Faith and I were both pleasantly surprised by the hike. It starts extremely close to a school and fire department, and initially passes several houses and farm, so we were wondering if it would turn out to be a walk through a neighborhood. However, the trail quickly winds into the backcountry and basically loses sight of all signs of civilization, save a few power lines and an stretch that parallels a very rough dirt road. For a couple miles, you follow a creek upstream, and then begin a moderately steep climb up the ridgeline. About three-quarters of the way around the loop, at the top of the ridge, we were greeted with excellent views to the south of Pike’s Peak, Ute Pass, and the surrounding mountains. Passing through forests, meadows, and boulder fields, the trail provides interesting views at every turn. We also saw a humongous ant hill.