Loch Lomond

It is that time of year when the upper gate is now closed. See you in 2024!

First trail we ever did, it was so much fun. Even saw a family of moose near the lake.

Our first time off roading. WE HAD A BLAST and even saw a family of moose towards the top.

Very easy and short trail. View of Lake at the top is great. Did this as a bonus after Kinston Peak and ran into many more wheelers and hikers than I saw all day on Kingston. Popular trail

this trail is extremely rocky, although the rocks are not large. overall, i'd average the trail surface as 90% rocks and 10% hard dirt, the entire length. the trail has many 'wide outs' its entire length and passing opposite-direction traffic is not a problem. no fears of pin-striping on this road either. but there are a few sections of trail where short rock outcrops will definitely have your attention and carefully driving a line over them. also think this trail difficulty is closer to a 3 than the currently assessed 2 (due to those rock outcrop sections).

saw a few 2WDs on my trip, but can't say i'd recommend it. on my descent, around waypoint 6, i was semi-astonished to pass a guy in a new VW GTI, going up. after the trail, i'm guessing his GTI was not new on the bottom anymore. any stock 4x4 with decent clearance should do OK on this trail.

the loch at the top is worth the drive up, you'll want to hang out there awhile, rather than just turn around and descend. you'll pass alot of hikers, campers and traffic (by offroad standards) on weekends. according to my GPS tracking, this trail took 53 minutes to ascend from the trailhead to the loch.

Everything was looking good with most of the trail dry outside of a few puddles. The trail has become slightly more difficult vs last year primarily due to the rain rutting out a couple small sections. It's still a very easy trail and there are only two spots where a subaru or similar may want to pick their line a bit.

A lot harder than I was lead to believe from previous comments. I wouldn't even think of taking a regular crossover SUV unless you had it lifted with big tires. Having said that I did it easily in a stock 2022 4runner TRD Off Road. But I couldn't imagine trying it in my GMC Envoy. But I did see a Subaru and a Honda CRV up there. Beautiful area, not that dangerous except a couple of narrow ledge spots. It's just rough and rocky.

The trail is fully open as of 8/6/23

Trail has been improved a lot. Which is great except the top is like a Walmart parking lot. I would avoid on weekends if you don’t want a bunch of people around. Super easy trail.

The destination was wonderful but the trail itself wasn't my personal style. It is a trail that is very close to Denver, and any passenger car can do it. The lake is beautiful, however. I'm sure coming up here on a weekday is not super crowded, but we went up on a Friday and experienced a few traffic jams on the way up. You will not be alone on any weekend up here. There were probably 15 cars up there when we went up on a Friday at 11am.

Wasn't crazy packed. A lot of hikers so drive slow. This is more a of a 2, but not a 1 (simple dirt road).

Great trail easier than a 3. Lots of traffic but beautiful!! Waterfall is bigger thenI have ever seen.

Hit the trail early to avoid the crowds and oncoming traffic. It was still very busy. There were lots of folks up there camping, hiking, etc. The trail itself is very easy. We saw lots of small SUVs, Subarus and crossovers. Just a bumpy road really. Much easier than the current rating.

This area is usually packed all season. The trail itself is little more than a rocky dirt road. Accessible with most stock vehicles.

The trail itself is nothing too special, just a bumpy road that just about any car with decent clearance could do. Its proximity to the city is a huge turn off, bringing in hoards of people, hence the 3 rating. If it weren't for that, this trail is a 5 though. The camping is very nice (little close to others but spaced enough to not hear them well), and the lake is gorgeous with the waterfall behind it. We were lucky enough to make it to the top just before the hail and heavy rain started!

First time doing Loch Lomond and it's a great addition to running Kingston Peak in the same day. Since it was a week day it wasn't terribly busy although there were certainly vehicles and hikers on the trail. Made it to the Loch just a few minutes before a solid thunderstorm rolled over the mountain. Would love to come back during the fall when the colors are changing!

A fairly short and easily accessible trail in the St Mary Glacier area. Things are really green in the Colorado mountains right now because of all the rain. We camped in the woods just past the seasonal gate. A little damp, but really peaceful.

USFS reports that the trail has been cleared and the gates are open.

While the upper gate was intended to be open on 7/15, it is not. We will update you once we have confirmed the anticipated open date.

The lower gate is open!

Lower gate is open, but upper gate is not scheduled for opening until 7/15.

Both seasonal gates are now closed.

The upper gate closes on 10/15/22.

Great views. Super easy.

A nice, easy trail. Beautiful views by the lake. Caught it during the week. No one was there.

Very easy trail, should be rated as a 2. Short, but still fun and very scenic at the end. Better to go on a weekday if possible. I aired down thinking it would be harder, but really didn’t need to. For reference, I’m drive an Outback Wilderness with larger Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws, and skid plates.

The trail up has been graded and smoothed out significantly, 2015 4 cylinder Outback with 29.5" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss tires and 3/4" lift loaded to the gills with camping gear. They are doing repair work on the side of the lake opposite the spillway with a backhoe and a bobcat, workers must traverse the road daily during the week which is likely why the road was improved so much. Excellent hiking to the lakes above.

We had a nice day of sightseeing combining Chinn's Lake, Fall River Reservoir and Loch Lomond. You can easily hit all three of these trails and enjoy some off roading, scenery and hiking. This is a fairly basic trail, but the views are worth it. With the proximity to Denver, it is very popular with hikers and 'AWD' vehicles, so expect it to be crowded. (Look for Loch Lomond Road on your map for a nice bypass from Rainbow Road up to the Loch Lomond trailhead.)

