Trail Updates

12/6/2023 Early Winter update

• Guanella Pass summit: Is closed for the winter and should reopen Memorial Day Weekend. The southbound, from Georgetown, winter closure gate is just .8 miles from the Summit/Beirstadt Trailhead should you be looking for a winter adventure up high. If you do go, make sure you are prepared for low temperatures, deep snow, high winds and pockets of avalanche danger.
• Stevens Gulch Road (to Grays and Torreys): Remains open but unmaintained from Bakerville to the trailhead. Vehicular traffic is discouraged as there is a high likelihood you will get stuck and recovery from this location is extremely expensive and difficult to summon (spotty cell coverage).
• Floyd Hill Open Space: The south facing aspects tend to lose snow due to melting/blowing between precipitation events. Non-south facing aspects will hold snow and ice, making traction devices a recommendation for hikers. Please abide by the if you leave a track, turn back mantra here, wet and muddy trails can be severely damaged when wet requiring expensive repairs and degrading other users' experience.
• Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing and Fat Biking: Mt Evans Road, Bakerville to Loveland Trail, Argentine Central Railroad Grade, Silverdale and the Silver Creek Trail tend to hold consistent snow through the winter and are great places to enjoy these activities. Again, if you go, be prepared for high winds, cold weather and deep snow.
• I am awaiting the next snow fall to start grooming the Bakerville to Loveland trail for nordic ski and fat bike use, so stay tuned.
• The Trails Team wrapped up their season October 26. I am available to remove trees off trails if the wind happens to take one down. Please email me at jbutcher@clearcreekcounty.us if you run into any issues with the trails in Clear Creek County. Trail name, approximate distance from the trailhead(GPS coordinates are cool too) and a picture is always helpful so I know what to bring to correct the issue.

12/20/2022 Early Winter update

• Guanella Pass summit: Is closed for the winter and should reopen Memorial Day Weekend. The southbound, from Georgetown, winter closure gate is just .8 miles from the Summit/Beirstadt Trailhead should you be looking for a winter adventure up high. If you do go, make sure you are prepared for low temperatures, deep snow, high winds and pockets of avalanche danger.
• Stevens Gulch Road (to Grays and Torreys): Remains open but unmaintained from Bakerville to the trailhead. Vehicular traffic is discouraged as there is a high likelihood you will get stuck and recovery from this location is extremely expensive and difficult to summon (spotty cell coverage).
• Floyd Hill Open Space: The south facing aspects tend to lose snow due to melting/blowing between precipitation events. Non-south facing aspects will hold snow and ice, making traction devices a recommendation for hikers.
• Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing and Fat Biking: Mt Evans Road, Bakerville to Loveland Trail, Argentine Central Railroad Grade, Silverdale and the Silver Creek Trail tend to hold consistent snow through the winter and are great places to enjoy these activities. Again, if you go, be prepared for high winds, cold weather and deep snow.
• The Trails Team wrapped up their season at the end of November. I am available to remove trees off trails if the wind happens to take one down. Please email me at trails@clearcreekcounty.us if you run into any issues with the trails in Clear Creek County. Trail name, approximate distance from the trailhead and a picture is always helpful so I know what to bring to correct the issue.

10/26/2022 Over the last 60 days your Clear Creek County Trails Team was busy working in the following areas:

• Facility Upgrade: As part of a trail head upgrade at Floyd Hill Open Space, the trails team managed the installation of a new vault toilet structure, rerouted the lower sluice to accommodate the new structure, and built the ramp to it. The rest of the project will begin when the snow melts spring of 2023.
•  Routine Trail Maintenance Work: (rake, trim vegetation to maintain appropriate corridor, clear drainages, sweep bike paths) was performed on the following trails: Silver Dollar Lake, Watrous Gulch, Herman Gulch, Georgetown to Silver Plume, Gold Rush, Notch, Pulaski, Bard Creek, PAWS, Hassell Lake, Waldorf, Rutherford, Raspberry, Butler Gulch, Bullshead, Pioneer Union Ditch, Warren Gulch, Argentine Central Grade and Floyd Hill(all trails).
•  Major Trail Work: (remove large boulders, build/rebuild retaining walls, armor drainages) was performed on the following trails: Rutherford, Purdy/Dunbarton, Anna Trail, 7:30 Mine and Raspberry.
•  Also of note: Since May 2022, the Clear Creek County’s (CCC) Trails Team performed maintenance/repairs on all of CCC’s trails (CCC Open Space, USFS, CPW and towns of Georgetown and Empire), repaired damage from major flooding on 100+ year old historic trails, and even found time to built two new trails. They are wrapping up their season Thursday, October 27th, 2022.
•  Coming in 2023: There will be a trailhead upgrade at Floyd Hill, a Volunteer Trail Work Program for those willing/able to help with our efforts. Email trails@clearcreekcounty.us if you are interested! In addition, a couple of new trails will be added to improve access and connectivity.
•  As always, if you run into any hazards on the Clear Creek County trail system, please let us know what and where it is at trails@clearcreekcounty.us

