Sentinel Point

Begin your hike on Horsethief Falls Trail (#704AA). You'll proceed approximately a mile uphill until you reach a marker for the Ring the Peak Trail. Here, proceed left onto Horsethief Park Trail (#704). This section is mostly flat and winds through meadows with beaver ponds and aspen groves. This would be a great spot to camp and the area is so named because it was camp to horse thieves and rustlers during the height of the Cripple Creek gold boom. When you come to a Y in the trail, keep right onto Horsethief Park Trail (#704C) and this trail will soon meet up with the Oil Creek stream bed and begin gaining elevation. Watch for the numerous cairns in this section and proceed until you reach a large boulder field. At the boulder field, you'll find numerous cairned routes, however, the easiest route seems to be to skirt the field to the left. Proceed through this boulder field and you'll soon reach tree line. Continue to proceed up the mountain following the cairns until you crest the ridge line and the summit of Sentinel Point comes into view. The summit requires class 3 rock scrambling. From the summit, hikers may backtrack the route they came which is much more clearly marked and seems to be less steep. This route does continue in a loop down to Horsethief Falls, however, the southern part of the loop is completely unmarked (no tape, no cairns, nada) and you'll need to rely heavily on GPS for route finding. This may be something to consider depending on your individual equipment and comfort level when deciding on whether to attempt this section of the route. Know your limits and don't risk getting lost in the woods when there is an easier way back! To follow the route as mapped, make your way off the summit and proceed south along the ridgeline until you find a saddle and an opening in the rock face that will be to your right. This will be where you begin your descent. The descent is very steep and trekking poles may be desired. Also this hiker ran into one section of class 3 down climbing that was required in one section sticking closely to the GPS track I had, however, your milage may vary. Continue downward until you run into a stream near the bottom of the valley. A short, unnamed trail will appear that follows alongside the stream which will lead you to Horsethief Falls and eventually link back up with Horsethief Falls Trail (#704AA) and return you to the trailhead.

This area is named Horsethief Park because it once played sanctuary to horse thieves and rustlers during the gold boom days of Cripple Creek.