At over 10,150 feet above sea level, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States—and it lives up to its altitude in both scenery and grit. This former silver mining boomtown offers a unique mix of historic charm, alpine adventure, and remote offroad access. Whether you're exploring high mountain passes or tracing the paths of 19th-century prospectors, Leadville is a must-visit for 4WD enthusiasts traveling through Central Colorado.
Leadville is surrounded by a network of rugged trails that climb into the Sawatch and Mosquito Ranges. This is the kind of terrain that tests both driver and rig, with high-elevation routes delivering jaw-dropping views and unpredictable conditions.
One of the most iconic nearby routes is Mosquito Pass, which climbs to 13,185 feet—making it one of the highest drivable mountain passes in North America. The route connects Leadville to Fairplay and offers a combination of rocky climbs, snowdrifts (even in summer), and a true feeling of isolation.
To the southwest lies Mount Zion and Weston Pass, a more moderate but equally scenic alternative that descends into the San Isabel National Forest. Many of these routes connect with others leading into Buena Vista, Aspen, and Pitkin, making Leadville a strategic hub for overlanding routes across the region.
Founded in the late 1800s, Leadville was once one of the richest silver mining towns in the country. Remnants of that boom era still dot the landscape—abandoned shafts, mining relics, and original Victorian architecture line the streets and hillsides.
For history-minded travelers, the Leadville Mining District and the National Mining Hall of Fame provide context for the wild west legacy of this high-mountain town. You can even explore ghost towns like Winfield and St. Elmo nearby, accessible by dirt roads and seasonal 4WD trails.
Because of its altitude, trail access around Leadville is highly seasonal. Snow can linger into July on higher passes, and sudden storms are not uncommon well into the fall. Many routes are best attempted from late June through early October, depending on snowfall.
Carry recovery gear, check trail conditions ahead of time, and be aware of rapidly changing weather. The high elevation also means thinner air—both for engines and lungs—so pace yourself and keep an eye on your vehicle’s performance.
Despite its rough-and-ready backdrop, Leadville itself is welcoming, walkable, and packed with character. You’ll find authentic diners, gear shops, and a few locally loved breweries along the historic main street. The annual Leadville 100 endurance races and Skijoring competitions add to the town’s rugged reputation and make it a hub for adventure sports year-round.
With its access to high mountain passes, rich mining history, and strategic location between multiple offroad zones, Leadville offers more than just elevation—it offers immersion. It's a town where the past and present meet, where alpine exploration begins, and where every road feels like part of a much larger journey.
Located a short distance north of Leadville, FSR 189 is a straight-through connecting road that offers good Fall color viewing and ideal basecamp locations for hunters. This road snakes its way through dense forest and aspen groves for a short 2 miles. Combine FSR 189 with Mount Zion and give yourself easy access to or from Highway 24 without traveling the same section twice.
East Tennessee is a seasonal hunting and winter road, only open 9/1-5/1. The road is just over 4 miles long and ends at the bottom of the Little Horse chair lift, part of Cooper Ski Resort. The official route ends in what seems like a random location at an open grass clearing in the forest, with no signage. Although a well-traveled road does continue up the hill, that road is not part of the Forest Service MVUM. The road is only one vehicle wide and is very narrow through sections of dense willow brush that threaten to scratch your paint and give you pinstriping. The road starts very smooth and well-maintained and gradually gets rougher and rockier the farther into the trail you go. You will need a high-clearance vehicle for this road, but a 2WD high-clearance vehicle is sufficient. Dispersed camping is allowed along the route, and a handful of sites can be found in the first 2 miles. Most of the sites are large and level, good for hunting groups.
Bear Lake Road is an out-and-back trail that branches off from the north side of Turquoise Lake Road and provides access to the Bear Lake hiking trailhead and Uncle Bud's Hut, one of many 10th Mountain Division Association huts in these mountains. As you climb the mountain further into the forest, this trail takes you past a few destroyed gold and silver mines that helped put the nearby city of Leadville, CO, on the map. Overall, this trail is easy, but a few steep grades and loose rocks require a 4-wheel drive vehicle. While there aren't any good campsites on this trail, quite a few are scattered around nearby Turquoise Lake.
Granite Burn is a short, steep trail that climbs 2000 feet above the town of Granite to the edge of the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness. This trail ends at a small Hayden Gulch hiking trail parking area.
There are no notable obstacles on this trail; however, several steep sections reach a maximum of 15 degrees incline. The last third of this trail also has limited passing spots for opposing traffic, so look ahead and keep track of any spots suitable for passing.
Camping is limited to about three small spots on this trail.
