Wild Turkey Loop - 9.45 Miles Round-Trip

The Wild Turkey Trail is a new addition to the Heil Valley Ranch trail system that offers a scenically comparable extension to the Ponderosa Loop. This 3.0 mile offshoot also connects with the Picture Rock Trail, another recent addition that leads 5.2 miles to the north boundary of Heil Ranch.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

Note the Wild Turkey Trail is not a loop by itself (see map), but connects with the Ponderosa Loop at two different points. You must first travel 2.55 miles on the Wapiti Trail to reach the Ponderosa Loop.

The following describes counter-clockwise travel on the Ponderosa Loop to the Wild Turkey Trail. See Worth Noting below for various route and distance totals trough Heil Valley Ranch:

The Wapiti Trail rises from the parking area on a service road into the upper valley. Scars from the 2003 Left Hand Canyon Fire - which came within 1/4 mile of the caretakers cabin - emerge as you gain elevation.

Despite aesthetic losses recovery is well under way, as ponderosa pine are darkened but largely unaffected, and grasses and wildflowers were quick to reclaim open spaces. The road passes two connections for the Lichen Loop before turning west with a good look down Heil Valley toward the Flatirons (.55 miles : 6,080').

This area once supported a prairie dog village wiped out in 2008 by disease; though unfortunate, occasional collapses are part of the prairie dog life cycle, and this village will likely repopulate in years to come.

The trail gradually bends north and climbs steadily through uniform timber up the valley's west side, to the first of several service road crossings in 1.35 miles (these roads are closed to public use).

Look for deer, fox, coyote and turkey as you progress. Elk sometimes pass through Heil Valley Ranch on their annual winter migration from the high country to eastern plains.

The trail resumes a winding course to the Ponderosa Loop Trail junction (2.55 miles : 6,705'), where you'll turn right to reach the Wild Turkey Trail (2.7 miles : 6,655').

The Wild Turkey Trail bends sharply south before curling back north through a more naturally spaced forest with good viewing lanes for wildlife.

It moves north down the eastern slopes of Heil Ranch to the Picture Rock Trail junction (3.9 miles : 6,393'), past which it rises back through pockets of open savannah.

At 5.2 miles the Wild Turkey Trail levels on a high plateau and rejoins the Ponderosa Loop Trail at a scenic overlook (5.75 miles : 6,605').

A few steps off trail lead to good views of St Vrain Canyon, the Lyons Sandstone of Hall Ranch, Mt Meeker (13,911'), and Twin Sisters (11,428' - 11,413'). Note pockets of fir at these higher elevations.

Here you may travel in either direction on the Ponderosa Loop, but turn left for what most consider to be the Wild Turkey Loop route.

The east leg of the Ponderosa loop Trail undulates south on a rocky path back to the first connection with the Wild Turkey Trail (6.75 miles : 6,655'). Continue straight to the Ponderosa Loop Trail - Wapiti Trail junction (6.9 miles : 6,705'). Retrace your steps on the Wapiti Trail back to the parking lot (9.5 miles : 5,945').

Heil Ranch and Fire

Fire is crucial to a healthy ponderosa-grassland ecosystems. Naturally occurring, low intensity fires clear space for mature trees, keep densities in check and rejuvenate soils.

Prior to European settlement, the Boulder foothills were a mosaic of open savannah grasslands and well-spaced pinyon and ponderosa.

Fire suppression since the 1880s has created unsustainable forest densities that can result in destructive, high intensity fires. It's thought that only a few dozen trees once occupied an acre of land in the Heil Ranch area, whereas today they can exceed thousands.

Major efforts beginning in 2008 to cull the forest are meant to mitigate fire impact while restoring the natural balance between grasslands and timber. These ongoing efforts have already yielded positive results, evidenced by wildlife population measurements and the relative containment of subsequent burns in the vicinity.