Swamp Creek Road

4/5 (9 reviews)
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado (Larimer County)
Last Updated: 06/15/2021

Trail Information

Highlights

Swamp Creek Road is one of the few forest service roads in Northern Colorado that is not gated during the winter and spring seasons. Swamp Creek is available for use while many other trails in the vicinity are closed to mitigate resource damage from the spring run-off. During winter and spring months, Swamp Creek offers some excellent opportunities to test your 4X4 through heavy and drifting snow. Popular with campers during the summer months, excellent dispersed camping with views of the mountains and the Poudre River Canyon makes this a great weekend destination. The ghost town of Manhattan, Colorado is located just south of the Swamp Creek Road trailhead.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4/5 (9)
Official Crew
39450
Seasonal Closure
Visited: 06/15/2021

Although this trail is scheduled to be open now, the trail remains closed by the US Forest Service because of damage from last year's Cameron Peak Fire. It is not yet known when, or if, this trail will be opened this season for motor vehicles. We will continue to check with the US Forest Service and post details as they become available.
Temporary Closure
Visited: 03/06/2021

Trail is still closed due to fires in 2020. I’d imagine it will be closed for some time!
Official Crew
39450
Temporary Closure
Visited: 08/14/2020

A large forest fire near Cameron Pass has this trail closed for a while. The fire is called the Cameron Peak fire. You can track information about the fire at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ As of 08-14-2020, the USFS has a closure order in place for much of the upper Poudre Canyon. Here is a map of the closed areas. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd780833.pdf
Temporary Closure
Visited: 08/13/2020

Did this again just for a quick overnight from Fort Collins. So many dispersed camping options! Had a great night, although when we returned to FC the next day we saw that they had just closed Hwy 14 from Rustic to Walden from a fire up near Chambers Lake. Guess we got out just in time. Super easy trail with great camping! Hopefully they can get the fire under control soon!
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 07/15/2020

This was a nice fun little spur trail. Plenty of camping just about everywhere you look. Combine this with a few other trails in the area for a fun day.

From the Community

Start a free trial and get this level of detail on every trail guide
Start Free Trial