Directions:  

From Denver, head West on I-70.  Exit Hwy 58 W to Hwy 93. Make a left onto Hwy 93/6th Ave.  Turn right onto Lookout Mountain Road and follow it to the Windy Saddle, the trailhead, and the small parking area. 

Hike Description:

The Lookout Mountain Trail starts at the Windy Saddle and climbs up through evergreen forest to the Lookout Mountain Nature Center.  The trail is very popular on weekends, though most people congregate around the viewpoints at the start and end of the hike.  From the Windy Saddle follow the trail west as it skirts the ridge, enters the forest, and comes to a junction with the Beaver Creek Trail.  Turn left here heading uphill.  From here the trail follows gentle switchbacks through the forest with various lookouts along the way.  

At the junction with the Buffalo Bill Trail, turn right continuing uphill.  As you reach the road and the gate for the Lookout Mountain Nature Center look to the right for a rocky outcrop shaped into a bench.  The best view is underneath this outcrop and there is a trail that jogs down to the viewpoint.  The Lookout Mountain Trail continues past the nature center along Lookout Mountain Road, but for this hike description, turn around here and head back to the Windy Saddle along the same route.