Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Lair o' the Bear Park

    4.5 (55 reviews)

    Lair o' the Bear Park Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Lair o' the Bear Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Kara H.

    Absolutely stunning- plenty of shade, family and dog friendly. Mixed use so occasionally you get scared by bikes, but worth it for the beauty. Gets REALLY busy, even at 9am on a Saturday, so get there earlier than you expect. Love the castle at the end of the trail as well as the more moderate hikes toward the end of the trail. Super fun!

    Great place for hiking and cycling
    Esmeralda C.

    This is such a great place to have an evening picnic, go bike riding or just walking around enjoying nature and the view.

    View from Bluff trail
    Gina K.

    This was my first hike at Bear creek. Now I understand why this is such a popular area. It is great for kids as it is a mild hike with not much incline. We first took the bear creek trail to the private castle. It was icy and many people were wearing tracks but we did not. Due to the short distance we opted for doing part of the bluff trail as well. If we had more time we would have completed that trail or done a large loop.

    David G.

    Great snow hike. Def bring micro spikes as the trail is really icy right now. Views at the top are spectacular and peaceful. Great parking lot. Make sure you know where you are going or have navigation like a garmin or AllTrails.

    Hannah H.

    I find it odd to review a hiking trail/park on Yelp. But here we are--largely because this is such a fun, local spot. Judging by the crowds on sunny days, I'd say most people know about it already. That being said, Lair O' the Bear is such a versatile find. By that I mean that it's relatively flat (easy for newbies or guests to town) but I can be challenging if you opt for the high routes; the park has lots of spots to play in the water or wade in (perfect for kiddos and great for my thirsty pup in the summer); the footing is quite easy. This is my go-to summer spot for a chill, easy run. Downsides are that it is indeed crowded if you go later in the day (mornings are peaceful) and it is basically frozen all winter since the canyon is pretty shaded.

    Alisa J.

    A great park with plenty of trail options! The trials are well maintained and shaded in some areas with a nice breeze from the creek. Was pretty crowded but parking wasn't hard to get and the people do spread out over the park with most congestion being in the beginning. A nice easy hike before hiking season really begins this summer when the snow melts more in the mountains.

    Veronica V.

    Needed a walk even though it was super windy, and boy am I glad I did! Even though it was just about a mile walk and a mile back because of the wind, Lair of the bear was absolutely beautiful! Everything is starting to turn green and starting to bloom. Since moving to Colorado exploring new places to walk/hike has been one of my favorite things, I can't wait to go back.

    Hiking over the stream.
    Jim S.

    Terrific day. Very clean. I didn't bring my dog this time but amazing how many Great Photos we were able to get . If you like hiking this spot is a Must.

    Hiking around Lair O' the Bear. Don't forget your water source!
    Gabrielle S.

    I was never a big hiker back in California- but Colorado just has a charm to it. It seems to beckon one outside- to bask in both sunlight, and it's beauty. I have been to this parks so many times. I haven't been completely around it yet, I always walk a little this way or that. Yet, there is plenty more to see always, like the castle I discovered last visit! I encourage fellow Coloradans to get out and explore nearby parks. Whether it be for exercising, or wandering aimlessly- it's always guaranteed to be a lovely time.

    Dana W.

    Great place to stroll, hike, relax, fish you name it. Definitely not a hiker m, so I look forward to coming back with some chairs to sit next to the creeks and have a lazy afternoon!

    Jordaine L.

    Really a gorgeous site to see. Not a very difficult hike either so definitely kid friendly!

    Grill in picnic area.
    Yvonne B.

    Lair O' the Bear is an incredible park. It has hiking/biking trails, a stream, picnic areas with grills, a bathroom with toilet paper (no sink), and friendly park rangers. We spent the day at Lair O' the Bear on the 4th of July weekend and we were fortunate to find: 1) A parking space (the parking lot was completely full and we had to circle it a couple times for someone else to leave). 2) A picnic site with a grill. There were only about six picnic sites complete with picnic tables and grills. We saw many large groups that brought their own tables, grills, and chairs. I don't think that it was within the park rules to bring a grill; however, the park rangers didn't police it. They seemed to be on the look out for more egregious offenses. Although we were there for an all-day picnic and hiking, we saw that other folks used the park for other forms of recreation. Numerous people (ranging from serious cyclists to children) road mountain bikes on the trails. Some people wore bathing suits and splashed around in the shallow portions of the streams. Still other people went fishing. For picnicing, we had to bring nearly everything! We brought charcoal, lighter fluid, matches, coolers, portable speakers, cornhole boards and bags, plates, cups, plastic ware, hand santizer, etc. We filled two cars with everything we would need for an all day excursion at Lair 'O the Bear. I don't recall any electrical outlets. The hiking trails were a lot of fun. They were long enough where we could hike the entire trail in about an hour, hour and a half. People hiked them wearing flip flips but sturdier shoes are better. There were some trails that had gradual inclines that went to spectacular views. There was a good amount of wildlife including birds, bugs, a couple of snakes and a deer. It was pretty cool.

