Mount Margaret to Frog Pond Trail’s End

Visited on: Monday, May 11, 2026
Cost: Free
National Treasure: Roosevelt National Forest

Some days, hitting the trail really feels like work before you get going. Last night I didn’t get nearly as much sleep as I would’ve liked, and I considered not hiking today. But I know once I get out and begin to feel the gravel under my boots, I’ll be much happier than when I began the day. 

Today I left from the Mount Margaret trailhead and headed toward a point on the map that was beyond the trail. I was curious to see if I could get to that little pond, or if there’s something that will stop me where the trail is marked as ending on the map.

Topographic map with green shaded elevation, sparse forest, and trailhead marker 137. Dashed red and gray hiking trails labeled “Ridge Trail” and “Flint Ridge Trail no access” meet near 2100 ft between Mount Margaret and Frog Pond at Trail’s End.

So I tossed on the backpack, grabbed my hat, and hit the trail, knowing that in an hour or so I would feel revitalized and energized by being out in the forest.

A wooden and metal gate with a cattle guard marks the entrance to a fenced field near the Mount Margaret area. Pine trees and grassland stretch into the distance, inviting hikers on Frog Pond Trail under a clear blue sky.

Oh, the best laid plans. The trail I had seen on the map that I planned to take was closed. It looked like there had been a chunk of trail damage, so I hopped onto the trail number 979 and decided I would probably head to the Frog Pond Trail, but it would be a little bit longer if I wanted to try to reach that point that was marked as closed on the map.

On the Mount Margaret Trail (979), about 3/4 of a mile in, the trail dives into a grove of Aspen trees, and a little bridge across the creek awaits you on the other side

A dirt hiking trail, part of Frog Pond Trail, winds beside a shallow creek with a small footbridge ahead. Bushes and pine trees border the path under a blue sky, and a wooden trail sign stands near the bridge.
A dirt trail lined with rocks leads to a small wooden footbridge over a shallow, clear stream on the Mount Margaret Trail. Bushes with early spring growth and tall pines surround the scene under a bright blue sky with wispy clouds.

After the recent snowstorm, the creeks are all running slightly higher, and they certainly make for a beautiful pictures.

A shallow creek flows past a dirt path and a small wooden bridge near Trail’s End, surrounded by dense green shrubs and trees under a clear blue sky. Rocks line the creek’s edge, with tall evergreens rising in the background.

I cut off the trail to do a little bit of full-on forest bathing. Without being on the trail, I thought, well, I might go pick up that closed trail I had decided not to go down this morning.

I appear to have found out part of why that might be closed. I don’t know if this is a private land boundary or what, but there is a barbed wire fence that I’m not gonna get through, so I guess I’ll be heading back to the Mount Margaret Trail, and going from there

A barbed wire fence runs through a sparse pine forest on dry, uneven ground. Sunlight filters through the trees, casting shadows as small green plants and branches cover the forest floor beneath a clear blue sky.

Well, there were a few places along the fence I probably could’ve crossed over, but I decided to keep pushing toward the 979 trail

I did come across a downed place on the fence line that looks like it might’ve once had a forest boundary sign.

A rocky forest scene with scattered pine trees and sunlight filtering through. Large boulders are stacked in the background, and a yellow rectangular sign rests amid dry pine needles, branches, and rocks.
A weathered, rectangular yellow metal sign with rust and scratches lies flat on a mossy rock along the Frog Pond Trail, surrounded by dried pine needles, pine cones, and scattered branches on a sunlit Mount Margaret forest floor.

Well, crap, that fence line was probably just one that a rancher had put up whenever they leased some land from the Forest Service, as I’ve now intersected with the Mount Margaret Trail, and it goes through this fence line.

So I probably could’ve plowed through the forest and just stepped over the fence, but it’s the United States. It’s safer not to get shot by some rancher, who’s all worked up because you’re on their property.

A green metal gate marks the dirt path near in a pine forest, with a yellow "Hiker Access" sign on a wooden post. Another gate stands partially open; rocky ground and trees stretch beneath a blue sky streaked with wispy clouds.