9/6/2022: Travel delays anticipated on road to Waldorf and Santiago Mines. Travel delays are anticipated on the road to Waldorf and Santiago mines (Forest Service Road 248.1), from its junction with Guanella Pass Road (County Road 381) beginning at daybreak on Sept. 7th, 2022, while crews walk in large construction equipment for maintenance on two mine reclamation projects.The equipment is large and slow moving and will require the entire width of the road, which is why we anticipate delays for the majority of the day. It will be difficult for motorized vehicles to pass the equipment, which has a 6 mile trip along the road to the project area.

8/18/2022: Over the last 30 days your Clear Creek County Trails Team was busy working in the following areas:

• New Trail Build: The Trails Team built a new sustainable trail for the students at and residents near King Murphy Elementary School. It is a loop trail that connects the upper playground to the outdoor class room. While the terrain is steep, a series of switchbacks makes the average grade of the trail easy enough for even the youngest students to enjoy.
• Routine Trail Maintenance Work: (rake, trim vegetation to maintain appropriate corridor, clear drainages, sweep bike paths) was performed on: Georgetown to Silver Plume trail, Argentine Central Grade and the Silver Creek Trail.
• Major Trail Work: (remove large boulders, build/rebuild retaining walls, armor drainages) was performed on: Silver Creek Trail and Raspberry.
• Also of note: The excessive precipitation has led to a banner year for Mushrooms and Raspberries. Mushrooms are a plenty on north-facing shaded areas, especially on the Argentine Central Grade Trail. Make sure you know your mushrooms before consuming them!

As always, if you run into any hazards on the Clear Creek County trail system, please let us know what and where it is at trails@clearcreekcounty.us

8/16/2022: The Arapaho National Forest will be maintaining 1.79 miles of National Forest System Road 194.2 (aka Barbour Fork Road) to improve emergency vehicle access, watershed conditions, and recreational opportunities. It has been several years since the road has been maintained and it no longer meets Forest Service standards for a high-clearance road. The road will be closed to all use from Aug. 18 to Aug. 24. For other motorized road and trail opportunities, find the Motor Vehicle Use Map for Clear Creek Ranger District on the Forest Service's website or using the Avenza app.

7/20/2022: Your Clear Creek County Trails Team has been very busy in the last 30 days.

• New Trail Build: The Trails Team built a new 1/2 mile trail at Alvarado Open Space. It starts at the eastern most bridge over ClearTrails Team Creek and loops back to the same spot. There is zero elevation gain,  so it is appropriate for all ages as it wanders through Cottonwood and Aspen trees with parts of it along the banks of Clear Creek.
• Routine Trail Maintenance work (raking, trimming vegetation to maintain appropriate corridor, clearing drainages, sweeping bike paths) was performed on 2 Bears to east Idaho Springs and Silver Plume to Bakerville bike paths, Union Pass, Barbour Forks, Silverdale, Raspberry,  Kearney Gulch,  Stanley Spur and The Notch Trail.
• Due to major rainfall and multiple mudslides, Major Trail Work (removing large boulders, building/rebuilding retaining walls, armor drainages) was performed on: Silvercreek, Dunbarton, Purdy and Tom Benhoff trail (around Georgetown Lake). Please obey any trail reroutes/closures, as there are a few spots where the massive erosion caused by excessive precipitation has led to the degradation of retaining walls, some of them built in the 1800s.
• Clear Creek County has selected a contractor and initiated their Recreation in the Outdoors Management plan (ROMP). Flyers soliciting feedback from trail users are in place at most trailheads. Please utilize the QR code or this link to submit feedback on your user experience. Your feedback will contribute directly to the new recreational amenity projects (trails, trailhead facilities, etc.) that we will consider in the next few years.  Help us design the future of Outdoor recreation in Clear Creek County here.                

As always, if you run into any hazards on the Clear Creek County trail system, please let us know what and where it is at trails@clearcreekcounty.us.

6/20/2022: Your Clear Creek County Trails Team was super busy in the last 30 days. 

