Pisgah (Columbine Cutoff)

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4.9/5 (22 reviews)
Central City, Colorado (Gilpin County)
Last Updated: 12/27/2020

Trail Information

Highlights

Lying up the hill west of the former mining towns (now gambling centers) of Black Hawk and Central City, Pisgah off road trail (Forest Service Road 739.1) provides an important and convenient entrance into the extensive network of 4x4 trails around Yankee Hill. Pisgah is also popular because of its proximity to the Columbine Campground and is often referred to as the Columbine Cutoff.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.9/5 (22)
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2300
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/15/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Traveling from east to west, the road’s rating of three is accurate. There are plenty of loose rocks but nothing too challenging. I caution any low-clearance vehicle from taking the trail.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 06/23/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Definitely gotten harder than last season. Bigger V notch and bigger rocks. A few mudholes but other than that not too bad.
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3200
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 06/11/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Nice warmup for Yankee Hill.
Open
Visited: 04/08/2023

Ran the trail in early April in reverse. We took the easier route down the hill at Waypoint 3 because the harder one had a lot of ice. The main challenge for most of the trails were the deep snowmelt tracks and ruts. Some are avoidable with careful line choice, others you just have to go through. A particularly nasty one is close to Waypoint 1: A deep meltwater puddle with hard-to-judge depth, and steep entry and exit; narrow ATVs can go around, but my Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is way to wide for that (unfortunately, we didn't take a photo of it).
Trail Review: Pisgah (Columbine Cutoff) - Dominik Vereno
Trail Review: Pisgah (Columbine Cutoff) - Dominik Vereno
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Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 02/19/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ram this on Feb 18. Open all the way through. Took the icy line at the top. Took a couple of tries. Did it in a Gladiator, Rivian and a Bronco.
Trail Review: Pisgah (Columbine Cutoff) - Aaron Phillips
Trail Review: Pisgah (Columbine Cutoff) - Aaron Phillips

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