Mosquito Creek Road

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3.9/5 (22 reviews)
Black Hawk, Colorado (Gilpin County)
Last Updated: 07/22/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Mosquito Creek Road is a fun trail that is less popular than other trails in the expansive Yankee Hill trail system. It is one of the many ways to access other trails in the area, and it offers beautiful views of aspens in the fall, colorful wildflowers when they are blooming, and panoramic views of the mountains in the distance when you reach the north trailhead. There are many mining claims along the trail, some still active. The trail cuts through private property, so do not leave the trail!

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

3.9/5 (22)
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 08/19/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

East end was gated at Apex Valley Road. I made the mistake of interpreting it as a private drive so we drove all the way around to Elk Park and entered the North West end. Rookie mistake I guess. My vote that the trail is rated too easy is primarily due to the Rocky section next to the miners Stone house. While it wasn't difficult, it was definitely a rocky climb and worthy of probably a 3 with no way around it. Not sure a stock Cherokee could get through without a little undercarriage scraping. There were maybe four other sections where it was rocky enough to slow down and take it easy; enough to bump the 2 rating to a 3 imo. My lx470 AHC (2 inch lift) and 33s gave me plenty of clearance. I enjoyed following the creek near the Miners Gulch turn off. With all the rain this year and the creek alongside the trail, it provided some nice deep vegetation that seems less common here. There was also a short section with some deep ruts and a bit of wash out. Easy to avoid, but if somebody wasn't careful I could see a tire slipping in and getting pretty good and stuck. This was closer to Elk Park road.
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Eric Fundenberger
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Eric Fundenberger
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41800
Open
Rated 2/5
Visited: 07/21/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Only ran from WP2 back to Apex, but it was an overly bumpy and boring drive. Still pretty but nothing specific to see. The top half must be a bit more attractive..
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 07/01/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

From the northern side, the trail is mostly entirely down hill and incredibly rocky (as in your ride on nothing but 6” or larger rocks for 50 yards at a time, sometimes longer). As an adventure motorcyclist, I’d rate it a 4 or 5 for difficulty. If your bike is lacking clearance, DON’T go on this trail. That said, the scenery is beautiful and there’s a stream with occasional cascading waterfalls you can see by going 10 yards into the woods at points.
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Paul Armbruster
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Paul Armbruster
Open
Visited: 05/17/2023

As of mid May, there is still a decent amount of snow in Mosquito Creek Road. The one-sided distribution of snow can make it difficult for vehicles with open diffs. We turned around after around a third of the trail. We encountered a gate at the beginning that we interpreted as "you are welcome to enter, but stay on the trail".
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Dominik Vereno
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Dominik Vereno
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Open
Visited: 04/08/2023

No review, just wanted to share the conditions as of April 8th at Waypoint 1 (Apex Valley Road): Snow cover with no tracks.
Trail Review: Mosquito Creek Road - Dominik Vereno

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