These little Aspen groves are just starting to have their leaves bud out, and it’s so much prettier than it was a few weeks ago when I came and hiked this trail to shoot the videos for the assessment on TheHikingCEO.com.

A dirt trail winds through a forest with tall, thin trees on the right side, their new green leaves catching sunlight. Along the Frog Pond Trail near Mount Margaret, grass and small shrubs grow beneath a blue sky with wispy clouds.

In days long past, the Forest Service would provide a fire grate, a bench, and sometimes a picnic table along different popular trails. While this trail is no longer all that popular. It looks like there are more mountain bikers who ride along here than hikers. It’s great to have a place to sit down for a few minutes and decide whether I’m gonna keep going or call it quits and begin trekking back.

A forest campsite near Mount Margaret with tall pine trees, a picnic table, a metal fire grate, and several fallen logs; sunlight filters through the branches, casting dappled shadows on the grassy and dirt-covered ground.

About a half mile from the official forest campsite, I found what I’m sure is the official end of the trail, which goes through some barbed wire that was cut and rolled back.

It looks like there was probably a sign here at one point. I didn’t see it anywhere. I decided I would go a little bit further, just to see what’s around the corner, and decide whether to turn around or keep going.

A narrow dirt trail winds through a sunlit pine forest near Mount Margaret. The trail splits at a wooden post, with a gate marked by a red bar on the left. Dry ground, scattered grass, and pine needles lie beneath tall, green trees.

I didn’t go too far past the end of the trail marker. If I’d had more energy, I probably would’ve tried to go down to Frog Pond, but my guess is Frog Pond is probably not much more than a puddle right now, considering how little precipitation this area has received this year.

So I turned around and headed back toward the trailhead.
If I’d had more energy, there were some really cool rock formations that would’ve been a blast to scramble up on, but after over 4 miles and being as out of shape as I am, my body said nope, no climbing, get back to the trailhead, get your feet up!

Large, rugged rock formation rises amid a grassy clearing with scattered rocks near Mount Margaret. Pine and aspen trees frame the scene. The sky above is blue with wispy white clouds and a visible contrail crossing diagonally.

At about the 5 1/2 mile mark, I realized I was totally wiped out. I mean, seriously, somebody get some butter and jam because I was toasted!

Fortunately, I came across a nice rock in the shade that looked like it wouldn’t be too terribly uncomfortable, where I could kick back and rest for a little bit and munch on a granola bar.

A gray hiking backpack with red straps rests on a mossy rock in a forest. The ground is covered with dry grass and greenery, while fallen branches and sunlit trees stand in the background.
Shea Oliver, a man with curly hair and glasses sits outdoors along the Frog Pond Trail, holding a snack to his mouth. He wears a black T-shirt with a red and yellow graphic, sitting on rocky ground with his backpack beside him among pine trees and fallen logs.


In the distance, Steller’s jays chattered, while a red-breasted nuthatch tweeted. I’m not sure how long I hung out at the rock, but after eating the granola bar, I definitely started to feel a little more energetic. The temperature was moving well into the 60s now, and while certainly nowhere near oppressive, it was starting to feel warmer than I’ve been used to.

These last few months hanging out at my mom‘s house in Northern Colorado have been a seriously mixed bag from a business perspective. I spent a good chunk of the winter building up one of my businesses, and there’s really no other way to say it: it failed.

I’m honestly a little bit cranked with myself over that. This is a business I have tried to build up multiple times, and each time I’ve been able to increase income, only to have it crater after the initial promotion.

It’s absolutely emotionally draining and frustrating to watch myself do this again when I could have focused on other opportunities

So for the last month or so, I’ve been working on building a business I’ve long pondered. I am about sick beyond belief of the customer service at the aforementioned business. I really want to do something where either the customer service radically changes or I do significantly less of it.

Years ago, I bought a number of domains and haven’t done much with them, but now I’m taking TheHikingCEO.com and turning it into a website for people interested in building their own online business. The business model that I’m pursuing is a combination of affiliate marketing and digital products.

