Deer Creek

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/30/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I ran up to somewhere between waypoints 6 and 7 where the trail is narrow in the trees. There was packed snow starting back in Montezuma. By the time I turned around the snow was a few inches deep. It was not the depth of the snow that turned me around, it was the ice underneath. When I started sliding sideways toward trees, I called it and turned around. There will be more snow higher up. So, is the trail passable? Not by me, but maybe by someone else.

Mike Molloy

900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/17/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran Saints John and Deer Creek with detour to top of Radical Hill then back down to Montezuma. Almost no snow/ice anywhere, though a little more in a few spots on the Deer Creek side; no issues, just got the 4Runner a little dirty. Stopped for a bit to photograph pika in their talus habitat, getting ready for winter. The water breaks sure made for a rollercoaster feel to the trail. Only scraped hitch once on one of them.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/11/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The USFS is working on trails in this area. On Sunday, 9/11/22, we found about a half-dozen new water breaks from just before Radical Hill to the end of the trail. These water breaks are HUGE, 4 or 5 feet tall, but they are not "sharp" so no need to worry about scraping trucks with bad break-over angles. I assume they are working their way down the trail toward Montezuma, so expect more of the unexpected. (By the way, they're also working on Saints John and it has really changed the "flavor" of that trail. See my trail review there.)

John Hendry

700

Open

Visited: 08/19/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

On the "easy" side of "moderate". This is a great trail for a less experienced Jeeper. However, at the top you have to decide whether to take Sts. John or Radical Hill back to Montezuma, or Middle Fork or North Fork down to Tiger Road in Breck. Of those 4 options, Middle Fork is the easiest way down.

Roger P.

3600

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/14/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Nice trail out of Montezuma through the trees to the top. Beautiful 360 degree views. Made it all the way to top and checked out some of the connecting trails. Overlooked Radical Hill and Webster Pass. Could see Red Cone in the distance.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/17/2022

Ran this down from Middle Fork Swan. Trail is in great shape. Just wet enough to not be dusty. LOTS of campers out there this weekend. Pretty much every trail-side campsite was occupied.

Kristopher Stanko

1000

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/04/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Beautiful trail with great views up top! Ran across a family of goats with new babies that were awesome to see bouncing around!

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/25/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Gorgeous day!! Deer Creek is open through.

Jeff Jansick

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/16/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Made it all the way to top, overlooked Radical Hill and Webster Pass. We had to come down the same way, St Johns had snow drift blocking top, and Middle Fork was also blocked by snow… Should be gone in a few days.

Iceman 99

3300

Partially Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/08/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

We ran up Deer creek to see how it was shaping up. We fished the lower beaver ponds and stream and caught nothing. After that we made it to 11,000 feet and hit tons of snow in the trees after the meadow and stream cross. It will be weeks before this is good to the top probably.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

102300

Open

Visited: 05/27/2022

Dillon Ranger District has opened the seasonal gate. The trail still has some snow and could be impassable to vehicles.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Impassable

Visited: 10/26/2021

Reports of snow at high elevations and folks going off trail to avoid drifts. While this trail may be passable by experienced groups in very capable rigs, we feel it safer to designate the trails as *IMPASSABLE* at this point.

Todd Featherston

500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/25/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Ran this South out of Montezuma to join up with Saints John. Trail is pretty straight forward with no real challenges. The run through the trees is peaceful and then opens up to beautiful views from the top.

Scott

1900

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/14/2021

2018 4runner TRD Off Road w 3 inch lift and sliders. Fun trail. The 3 rating seems correct. There is one shelf road but it is not too bad and you can see oncoming traffic. Great views at the top. We ran it up and down.

Conrad P

1100

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 08/13/2021

Great views from top! This is one of the easier trails in the region. Any stock 4x4 with low range should be able to do this. Ran trail in reverse from South to North ending in Montezuma. Did trail as a loop, starting with Saints John. Saw some marmots! And mushrooms.

Grant

400

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/02/2021

Ran this trail 8/2 with my Ram 1500 with 33s and sliders from middle fork of the swan down to Montezuma. Had no issues at all, though there were a couple obstacles along the way to make it interesting.

Kevin

3100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/16/2021

One of the easiest trails in the area but still my favorite. Love seeing the mountain goats.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/26/2021

Wet, sloppy day. But any day on the trail is a good day.

Jordan Rogers

1200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/02/2020

Drove this 8/2 in stock 2019 Tacoma SR. Drove up from Montezuma Easy trail good views.

Richard Erickson

300

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 07/13/2020

I went on this trail last year and with the trail washout from the snow melt, it seemed much more challenging in the beginning, but once you got out of the rocky forest section, the views were still amazing!

Josh Spring

13350

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/11/2020

Drive this and Saints John. Both were dry and very busy. There’s some deep tire tracks on the top of Saints John where someone really tore deep into the alpine tundra to illegally go around snow at some point. Very disappointing to see people do stupid things like that.