• All Trails Team members are now Certified Wildland Fire Fighters so we can be a resource should we be needed to help control a wildland blaze.  Also, First Aid/CPR certified so we are able to provide basic first aid (until the pros arrive) to an injured trail user or team member should we be in the vicinity of an accident.
• Routine Trail Maintenance work (rake, trim vegetation to maintain appropriate corridor, clear drainages, sweep bike paths) was performed on Floyd Hill, Union Pass, Silver Creek, Saxon Mountain, 7:30 Mine, Georgetown to Silver Plume Bike path, Bakerville to Loveland Ski Area bike path, Tom Bennhoff Lake Trail/Silver Creek Connector trails and Rutherford.
• Major Trail work (remove large boulders, build/rebuild retaining walls, armor drainages, crack seal pavement) was performed on: Sluice(Floyd Hill OS rock feature mitigation), Silver Creek(multiple areas) and Bakerville to Loveland Ski Area Bike Path.
• We’ve also cleared fallen and leaning trees from the following trails/ trailheads: Floyd Hill, Silverdale, Notch, Silver Creek, Philadelphia Mill, Warren Gulch, Iron Fens and Argentine Central Grade.

As always, if you run into any hazards on the Clear Creek County trail system, please let us know what and where it is at trails@clearcreekcounty.us.

5/03/2022: Team Evergreen is running their https://www.sessionseries.org/ event at Floyd Hill open space for the next 4 Wednesdays weather permitting. So parking will be unavailable at the trailhead and the Sluice Trail will be closed to non participants after noon on event days. Please see the link above for more information.

4/26/2022: So sorry for the long delay. We will post trail updates here as the Trails team gets out and about. Please email us at trails@clearcreekcounty.us with any issues you run into on our trail system such as: downed trees over the trail, hazard trees hung up/about to fall over the trail, rock slides, washouts and/or major water pooling on the trail. Please let us know trail(s) name and approximate distance from trailhead or intersection(hiking time works too). We are currently a crew of 2, so the more eyes we have looking for trail hazards the better able we are to schedule time to correct them.

We were out on Argentine Central Grade and in Silverdale clearing some hazard trees. Still snow on the ground, but starting to see some dirt peek through. Both trails could easily be hiked in hiking boots with max snow depth ankle deep with very occasional drifts to knee deep. Gaiters recommended and traction devices if you want to be super careful.

2/16/2021: ACG Trail users will notice our Polaris UTV stuck about 700-ft up from the trail head in Silver Plume, we are working to get it out before the Spring thaw.  Unfortunately one of the tracks broke off the machine making it nearly immobile :-(

2/9/2021: ACG (Argentine Central RR Grade) trail.  4 Downed trees were also cleared from across the main trail and the spur to the mine.  An attempt was also made to jackhammer the ice patch about 1/4 mile up to make it easier to cross.

2/1/2021: Bring your spikes when hiking the ACG  (Argentine Central RR Grade) or Silver Creek trail this Winter!  Extreme caution is called for when crossing ice patches (approx 30ft across and 6" thick) that exist on both trails.  On ACG about 1/4mi up from the lower trail head in Silver Plume, and near the bridge on Silver Creek about 1mi from the trail head in Georgetown.  They both cover the width of the trail and are very slick and difficult to get around - USE CAUTION.  

• 12/19/2020 - cleared 9 downed trees at Shadows Ranch (I mean "Alverado Open Space Park") that were blocking the dirt road around the pond.  Also picked-up the Polaris from the shop, now ready to groom snow trails and plow parking lots with its new starter!
• 12/11/2019 - cleared a downed tree on Dunbarton yesterday and hoisted the final (huge) downed tree off the Rutherford Trail today with help from Kevin from Georgetown Parks & Rec.  Rutherford, Dunbarton and Silverdale are now cleared of all debris (until the next storm)...
• 12/5/2019 - cleared 3 downed trees on the Railbed trail in Silver Dale yesterday, and 17 more (most large with a LOT of branches) across the Rutherford trail today.  Wow, the windstorm really did some damage!  If you come across any downed trees or other trail issues while you are out, please let us know:  trails@clearcreekcounty.us or 303-679-2308.
• 11/27/2019 - page 3 article in the Clear Creek Courant; "County emphasizing sustainability in future recreation projects" characterizes future plans for County Open Space and Recreational Trails
• 11/20/2019 - front page article in the Clear Creek Courant; "Floyd Hill park increasing in popularity" is well worth a read to get the latest scoop on what’s going on with the Floyd Hill trail system.
• 11/6/2019 - cleared three fallen trees from the advanced trail at Floyd Hill Open Space.  Make sure to wear your spikes, its snowy & icy on this trail!