Trail Gulch

Trail Gulch is a fun and scenic side trail off of the Bank Loop in the Shelf Road area of the Royal Gorge Field Office. It starts at the Banks Campground/trailhead and descends into the canyon below some of the popular rock climbing sites in the area, before following the wash at the bottom of Trail Gulch. After a few miles, it climbs out of the gulch and up into some sagebrush hills, ultimately dead-ending at a hiking trailhead. That trailhead accesses an extensive network of hiking trails that lead over to the Booger Red Hill and Hole in the Rock Gulch areas. The road is easy to moderate difficulty and should be passable to any stock 4x4, with only a few small rock obstacles.

This trail offers some of the best dispersed camping in the Bank / Shelf Road area and has one of the most unique campsites in the region. About a mile down the trail in the canyon, there are two large artificial caves/alcoves blasted out of the cliff face next to the road, which you can drive a vehicle into like a garage. You could pitch a tent or pull a vehicle with a rooftop tent inside of these and camp completely sheltered from the weather. Campfires should be kept outside of the caves to avoid smoking up the rock walls. This campsite is very popular and will usually be occupied on peak season weekends, but other campsites can be found further along the road.