Colorado Trails

Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch)

4.4/5 (37 reviews)

Idaho Springs, Colorado (Clear Creek County)

Last Updated: 11/03/2022

Trail Information

Status

Open

Distance

8.84 mi

Nearest Town

Idaho Springs

Management Agency

Arapahoe National Forest

District

Clear Creek District

Highlights

Set in the Arapahoe National Forest, Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch) is a popular trail that acts as a spinal cord for the area. On top of being a scenic road itself, it is an easier way to connect to the top of Saxon Mountain Road and that summit. Once onto the forest road segment, there are numerous secluded camping opportunities. Lamartine Road is a great launch point for a weekend of wheeling.

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JD Marshall

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Starting Point

Idaho Springs, CO

From Idaho Springs take the Mount Evans Highway (CO-103S) southwest towards Mount Evans from I-70. The trailhead is approximately 0.5 miles to the trailhead from I-70.

Trail Reviews

4.4/5 (38)

Troy Smith

100

Impassable

Visited: 03/04/2023

Deep snow. Could not break trail with 37”s and chains

Shane

200

Impassable

Rated 3/5

Visited: 03/04/2023

We only made it about a mile into the trail. It is impossible right now, even with chains on.

Benjamin Allison

2700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 12/03/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Entered from Ute Creek Road and completed waypoint 19-1 on 12/3/2022. Nothing of note, moderate snow.

Benjamin Allison

2700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 12/01/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Completed from waypoint 1 through 10 on 12/1/222. Connector trail at waypoint 10 is extremely dangerous, avoid in the snow. Large drifts, narrow trail and steep drops made it very dangerous for almost any rig. Rest of the trail was normal, several inches of snow and ice in places but not too bad on 32’s.

This trail guide's difficulty was changed on 11/12/2022

brian gibson

600

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/22/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Super fun trail. Ran it at night from Cascade Creek. Toughest part is on that end. Did it in a stock JL

Rory

1500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/09/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Steep and rocky! Take your time and you’ll be rewarded… I would recommend airing down.

Benjamin Allison

2700

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/02/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Not hard but very rocky. Lots of cool off shoots along this trail, completed it after Cascade Creek. Very fun

David

500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/25/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this in a Tacoma with 2.5 inch lift on 33s. Didn't need 4low until about a quarter the way in. Airdown is highly recommended. Otherwise, great trail that ended up a junction full of aspens! One, maybe 2 walls that a spot was needed for, otherwise, just a rocky, bumpy trail.

Amanda

2300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/04/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

If you are doing this trail from start to finish I would say this is more like a 4! I did this with a Jeep Rubicon Recon and used 4H in most areas. We did have an amazing campsite for the night but the trail was certainly harder then I has expected.

Jeff Jamieson

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/26/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

If this is a 2-3, then I have vastly over-estimated the capabilities of a Subaru Outback, and vastly underestimated what these ratings mean. I really thought an "easy" trail would be okay, but this would absolutely have eaten my car for lunch had I not turned back. Maybe some day I'll buy a vehicle as capable as whatever you all drive, but in the mean time, I guess off-roading isn't for me after all. Damn. Rated 5 stars because if you're into remembering why you raised your suspension and bought bash plates (I have done neither) then this trail will deliver!

Roger P.

3600

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/17/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Fun trail close to Denver. Forester Wilderness does good on this trail.

Steven Hubert

300

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/03/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Rode this today. A decent amount of erosion means I wouldn't recommend this for anything less than say a Subaru Forester. While easy for a Jeep a moderate rating is likely more apt due to the conditions now. Great trail if you know what you are getting yourself into.

Jack Cain

100

Open

Rated 3/5

Visited: 06/19/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Trail was interesting but seemed much harder than what it was rated

Ash

500

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 05/15/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Not much snow left out there!

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Temporary Closure

Visited: 12/06/2021

Fire in the area has closed these trails. https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/limited-evacuations-are-underway-due-to-a-fire-burning-near-idaho-springs

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Impassable

Visited: 11/15/2021

Snow has been sticking, and users report impassable icy conditions in multiple places. This trail should be considered impassable until Spring. If you choose to wheel in the snow, please do so with the right equipment and do not go alone.

Vanessa

200

Impassable

Visited: 11/15/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Unfortunately as of today we were around waypoint 4ish and the trail was pure ice. We were warned coming from Cascade trail not to continue. We went to look and there’s no passing that part unfortunately. The rest was fine. We crossed Molly brown mine area to get to cascade creek trail.

Gill Baines

300

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 11/08/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Condition of the trail has probably changed since it was last rated a 2. More like a hard 3 west of Lamartine. I came up Saxon Mountain from Georgetown and was expecting an easy roll down to Idaho Springs. Not the case. Still a nice trail, just know that conditions on these trails can change due to use/abuse and weather. I am driving a stock 2007 xterra off road.

Donald Clark Arbogast

600

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/26/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Xterra 3” lift with 33” tires. This was my connection trail back to Idaho springs after riding on cascade creek trail. Traveling east to west. It was more difficult that I thought a 2/3 rating would be. Lots of loose rock near wp1. Great views of mountains at the top. First paved section is likely misleading…

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 08/15/2021

Ran this trail for the first time all the way through. The ratings largely hold on this trail though. Traffic was super-light for a Saturday and I had a good time until the weather started to turn south. I did like the scenery in a lot of places along this trail and I'll come back here in the fall for some leaf-peeping.