    See all

    9 months ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 3
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Hannah H.
    154
    48
    35

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alisa J.
    241
    1983
    6963

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dana W.
    235
    507
    1749

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amy S.
    0
    42
    69

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Colton J.
    463
    45
    21

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alice Q.
    3452
    2340
    19658

    9 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Melanie O.
    122
    21
    23

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 12
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 1

    10 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Elaine C.
    168
    42
    27

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Our favorite spot in Colorado to relax and get a little hiking in.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Lair o' the Bear Park

    Review Highlights - Lair o' the Bear Park

    With the castle only a little more than a mile down one of the trails it peaked the interest of the kids the entire time.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Hiking 3,369 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Trail Gems Geology Tours

    Trail Gems Geology Tours

    5.0(3 reviews)
    59.2 mi

    We went to CO to visit family and experience the beautiful outdoors, and a Geological Hike, the…read moreVolcanic Gems Geology Hike, with Dr. Rox was our first excursion on the weekend. Dr. Rox was fantastic. Both my wife and I are teachers, and so we loved how academic the hike was as Dr. Rox would pause and explain the rock cycle, tectonic movement, or the birth of the Rocky Mountains. We were also delighted that our two teenage sons asked a bunch of questions and were obviously engaged in, not only the Geology lesson, but also the local flora and fauna. Dr. Rox answered every question, and, when she didn't know the name of a plant, she pulled out a trusty book and looked it up. She kept things light, but we definitely learned a lot as well. When we reached the end of the hike where the zeolite crystals had grown in the geodes, we climbed all over the rocks finding crystal after crystal. It was certainly an impressive site. We really loved both the scenery and our guide, and I would recommend this hike to anyone with any interested in geology. A big thanks to Dr. Rox for making our hike so fun and educational!

    The overview summary of Trail Gems encapsulates it for me: "guiding you through the incredible…read morebeauty of Colorado's wilderness." I live in Colorado, but I do not appreciate its beauty enough. I also never knew the story behind the beautiful rock formations and natural landscapes I pass by everyday. Rox provides context and explanation for a natural history of the beautiful sights of Colorado. Rox is also very organized and thoughtful, making sure we had water, snacks, and umbrellas. We got to look, touch, break, and collect all different kinds of rocks in a variety of gorgeous locations. It was fun to explore and engage in a tactile activity. In our modern world where so much of our lives are spent behind screens, this was a truly relaxing yet exciting activity and exploration tour in the outdoors. It was creative and fun. I felt like a kid again!

    Photos
    Trail Gems Geology Tours - Ancient landscapes geology hike

    Ancient landscapes geology hike

    Trail Gems Geology Tours - Exploring fossils

    Exploring fossils

    Trail Gems Geology Tours

    See all

    Royal Gorge Rafting And Zip Line Tours - Getting ready to go

    Royal Gorge Rafting And Zip Line Tours

    4.8(534 reviews)
    81.0 mi

    We had a fun experience with Markus leading our raft! He navigated the waters without anyone…read morefalling in but we had to wait quite awhile rescuing other rafters. Markus was knowledgeable about the river and all the questions we asked! There was a bit of a wait after arrival to start the tour. But the bus rides to and from the launch site was pretty short,

    To start off, when we arrived, we ended up waiting an extra 30 minutes because our tour guides were…read morerunning late. Keep in mind that we were instructed to arrive 30 minutes early, so in total we were standing around for about an hour. They had also called us the day before and asked if we could move our tour time from noon to 1 PM. Looking back, agreeing to that change seems like it just resulted in us waiting even longer. On the zip lines, you have to brake yourself by grabbing the line with one of the gloves they provide. The gloves were old, worn-out welding gloves. I had to exchange mine three different times because they all had holes in them. Even my final pair still had a hole, but I was told it was fine. The zip lines themselves were okay. There was supposed to be a drop at the end, but apparently it wasn't open for the season yet, so instead we were slowly lowered down. As for the scenery, I honestly wasn't very impressed. The views felt fairly average to me and looked like a typical desert landscape. Considering the price, I expected something a lot more memorable. I've done a cheaper zip line course in Virginia that I found more fun, with better views and a better overall experience. The cherry on top was being accused of smoking marijuana because of a supposed smell and "glossy eyes." I have never smoked in my life, so that accusation was pretty frustrating and left a bad impression on what was already a disappointing experience. Overall, I felt this experience was a complete waste of money. Between the delays, worn-out equipment, missing attractions, and the accusation from staff, I honestly wish I had never booked it in the first place.

    Photos
    Royal Gorge Rafting And Zip Line Tours
    Royal Gorge Rafting And Zip Line Tours
    Royal Gorge Rafting And Zip Line Tours

    See all

    AVA Rafting & Zipline - Mom zip lining at 69 years young !! And loving every minute of it !!

    AVA Rafting & Zipline

    4.7(61 reviews)
    43.6 mi

    Obviously everyone's trip experience is going to be in different. But ours was fantastic. We are a…read morefamily of 4, a 10yo Bo with lots of energy and a 12 yo girl with not so much. It's definitely a large operation. Check in for us involved a 100 people or so. But they've got it down. Don't plan to bring much/anything with you honestly. You can choose wet suits, dry jackets etc... It was 75 degrees in July here so our family split between wet suits and dry jackets. The latter was the better choice. You take a 30 minute school bus ride and some quick safety instructions (thanks Erico!) And then get assigned to your boat. Ours included 8 of us and a guide. Honestly that was too much but okay. Our guide was Tristan who was fantastic. Funny and engaging with fun facts along the way. But more importantly you could tell he was taking safety seriously. We did the browns canyon ride and it was a good mix of slightly challenging for the kids and fun for the adults. All in all it was a great way to spend half a day!

    Phil and Tim. Phil and Tim are amazing. Tim is an energetic…read moreleader and guide, and Phil is so patient and reassuring that they make the perfect team. This was my first time zip-lining and my first time visiting Colorado! They made such a memorable experience for me. Be in Phil and Tim's group and your zip-lining experience will be elevated by a million. (No pun intended.) The route was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the instructions were clear throughout. 100% will do again with them one day if I can. Thank you guys. And Bucket. I love Bucket.

    Photos
    AVA Rafting & Zipline - Niece zip lining !!

    Niece zip lining !!

    AVA Rafting & Zipline - Nephew zip lining

    Nephew zip lining

    AVA Rafting & Zipline

    See all

    Lair o' the Bear Park - hiking - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...