Bard Creek

There's really only one small section that requires picking a line in a stock Gladiator, most of the road is just an easy bumpy dirt and rock road. Gorgeous scenery of the forest, aspen glades, and creek. At the end the creek forks into 10 or more segments through the old mining cabin and mine and a foot trail goes further upstream.

Got shut down by snow drifts at a cabin right after waypoint 3. First was a spot that I managed to get through after hitting it at speed like 6 times. Unfortunately right after that and just before the first creek crossing I came on a deeper spot of snow drift and my back end tried to go off trail. Almost got stuck there but managed to get back on the trail and back out like 300 yds till I could turn around. Glad it happened where it did though, Another 10' and I was crossing a culvert and it would have been a much worse spot for my back end to get squirrelly. None of it was tracked and was very slushy and I have open diffs currently. With lockers it should be doable but go with a buddy so you can actually do a recovery unlike me ><

Fun trail. Enjoyed it on a Monday. One other person on the trail. Couple of massive snow drifts so had to reverse down a bit.

Turned around halfway between waypoint 3 and 4. Large drifts and very narrow, extremely difficult to turn around.

Impassable until early summer.

Easy, fun and beautiful. Very cool trail running most of the time along the creek. Sweet views all along. No major obstacles at all just rocky.

Difficulty is spot on -- I let a beginner drive my JKU and all was fine.

Nice easy trail up to some cool mining structures.

Clear all the way through.

Trail is open. Easy and beautiful, the mine is in decent shape. Nice optional hill climb at the end.

Fun day out hiking toward Engleman peak. Snow drifts 2-3 ft and used recovery boards. should be good to go in a week or two given the forecast.

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.

One way in, out and back. Gets a bit narrow at some spots and might get some scratches but otherwise a generally easy and fun trail. Didn’t need to air down but would have if I had an air compressor.

Ran this to check on its status and there are no changes to the trail write up. The seasonal leaf changes looked great mid-september!

Went out for a check on this trail since it's been sometime since it was written up. First thing of note is the well established campsites that now exist along the way. Looks like folks have worn in some spots now. Definitely rockier, but no real change in difficulty. The leaves have started to change for this season.

Fun little trail right off I-70. It's not much for views after the first half mile or so. Mainly just following the creek through aspen patches. A couple steep and flexy spots but nothing too difficult. Anything with high clearance can probably make it, but 4-Lo will help. There are long stretches of single track so it can be very difficult to pass. We ran it early on a Saturday morning and saw 3 other vehicles. The writeup says no camping spots, but we saw multiple well established spots with fire rings. Saw one spot that was currently being camped in. Not sure if they were trespassing, but they looked like frequently used spots.

Ran the whole trail as mapped. Solid trail with some fun obstacles but nothing crazy. Some great scenery too. No snow observed and it was pretty dry. Summer conditions. 2006 Xterra lifted about 2.5 inches and on 33s, had no issues or contact anywhere. I'm a manual and used 4 low quite a bit. There's a mound (optional) at the very end that I made it up with rear locked. It's quite steep and loose. Wouldn't attempt the feature without making sure you can arrest your rollback safely. Also recommend airing down for this trail unless your suspension is pretty soft, it gets bumpy in many parts.

Stock 2021 Tacoma off road, made it through without issue. Didn't have to air down nor did I need 4 low. I hit my skid plate once on the way down, my fault though, could easily make it through without hitting. Picked up some free pinstripes.

This trail is open for the season but snowdrifts may still exist at higher altitudes, use caution and enjoy your summer!

Trail is open to the top. Some very small snow areas left around the 2.5 mile mark but they barely cover half the trail.

Went with two vehicles, one 33's and locked, one with chains 32's and open. The early road was in good condition, 6" of snow on good rock and dirt. Once the trail passed out of private and back on to forest land it got deeper, about a foot on some dirt and ice. The initial steep section past the fence took a few tries but was possible. We stopped about 1/2 mile in at a good turn around to play in the snow for the day. Like all winter wheeling, come prepared, or you may stay longer than you want.

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.

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.

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.

I agree with James, definitely should be rated a 3-4. I was using my stock Buick encore SUV which does fine on other 1-1, 1-2 rated trails. We did Jones pass the same day, but on the Bard Creek trail, we had to turn around about 2 miles in due to heavy washout/large dips in the road. The trail was very scenic with lush vegetation nonetheless.

This trail was a blast, but definitely should be rated a 3-4 from the other trails I’ve did around Colorado’s similar challenges and rating. Other than that it was a blast. I did it in a stock height Crosstrek on ATs pretty easily with a spotter. It’s got some good washouts and rock practice. A good one to practice for new drivers.

Made it just shy of a mile, not too far past the split with Democrat. The trail was busy with snowshoeing enthusiasts. The snow wasn't too deep, but was definitely icy in spots for the mile we traveled. After that, the trail begins climbing up hill and the snow got extremely deep and impassable, even on 42s.

Trail is open and clear 7/9/19. It is a good first trail if you have a trail-ready rig. I drove a stock (except for a front air dam delete and a spare tire relocation) '19 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 up the trail today and had no issues. It's rocky, and there are plenty of washouts, but nothing a stock high-clearance vehicle can't handle easily. For a new driver, there were a couple of butt-pucker moments, but nothing that felt dangerous. Just a couple of large rocks or some deep washouts. There's a nice gate-keeper type hill right at the beginning that is an indicator of what the rest of the trail has in store.

This trail has gotten a bit washed out in a couple places in the last year or so. The trail has a few fun challenges for a stock SUV. Overall this is a fun, quick, and easy trail with some good views. It was very dusty when we drove it. The old mine tailing piles and ruins are fun to see up-close. We tried to take a couple of the side routes, only to find them either closed and on private property or too narrow/overgrown to pass in a full-size vehicle. So just keep on the main trial would be my suggestion. This trail could pair easily with Argentine Pass out of Georgetown if you want a longer day with a bit more wheeling.

The trail was in great shape. It was definitely more bumpy than I had anticipated. But my TRD Pro Tacoma handled it like a champ. A stock vehicle would have a hard time in a couple sections. The weather was beautiful and the aspen trees were gorgeous. Lots of private property so be sure to stay on designated trails. We had a great time and I would for sure do this trail again. Good for beginners or anyone just looking for a quick fun trail.

Went all the way to the end and it was a great trip. Stopped about 2/3rds up for a little lunch break. The views are great and ever changing. It is an "in and out" but it does look different each direction!

Bard creek was open to about Waypoint 8. There's a large snow drift there that looks like it needs a week or two to melt off. Right now, its sinking kind of snow and there are tracks where it appears people have tried. The trail overall felt rougher than last year. We will wait until the summer to perform another assessment of the trail difficulty. If anything, it's not recommended you take anything but a High Clearance Vehicle through here even after the snow melts.

Nice day and a dry run. No big areas of note outside the trail write up.