Todd

Official Crew

106450

Open

Visited: 07/16/2021

Open and clear.

Brad D.

17350

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/03/2021

Fun little connect for getting around the various trails in the spring creak area,

Jose

300

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/19/2021

We took this trail going towards Idaho springs after completing Saxon Mt. Trail. It started raining at beginning this trail so it was nice and gloomy. There are some rocky part to get true. Afther getting a quarter of the way true the trail the sun came out and got to see some very awsome views of surrounding mountains. This was another trail I really enjoyed.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

96500

Partially Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/18/2021

Ran in uphill, reverse from this guide and almost made it to waypoint 9. There is still a lot of snow and ice at that point making it impossible for my stock pickup. There are a lot of tracks coming down hill, but one drift looks like it has caused a lot of problems for people as there are trees and such and fresh digging. Please stay on the trail and do not drive off trail to avoid snow, as seen here at this spot.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

96500

Impassable

Rated 5/5

Visited: 01/03/2021

I can't comment on the entire trail since I only ran a small section of it. We entered this trail at wp7 after coming from Cascade Creek. There are tracks all over the trails out here. From conditions I saw on the other trails, you can likely get all the way to the junction of South Spring Gulch and Saxon Mountain, but I can't confirm that. We ran the trail to the mine play area between wp9 and wp10, and then took Ute Creek down to 103. A lot of bare dirt patches along the section we drove. Trail is very tracked out and has been heavily used lately.

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Impassable

Visited: 12/23/2020

This trail is located at a higher alitude of Colorado and at this time of year should be considered impassable for any regular off-road user. Some people may be able to manage these trails with the correct gear, emergency equipment, and rig. Travel with caution.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

96500

Open

Visited: 11/10/2020

Stage 3 fire restrictions have been lifted as of 6am, 11/10/20. The forest is no longer fully closed. Areas within fire perimeters remain closed. See closure maps here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD844558 Expect winter conditions on trails. Some trails may be impassable due to snow.

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Temporary Closure

Visited: 10/20/2020

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Oct. 20, 2020) – Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions, the USDA Forest Service’s Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests is announcing a temporary closure of all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties, effective at midnight tonight (closure begins at 00:01 Oct. 21). This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.

paul schulz

1000

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 10/12/2020

Nice, scenic and historic, just not real challenging. All the same , great way to spend a few hours on a BEAUTIFUL Monday morning

Joe. No...... the other Joe

3700

Open

Rated 3/5

Visited: 08/30/2020

Nice views but not super challenging. Works great to get you back to Idaho springs after running Cascade or Saxon Mt.

Carlo Donzelli

2200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/13/2020

Easy trail with few rock obstacles here and there. We stopped at the mine halfway through, plenty of space and great views.

Ellis

600

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 06/13/2020

No real tough spots but a few cool rocky climbs. No snow just some runoff on the trail.

Tony

1100

Open

Visited: 08/16/2019

Came down from Cascade. Easy compared to that. Was quite dry and had some fun sliding downhill, but uphill may have some traction problems without a good set of tires. No traffic on my way down. Stock high-clearance vehicles should have no problem.

Curt Greeley

850

Open

Visited: 06/10/2019

Trail is completely dry other than some very mild snow melt running down in a few spots

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Open

Visited: 10/01/2017

We started Spring Gulch from the end of Cascade Creek and traveled outwards. The trail was as expected all the way through and we even found a nice spot to eat lunch and view the mountains. The incoming storm pushed us off the mountains and back into the Idaho Springs around 4pm.

JD Marshall

Official Crew

112600

Partially Open

Visited: 05/07/2017

Just exploring these trails up north. Run off makes it feel more like a solid 3 when teh trail gets rough. We made it just past the Trail Creek Road entrance before we hit 2-3 ft drifts of snow. It was wet and it was slick underneath. Snow capable rigs may be able to go farther.

Daniel Matthews

100

Partially Open

Visited: 03/06/2017

This road turned to deep snow very quickly. Chains were required in order for us to get to the top of the first main hill. The second hill was worse, with only 1 of the 3 of us (Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and 2 GX470's, one modified with custom suspension) able to make it initially (as conditions changed, 1 more made it). Throughout the day, all 3 vehicles were stuck at different points and needed assistance getting out. We learned later that this road in the winter is basically a snow cat road, and is not very accessible otherwise. If you're taking this road, be prepared with at least a 2nd vehicle, snow chains and a winch.

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JD Marshall

Mapping Crew - Colorado

Jen & JD moved to Colorado from Chicago in May of 2015 for work and brought with them a 2001 stock Jeep Wrangler that had been garage bound for two years. Within a month of arrival, all rusty 170,000 miles of it was shaking on Colorado trails and they've never stopped. As time as gone on, their 2001 TJ had to be traded and a 2015 Jeep JK has been added to the family. JD works as a Systems Engineer for a cable company and Jen runs a business from their home during the week to pay the bills. When the weekend hits, they're almost always hitting the trail. When Sunday night rolls around, the question turns to, 'so what's next week?!'.

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Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch)

Trail Information

Highlights

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