I’m really excited to dive into building an SEO-focused website to drive traffic to affiliate offers and digital products.

A little over a year and a half ago, I built a men’s health website that just sat there. I had a chunk of traffic off of the 22 blog posts, and I really didn’t think too much of it. I built this site to see if I could get traffic to a website in a highly competitive space, and I did; I got up to almost 2000 visitors a month.

Then, as I began working on TheHikingCEO.com, my men’s health website got its first affiliate sale! The traffic, of course, had fallen off, but I decided I would go ahead and put up a couple more posts to see if I could get another affiliate sale.

So I’m not exactly sure when I’m gonna hit the road and get back to my awesome travel lifestyle. For the time being, I am going to be focusing on building these two website businesses.

It will likely take at least a year for either of them to begin producing any significant revenue, but man, am I excited to be moving down a different path – one that feels more authentic and aligns better with who I am
——
After closing my eyes for a little bit and enjoying listening to all the different birds, including northern house wrens, pine siskins, American robins, and yellow rump warblers, I got back up, started what I was afraid would be a bit of a long March to the trailhead and my jeep.

A person wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a black "Marmot" t-shirt lies on a large rock in a forest, relaxing after hiking the Frog Pond Trail. Their face is shaded, glasses rest on their chest, and a backpack sits nearby among grass and fallen branches.

As I got back to the creek, where I had crossed the bridge earlier in the day, I discovered what I had been a little bit nervous about.

Since I had left the Mount Margaret Trail and was following what may have been a closed trail, I had no idea whether there would be another bridge.

Unsurprisingly, there was no bridge to cross here.

A grassy field with patchy, dry areas leads to a small creek bordered by low bushes. Pine trees line the horizon under a bright blue sky, creating a peaceful, sunlit setting near Mount Margaret perfect for hiking.

Fortunately, just a little upstream, I found a log that had washed down, or more likely, someone had placed it here. I decided that this was how I’d  cross, and I’ll either make it across dry or be completely wet for the rest of the day.

A clear stream winds through grassy, partially eroded banks under a bright blue sky along the Frog Pond Trail. Shrubs and trees line the water’s edge, with a fallen log and rocks across the stream. In the background, forest meets scattered clouds.

I managed to cross on the log and stay dry. However, I do have to admit I used the rocks for balance as I walked across. The log was a little loose and rolly.

Before I reached the trailhead, I came across what was once a sign and perhaps a gate. A few of the posts remain; the wood that held the sign lies beside them, waiting to be reclaimed by Mother Nature. Barbed wire wraps around the posts, holding them in place as a reminder of what once was.

A weathered wooden structure, shaped like an A-frame and bound with rusty wire, stands in a grassy clearing along the Frog Pond Trail near Mount Margaret, with pine trees and a bright blue sky in the background. A broken wooden plank lies nearby.

There’s always a sense of satisfaction when the trailhead comes into view. Today’s hike didn’t even register in my top 50 longest hikes. But a winter of little physical activity and my Mom’s wonderful home cooking, and I am definitely not in great shape.

A sunny forest clearing near Trail’s End, with tall pines casting shadows on dry earth. Mountains and a blue sky with wispy clouds rise beyond, while scattered logs and distant buildings complete the tranquil scene.

While I was insanely tired and completely exhausted, hiking always gives me an intense experience of satisfaction.

I love pounding out the miles, wandering through the forest, and sitting on the rocks. We are part of the natural world, and whenever I’m away from other human beings in such a beautiful setting, I’m reminded that we’re only a tiny spec on a giant timeline and that we should respect and love this rock that’s spinning through space

A trail map highlights the Mount Margaret Trailhead to Frog Pond Trail Loop, with the route traced in purple over a topographic backdrop. The map details elevation, stats (6.99 miles, 566 ft ascent, 4 hr 37 min), lakes, roads, and contour lines.
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From: Colorado
Filed Under: Nature Junkie, U.S. National Forests
Journal Entry Tags:
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