens for visitors in early or mid July. The tower and visitor center are open Thursday through Sunday from mid July to late September and staffed by volunteers. We got lucky on a Wednesday and longtime volunteer Jerry Partin happen to be there. You can visit the tower any day, but a volunteer has to be present for you to climb up the 55-foot tower to enjoy the view. At the base, you’ll likely notice the photovoltaic arrays and battery house. Transceivers powered by solar panels and batteries provide radio communication for Roosevelt National Forest and Larimer County Sheriff’s Department. The original wood tower was built in 1937-1938, but visitors complained about it swaying like a tree. In 1962 the wood tower was dismantled and replaced a year later with the current metal one. There are 55 steps up to the deck. The 14 foot square glass enclosed lookout has fire locating equipment and living quarters. It was a windy afternoon, as it typically is at the tower, which adds a sketchy factor to climbing the stairs and walking around the metal deck. As soon as I got to deck Jerry gave me a hardy welcome. He also showed me how to use the Osborne Fire Finder. The device was invented in 1915 by William B. Osborne, a U.S. Forest Service employee. While our view was obscured by smoke haze from Alexander Mountain Fire and Stone Canyon Fire, it was interesting to use the device to try to see the Lake Shore Fire in Boulder County that had just started while we were at the tower. We stayed at Deadman Lookout for about 40-45 minutes, partly because we enjoyed our conservation with Jerry. The drive back was beautiful and quicker since we didn’t make any stops. Allow 2.5-3 hours for ample time for stops along the drive and to enjoy Deadman Lookout.

We tried to have dinner at Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch but the restaurant is closed Monday-Wednesday. If you have more time, also close to Red Feather Lakes are the Drala Mountain Center, which is North America’s largest stupa, and Cache La Poudre River, Colorado’s first designated Wild and Scenic River. The Cache La Poudre-North Park scenic and historic byway is a stunning drive, espeically in the fall.

Author Jennifer Broome has extensively explored Colorado. For more hikes and interesting places to visit in the state, check out the Explore Colorado section.

Red Feather Lakes is a tiny town, or village, about two hours northwest of Denver and less than hour from Fort Collins. Settled by loggers and ranchers around 1900, it’s surrounded by the Roosevelt National Forest. You go to the rustic mountain village to relax, enjoy the views, and enjoy some outdoor adventures.

My friend Adeina and I started our day getting lattes at Outlawtte. The coffee stand is inside Red Feather Trading Post which also has a deli and grocery store. I’m typically raring to go for a good moderate to strenuous hike, but part of the charm of Red Feather Lakes is slowing down.

Take a Walk Around a Lake

Dowdy Lake is about a mile from Red Feather Trading Post. We parked in the day use area and took our lattes and sipped while sitting on a couple of rocks at the water’s edge. We watched a couple of fish swim around the rocks and some paddleboarders cruise around a pair of tiny islands. The 115-acre no wake lake is perfect for boarding, kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. Dowdy Lake Trail is a 2.3-mile trail looping around the lake. When looking at the lake for the day use parking area, we took the trail to the right. About half of the trail is winds in and out of ponderosa pines as you pass by some of the campground sites. The other half is in full sun and goes by some interesting rock formations. This fairly flat trail makes for a delightful walk around the lake. You get wonderful lake views the entire way.

Lunch at Hilltop

There are not a lot of restaurant or cafe options in Red Feather Lakes, and even less when you’re there on a Tuesday or Wednesday since several spots . If you’re camping or staying at cabin, make sure you take provisions. We opted Hilltop General Store and Antiques. Their sign says, “Pizzas, subs, ice cream, and a little bit of everything.” As you walk into the store area, it truly is a place where the saying, “one man’s trash is another one’s treasure” hold true. For antiquers or junkers, this is a fun place to peruse and search for a “diamond in the rough.” They also have groceries, gas, and fishing tackle if you need any of those. We were hungry and enticed by ice cream. We decided on a veggie pizza on cauliflower crust and took it outside to a gazabo with a view of Hiawatha Lake. Of course we saved room for a sweet treat. Even though it was an easy hike, we had still hiked that morning to justify the splurge on pizza and ice cream for lunch. While sitting out in the sunshine on their deck and I was enjoying a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, a stream of folks patroned the store. We were obviously not the only ice cream lovers!

Drive to Deadman Lookout

Just a few minutes out of town is 13 mile drive on a scenic dirt road to Deadman Lookout. The lookout tower was named to the National Historic Lookout Register in 1991. Part of the fun is the drive. There are wonderful vista views and a pretty bridge at the Roosevelt National Forest North Fork Poudre Campground, which is about the halfway point. The road does get narrow with a steep drop-off before you turn right for the final stretch to the tower. Crews were grating the road when we were there, which made for some interesting maneuvering for us. After you turn off, the Deadman Lookout quickly comes into view. The name has nothing to do with a dead man. The road and lookout get their name from the old logging term “deadmon,” which is some type of wooden, concrete, or metal bar anchored into the ground to hold a guy rope (or guy line which is a tensioned cable for stability). A “deadmon” was also commonly called “deadman.”

Dubbed the “visitor center in the sky” by Canyon Lakes Ranger District, Deadman Lookout is the last of eight historic towers in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. It has not been permanently staffed since 1970. Because it sits at 10,710 feet, the site is snowed in for much of the year and typically opens for visitors in early or mid July. The tower and visitor center are open Thursday through Sunday from mid July to late September and staffed by volunteers. We got lucky on a Wednesday and longtime volunteer Jerry Partin happen to be there. You can visit the tower any day, but a volunteer has to be present for you to climb up the 55-foot tower to enjoy the view. At the base, you’ll likely notice the photovoltaic arrays and battery house. Transceivers powered by solar panels and batteries provide radio communication for Roosevelt National Forest and Larimer County Sheriff’s Department. The original wood tower was built in 1937-1938, but visitors complained about it swaying like a tree. In 1962 the wood tower was dismantled and replaced a year later with the current metal one. There are 55 steps up to the deck. The 14 foot square glass enclosed lookout has fire locating equipment and living quarters. It was a windy afternoon, as it typically is at the tower, which adds a sketchy factor to climbing the stairs and walking around the metal deck. As soon as I got to deck Jerry gave me a hardy welcome. He also showed me how to use the Osborne Fire Finder. The device was invented in 1915 by William B. Osborne, a U.S. Forest Service employee. While our view was obscured by smoke haze from Alexander Mountain Fire and Stone Canyon Fire, it was interesting to use the device to try to see the Lake Shore Fire in Boulder County that had just started while we were at the tower. We stayed at Deadman Lookout for about 40-45 minutes, partly because we enjoyed our conservation with Jerry. The drive back was beautiful and quicker since we didn’t make any stops. Allow 2.5-3 hours for ample time for stops along the drive and to enjoy Deadman Lookout.

We tried to have dinner at Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch but the restaurant is closed Monday-Wednesday. If you have more time, also close to Red Feather Lakes are the Drala Mountain Center, which is North America’s largest stupa, and Cache La Poudre River, Colorado’s first designated Wild and Scenic River. The Cache La Poudre-North Park scenic and historic byway is a stunning drive, espeically in the fall.

Author Jennifer Broome has extensively explored Colorado. For more hikes and interesting places to visit in the state, check out the Explore Colorado section.