Rollinsville

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.

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.

This trail is pretty accurate with the rating. The ruins are pretty cool to see and not very busy.

Fantastic trail. No real obstacles at all. A nice easy drive through the woods.

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.

Gates were open at both ends, and the trail was in good shape.

The last Boulder RD update was 5/27 and this road is supposed to be open around 5/15 so thought I'd check it out. Gates still closed on both ends. Would be nice to access our public lands, considering it's a month since normal seasonal opening.

Closed for the season! See you in 2022!

A nice short route through the back country. Nothing very difficult. Light snow on some parts of the trail.

This is a nice connector between Magnolia and Rollinsville if you don't want to be on CO119. Nothing technical, just a few puddles to have fun with.

The trail is closed for the season

Tried to get in to do some late season camping and the south side seasonal gate by Rollinsville was closed. This was a disappointment because It's not supposed to close until November 30th. I also did not see any notification on the BRD site that this was closed early, oh well. As a side note, the sign that says "Road closed, seasonal closure" has been displayed for 2 years, even in the summer when the gate is open, so I don't trust it any more.

Per the National Forest Service: FORT COLLINS, Colo (Nov. 9, 2020) – More forest closures are being lifted across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests as all Stage 3 restrictions are rescinded beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Closures will remain in place around areas that experienced wildfire in Grand, Boulder and Larimer counties. These fire areas present a public safety threat as burned trees can fall unexpectedly, hot spots are still burning, and new hazards can be hidden under snow.

Due to extreme fire danger the Ntional Forest Service has temporarily closed all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD831612

I decided to run this trail on a whim later this afternoon in my stock F-150 Raptor. Last year I had a blast on it and felt a couple parts were exciting beyond the 3-3 rating. This year was a different story. Either my truck grew wider or trees have encroached encroached in the mean time. Anyway, I had to abort right around waypoint 5. I simply could not thread my way through the tight path without risking body damage. As it is, my front bumper, and wheel well covers all sustained some minor lacerations. Probably just dirt and dust streaks, but given the number of broken, bone-dry twigs in the bed, I'm sure I acquired a few new scratches. I'm not sure how I ran this trail last year, but I probably won't be back. My truck is just a tad bit too wide for my comfort. That said, the fall colors were still beautiful, luckily I encountered no one on the super narrow portions (in fact, I never encountered anyone on the trail proper), and I achieved my primary goal of just getting out into nature for a bit with my dog. It was a beautiful and exhilarating way to spend an afternoon.

We Used this as a connector from West Mag to Moffat Road. I'm not sure if this is directional but if two full size vehicles meet on this trail you would have a hard time passing..

Ran it today, all clear. Good, casual fun in a great forest! 3 rating feels about right.

Open all the way. Trail was in good shape and lightly trafficked.

I received official word from the Forest Service this morning, the road is now open.

Thank you for the update. The MVUM lists the seasonal dates a open 5-15 through 11-30, however closures can occur within those dates. I have an inquiry sent to the Boulder Ranger District, hopefully they will respond soon. In the mean time, I am changing the status of this trail and the surrounding trails to Temparary Closure.

Not positive it’s permanent but it’s closed today. Gates across it with no info posted on when it might reopen.

Trail is now closed for the season

Perfect first trail for the new 2019 Rubicon. Defiantly recommend this one for the family.

Calvary 4-Wheelers ran this trail on Saturday, September 21, 2019 as part of our annual aspen viewing trip. We started in the town of Rollinsville and ran the trail backwards from the guide. There was some color to see but we were a little ahead of peak color. It was still a very nice day and a very beautiful trail.

Beautiful trail, quiet, Aspen's everywhere. Only a few spots were wheel placement is tricky. Please note the connection between this trail and west magnolia.. is.. crazy steep uphill and off camber. By far the hardest part.

Awesome trail! Sadly the weather was bad and rained most of the way, but that didn't pose any serious problems. I ran this trail in the opposite direction (that is, starting from the southern end at Rollinsville) so that I could connect to the Observatory trails (including Spur and Loop). It made for a super fun afternoon, despite the dreary weather. Given that I encountered no traffic, most everyone else must have stayed away due to the rain. The uphill segment between waypoints 10 & 12 was pretty fun though quite narrow, so I'm glad I didn't encounter traffic coming down (as would be suggested by page's author). It would have been hard, if not impossible, to pass without the uphill traffic backing up. I drive a stock F-150 Raptor and had no difficulties with width or clearance, though I did brush a few branches and had to retract mirrors several times. I'll be back on this trail when the aspens start turning colors in the fall!

Made my second trip out here and it was a fun drive as it was last time. Pretty easy cruising. The mill is a really cool sight to see if you like mining history but please just look at it and don’t break anything. These mills are harder and harder to come by as they age and get vandalized.