Rollinsville

4.1/5 (27 reviews)
Rollinsville, Colorado (Boulder County)
Last Updated: 06/30/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Situated on the west side of Colorado Highway 119 between the quaint little towns of Nederland and Rollinsville is a small network of hiking, mountain biking and 4x4 trails known as West Magnolia. Like much of the Colorado Front Range, the area is rich in mining history and abundant in scenic beauty. These easy-to-moderate four-wheel​ drive roads can provide a quick outing or be strung together to make a whole day or more of fun in the woods. Its proximity to the Denver area and ease of access make it popular for day trips or short weekend jaunts. Rollinsville is the main spine through the southern portion of this network. It is often combined with West Magnolia Road and Observatory to make a nice route to the town of Rollinsville. It also features more of the mining history of the area with the short hike to the Champion Mill and the remnants of the Lone Star Mine.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.1/5 (27 reviews)
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 10/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Rocky and narrow in sections. Great views. Larger looser rock make up most of the trail in the south end where risk of puncture and rim damage are possible if not taken carefully.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 09/24/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Been running this trail for several years and it's always been reliably scenic and fun. Definitely has become gradually more weathered and rocky but not as nearly as bad as some other heavily-trafficked Front Range trails. Having taken it in both directions, I've generally come to prefer the north-to-south route. However if you plan on doing the short hike, you may want to factor that into your decision, timing-wise, since it's a good stopping point for 1 or 2 vehicles, while larger groups will need to plan their stops much differently (the only good options for groups of 5+ rigs are near, or outside, the trailheads.) Risk factors are minimal—the biggest "dangers" being to tire sidewalls from rocks and roots. A stock Forester could probably complete this if driven skillfully enough, but running all-season tires would be ill-advised, and AWD transfer cases will heat up on the rocky climbs (I've personally witnessed it occurring, especially coming in from the south.) Pin-striping is all but guaranteed for everyone and full-size trucks will be really squeezing through at a few points.

Note: the route I take is the ("Old"? "Traditional"?) West Magnolia trail which continues straight at WP 5 (when traveling north to south) and connects to WP 7 on what Trails Offroad lists as South Tennessee Mountain. I'm always cautious and respectful of private property and don't recall any signage which indicates an issue. Also worth mentioning is that the Observatory trail used to get in/out of the northern trailhead includes a short, very steep, & slightly technical hill which the Trails Offroad guide does not detail.
2300
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/04/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

This trail is pretty accurate with the rating. The ruins are pretty cool to see and not very busy.
Open
Visited: 08/05/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Fantastic trail. No real obstacles at all. A nice easy drive through the woods.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 07/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

First time to do any off-roading in Colorado. Since I’m a newbie, I thought this trail was pretty good. It wasn’t anything too crazy, but wasn’t boring either. We did the trail a few hours after it rained, and it was dark by the time we got off the trail.

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