Marc Waage

100

Open

Visited: 06/30/2020

Road is open and snow-free to the top. Most of the other connecting roads were blocked by snow.

Patrick

1200

Open

Visited: 06/20/2020

Drove up above tree line. Got to the second switchback before having to turn around due to snow.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Impassable

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/19/2020

Snow blocks the trail above the last switchback.

Richard Smith

100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/02/2019

Fantastic Trail. Hooked up with the St. John's Trail for a loop back near the starting point. Not too crowded on a Friday. Be careful on the lower switchbacks as we did run into groups of four plus side by sides and Jeeps and it is hard to pass. Overall a great trail and in great shape right now.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/27/2019

Great day today! We went up Deer Creek and down Saints John and made a few friends along the way. (Photos by my awesome wife.)

Curt Greeley

850

Open

Visited: 07/20/2019

Completely open and completely dry. Still can’t link to Saints John due to snow, but we had a great time. Even met some horned friends at the top. Stock 4Runner with Wildpeaks. Had no issues.

Luke temple

100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/11/2019

Made it all the way to the top with only 1 minor snow patch left that will likely be completely melted in the next couple days. Trail is in good condition and very accessible.

Cory Christensen

1400

Partially Open

Visited: 06/29/2019

Seasonal gate is open, but snow soon blocks further travel. Area was vey popular with campers and other OHV users. Several hikers on the road so good to be careful as you travel.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Partially Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/27/2018

Beautiful sunny day. Alternating snow and mud from the trailhead. After waypoint 4 the snow gets hard packed and slick. Since I was riding solo, I decided to turn back between waypoints 5 and 6, when I started sliding sideways. P.S. The new USFS signage on Montezuma Road is AWESOME!!

BrianRD

2200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/22/2018

Pretty easy trail, we ran it in a stock 4Runner. There are some narrow points where passing vehicles would be difficult. Not much color in late-September.

Marcus Trusty

Official Crew

32850

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/03/2018

Ran this down hill as part of the Saints John loop. Clouds moved in with rain but it was a nice day wheeling.

capulinflicker

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/04/2018

100% open, finished this as part of a connector with Sts. John, made for a great loop. Overall the whole trip took us about 4 hours including time to explore a bit and take photos. Stock 4Runner, no issues.

Colin

900

Open

Visited: 06/25/2018

Open and no snow. Ready to go.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Partially Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/08/2017

Summit County has had a couple of snow storms now. Most trails that go above treeline are blocked with snow. On Saturday, 10/7, a group reported the trail impassible at the switchbacks just above tree line. On 10/9 another, bigger snow storm hit the area.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/20/2017

We took our SxS up North Fork and looped around Saints John, Deer Creek, and Middle Fork. I guess since school has started the crowds are winding down. We only saw a handful of SxS's and and two trucks the whole day. Even with some recent rain, the trails are pretty dry and sometimes dusty. Afternoon storms rolled in and made us nervous about lightning, but we only got a few sprinkles of rain. Over all, a great day!

JD Marshall

Official Crew

117100

Open

Visited: 07/15/2017

Trail was open all the way through. We started at the top and went down into Montezuma after coming up Saints John. The views from this trail are nothing short of amazing and this trail is a great way out, or into a day of the trails in this area.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

102300

Partially Open

Visited: 06/24/2017

As of Saturday, June 24th, the seasonal gate on the Montezuma side was still closed but is expected to be open in the next few days. However, the trail is passable from the top and can be accessed via North Fork. Working in partnership with the Forst Service, we were able to clear the last remaining snow drifts and install some new signage. Some snow may linger for a few weeks, but not very likely.

Ryan Boudreau

Official Crew

102300

Partially Open

Visited: 06/24/2017

As of Saturday, June 24th, the seasonal gate on the Montezuma side was still closed but is expected to be open in the next few days. However, the trail is passable from the top and can be accessed via North Fork. Working in partnership with the Forst Service, we were able to clear the last remaining snow drifts and install some new signage.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Partially Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/21/2017

Snowmobiles are still taking full advantage of the late snowfall. Another foot was added last week. The snow appears hard packed, but that's deceiving. I hiked up about 100 yards from the northern trailhead and, even on foot, broke through the crust a couple of times. There are 6+ foot drifts in the trail that the snowmobiles have been going around. We've still got several weeks before the trail will be truly open.

Trint Ladd

Official Crew

37200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 11/12/2016

The late coming of winter in 2016 means that most of the high passes are still open in mid November. The lower, treed sections of Deer Creek have a few ice patches. Places were spring water crosses the trail have iced over forcing the spring water to run down the trail where it has frozen into an ice rink. These are not very long and are passable with careful tire placement, plenty of momentum, and, if those aren't enough, some traction control device (like lockers). The forest service will be closing gates on November 23rd, so there's only one weekend left anyway.

Kyle Stowers

500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 07/31/2015

We camped along Saints John trail and hit up Deer Trail as well. It was an easy trail with a lot of beautiful scenery. Easy trail for a beginner.

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Deer Creek

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