The Burnt Mountain Trail, like the Bobcat Trail, has its northern trailhead off of the eastern loop of the Engelmann Oak Trail. Getting to the northern end of the Bobcat Trail involves hiking 0.70 miles south on the Cougar Ridge Trail to the Engelmann Oak Trailhead and then hiking 1.40 miles east and south on Engelmann Oak to the Bobcat Trailhead.

There is a moderate elevation gain from Cougar Pass to the Engelmann Oak Trailhead. However, the hike on Engelmann Oak involves a steep climb from the trailhead to the top of the ridge. After that the trail is fairly level to the Burnt Mountain Trailhead.

The Burnt Mountain Trail is 0.36 miles in length traversing from the east side of Engelmann Oak to the southern portion of the Engelmann Oak loop. The trail is single lane and can accommodate hikers, bikers and equestrians.

The trail is rated “moderate” in terms of difficulty when hiking the trail north to south. This is because of the 171 foot elevation difference between the northern and southern ends of the trail. We will be hiking the trail from north to south, starting at 1,745 feet and rising to 1,916 feet at the trail’s end where it intersects the southern loop of the Engelmann Oak Trail. Because of the decline in elevation, the trail is rated “easy” when hiking from south to north.