Located within the Leadville Mining District, southeast of town, Lake County 1C is a moderately rough 4-wheel-drive road that climbs sharply through Pigtail Gulch, connecting County Road 2 to County Roads 1A and 1B. The first half mile, traveling west to east, follows a single-lane dirt road next to a water culvert, passing several abandoned mines, including Modest Barrel, Garibaldi Tunnel, and the New England Mine. The trail then travels through two tight switchbacks that can be traversed in one go with careful tire placement and then continues in a northerly direction up a steep and loose hill, peppered with baseball-sized rocks and an occasional larger rock just breaking the trail's surface. The trail can be driven in either direction and is a good final trail if completing the Route of The Silver Kings Driving Tour and having an appropriate vehicle. This trail requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle with selectable low-range gearing.
No camping is available along this trail.
Round Hill is an easy connector road within the Pike National Forest, southwest of Fairplay. It begins in the Sheep Creek valley below Brown's Pass and climbs south-southeast through Ponderosa and Aspen forest. The trail surface is primarily packed dirt, with sporadic small rocks and occasional steep grades. Near the road's midpoint, it crosses Breakneck Pass and proceeds south across the land management boundary (Bureau of Land Management) and then forms a loop on the topographic feature for which it is named, Round Hill. A grassy landscape with fewer trees characterizes the southern end, offering panoramic views to the west.
The trail offers very limited camping options; however, a couple of small pullouts have been previously used for overnight stays.
Chalk Mountain is a scenic out-and-back climb that begins just south of Fremont Pass on Highway 91 and steadily gains more than 1,600 feet as it ascends to nearly 12,000 feet. The road starts as a straightforward climb before becoming rougher with exposed decomposing granite, embedded rocks, and erosion holes up to 10 to 12 inches deep, creating a slow, bumpy drive that is best suited to a high clearance 4x4 with low range. Drivers with some off-road experience will find the trail enjoyable rather than intimidating, and any mildly modified vehicle with larger tires will handle the terrain easily. About two miles in, the trail reaches a broad false summit where several large, level dispersed campsites offer outstanding views of Taylor Hill, North Sheep Mountain, and Buckeye Peak. The climb continues to a higher ridgeline with spectacular overlooks of Fremont Pass, the massive Climax Mine, and a skyline filled with prominent peaks, including Traver Peak, Mount Arkansas, and Mount Cameron. The trail ends at a scenic, well-protected campsite near the summit, making Chalk Mountain an excellent destination for campers and anyone looking for one of the best panoramic mountain drives in the Leadville area.
West Tennessee Road is a short but rewarding drive that leaves the pavement west of Leadville and winds through lodgepole pine forest to Lily Lake on the edge of the Holy Cross Wilderness. The road crosses Segment 9 of the Colorado Trail and is popular with campers, hikers, anglers, and anyone looking for a quiet mountain campsite away from the busier recreation areas. The first 1.75 miles are a smooth, graded dirt road suitable for any passenger vehicle, with abundant dispersed campsites tucked throughout the forest. After crossing a culvert and the North Fork West Tennessee Creek, the final quarter mile becomes noticeably rougher as exposed grapefruit-sized rocks cover the trail, making good ground clearance the minimum for reaching the lake. At the end of the road, Lily Lake offers a peaceful setting with lily pads covering much of the shoreline, scenic views toward the surrounding peaks, and two spacious dispersed campsites overlooking the water. While the drive is easy overall, the rough final stretch rewards those with a high-clearance vehicle by leading to one of the more secluded camping destinations in the Leadville area.
Located near Tennessee Pass, northwest of Leadville, Colorado, Wurts Ditch is an easy graded road that connects Highway 24 to the Wurts Ditch Trailhead, following a small portion of the historic transmountain water diversion trench. It is a short road popular for winter recreation. In the summer months, the road is used to access additional dispersed camping spur roads and other more challenging 4-wheel-drive roads. Camping along Wurts Ditch is limited to a few roadside pullouts and a large open area at the western end, where you can find sites suitable for any camp setup. This road is suitable for any passenger vehicle.
The Wurts Ditch was built in 1929 by Warren Wurtz. The ditch captures water from tributaries of the Eagle River on the Western Slope and carries it across the Continental Divide into Tennessee Creek, part of the Arkansas River Basin, to support agriculture, municipal use, and growth on the drier Eastern Slope. Pueblo Water purchased the ditch in 1938 and extended it in 1953.
Looming in the shadows of several notable 14,000-foot peaks that Colorado is known for is Clear Creek Road. This easy road provides access to plentiful campsites, 14er trailheads such as Missouri Mountain and Huron Peak, and the well-preserved historical ghost town of Winfield and Vicksburg. The road is primarily hard-packed dirt with ebedded rock, and multiple vehicles wide for its entire length. Sightseers, adventurers, hikers, fishers, and offroad enthusiasts alike will have a great day checking out this pocket of Colorado backcountry. If you have the vehicle for it, this trail will take you to Clohesy Lake, which is another great high-alpine Colorado trail.
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