Lead King Basin

full-preview Icon
4.7/5 (38 reviews)
Marble, Colorado (Gunnison County)
Last Updated: 07/17/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude Category Icon Altitude
Camping Category Icon Camping
Forest Category Icon Forest
Iconic Category Icon Iconic
Overland Category Icon Overland
Scenic Category Icon Scenic
Lead King Basin is another iconic four-wheel drive road in the Crested Butte, Colorado area. It provides spectacular views of several nearby 14,000-foot mountains, plus the rugged Snowmass and Maroon Bells Wilderness Area. The road closes seasonally in the winter, but the summer season presents remarkable wildflowers and panoramic views.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Lead King Basin is relatively smooth, with few rocky sections, occasional ruts, and intermittent water from snowmelt/runoff. From the trailhead, the road climbs gradually and evens out as it traverses the ridge approaching the basin. Toward the eastern end, numerous switchbacks descend into the basin and onward to the road’s end at an intersection with Schofield Pass Road. NOTES ON SEASONAL CLOSURE: FS Road 315, Lead King Basin, closes each year seasonally from November 22nd to May 21st. The closure is from Mile Post 1.1 (from the west end, near the intersection with FS Road 314 (Schofield Pass) to the intersection with FS Road 314 (Schofield Pass) on the east side of the village of Crystal. See the White River National Forest (Aspen/Sopris District) MVUM here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd506000.pdf

Trail Reviews

4.7/5 (39)
Temporary Closure
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/20/2023

Tried to run this trail on the 20th as part of the trip from Marble to Crested Butte. There's a sign as you leave Marble saying "Road Work Ahead", but they should tell you "road closed". Two big excavators working up there have the road blocked. Back down to the junction and take the trail to Crystal. Maybe next year for LKB.
User Avatar
inline-aa Icon
3200
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/29/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Drove this trail from east to west. The most technical part of the trail was between waypoints 6 and 7, but the trail was dry so it wasn't much trouble for a Sasquatch Bronco. Near the top of the switchbacks between 5-6 there were willows that I think I picked up a pinstripe or two from. The switchbacks just east of 3 are built on some very soft dirt and the trail is narrow. It wasn't a problem, but I can see how you could get in trouble if you didn't have good vehicle placement. The trail was very dusty. Glad I could roll up the windows because people in open-air vehicles were covered with dust. Views on this trail are fantastic. We hiked up to Geneva Lake, and I have never seen so many wildflowers.
Trail Review: Lead King Basin - Dave H
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/14/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Amazing trail with great views. Managed to complete the trail in a stock TRD Pro 4Runner, but did scrape the bottom in a few washed out areas
Trail Review: Lead King Basin - Graham Rosenberg
Trail Review: Lead King Basin - Graham Rosenberg
User Avatar
Official Crew
inline-aa Icon
122450
Open
Visited: 07/14/2023

Open all the way through.
User Avatar
Official Crew
inline-aa Icon
122450
Impassable
Visited: 06/12/2023

seasonal closure lifted, but trail is currently impassable from both ends.

From the Community

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