Fantastic drive up to a beautiful alpine lake. I would say this road is less than a 3/10...closer to a 2. Yes, its rough but there's no obstacles at all...just some rocks here and there. It can get narrow in spots but there's generally plenty of room to pass.

Headed up to Loch Lomond on a Saturday after spending the previous day at Chinns Lake. This trail was MUCH easier than Chinns (Chinns is a 3-3 also). As previous review stated it felt more like a 2-2. All kinds of vehicles were up at the lake. AWD's 4x4's 2WD SUV's etc. so I'm pretty sure most could make it up. Just make sure you have good clearance and 4x4 is definitely recommended if you get into any trouble. The lake was definitely packed around 11a on a Saturday. Tough to find a camp spot. We spoke with a camper who was there Friday around 10a and he said it was mostly him and maybe 2 other people. By Friday night it had completely filled, so if you want to stay overnight make sure to get there early. This lake has AMAZING views. Make sure to hike to the other two lakes up beyond Loch Lomond. Its a fun hike and beautiful views the entire time. For reference my vehicle: 2016 4Runner / 2.5" lift / Toyo Open Country 33"s / 4WD + A-TRAC ... not locked

Trail was pretty busy given opening weekend. Feels like they graded the road recently, much easier and closer to a 2-2 right now. Was able to get to the lake avg 15 mph so pretty smooth over all. The lake was busy but still big enough to not be crowded.

Open for the season! Please stay on the trail and pack out more than you packed in!

Ran this on 7/1/22. Wasn’t too crowded. The upper gate was closed. I would consider that section easier than rated here. Worth the trek/hiking at the top. 2020 Tacoma- skids and sliders.

The lower gate is now open. The upper gate, that allows driving to the lake, will be July 15th(as scheduled) unless the snow isn’t melted in time.

The trail is definitely impassible because there is a locked gate. The sign says it opens on June 1. No snow up to the gate though, very dry.

The upper gate has closed for the season! See you in July!

Went up to hike around the lakes. First gate open, second gate closed. Trail was snow and slush covered and muddy in spots beyond second gate. Great hike!

Got to the trailhead around 1 or so and only saw a couple others on the way up. Pretty easy trail but fun with nice views. Lake is very low. Overall a nice Sunday ride.

The lake was almost totally drained-disappointing. I ran it last year when is was full and beautiful. Compared to other 3’s I have run, this was pretty easy. It is probably a 2.

Fairly easy trail to get to, directions are clear. The trail itself its enjoyable, can be VERY rocky at points with only a couple wash outs. On a sunday afternoon, vehicle traffic wasnt too bad, a lot of campers were packing up as we drove up and were gone by the time we headed back down. Anytime we came up to a vehicle, everyone knew who would pull off/who would pass and had many a pleasant exchange. The only issue came from hikers. There was heavy foot traffic from people parking on the main road and hiking up, some pretty oblivious to any vehicle traffic until we were almost ontop of them (something to watch for). Overall, very fun with a great ending

Bumpy but overall not incredibly difficult. High clearance likely nice but I did see a CRV up there. Scraped once in a stock Jeep Rubicon. Did see someone who got a pop-up camper 3/4 of the way up. Busy but not so crowded that it wasn't enjoyable.

The trail is rougher then the pictures show. winter run off has made the trail a little more bumpier. the best camping is in the trees next to tree line because of wind. Amazing views and the fish are biting.

All of the gates are open. This is definitely a busy trail on the weekend. The road was very rocky, bumpy, and narrow in places requiring negotiation with vehicles coming from the opposite direction. 4-wheel drive is recommended as well as high clearance. The good news is that in spite of the crowds, its a great destination with opportunities for hiking, fishing, and beautiful views.

Open for the season!!

Lower gate is open. no snow up to middle gate, road condition similar to last year. Lots of snow past upper gate, should melt early July as usual. IMO the big rut isn’t as deep as last year but seemed to stretch a little longer. Lake is 95%+ ice still with weak edges, few more weeks for fishing. Bring spikes to avoid sliding and be aware an afternoon decent will likely involve post-holing

Gates have been closed, we will keep you aware in the spring when trails start opening up!

Due to extreme fire danger, the National 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

Quick, easy, definitely some serious deeeeeep rutting on one portion, but was fine in a stock tundra picking a good line.

Great little trail. Had a few areas that could be challenging for lower clearance vehicles. At the top there is a great hike to the waterfalls at the back of the lake or to other lakes. There is also a little loop to have some fun with roll, got to about 25% at the top of the turn. Had a lot of fun and combined with Chins Lake to end the day.

Perfect for a 50/50 Jeeping/Hiking day. One could even throw some kayaking into the mix. Seemed to be popular with a 20 something crowd at the lake. One of the best short hikes we’ve come across this close to Denver.

The trail itself is a bumpy piece of doo-doo but the prize at the end is breathtaking. James Peak and Loch Lomond are truly beautiful. My son and I go as often as we can.

This is a great trail for newbies, such as myself, looking to learn both technical skills in addition to their vehicle limits. At only ~2.5 miles, it isn't long, but offers enough small obstacles to start building proper 4x4 skill sets. The reward at the end makes the trek worth it. Loch Lomond is a beautiful area, the lake and waterfall are truly gorgeous. The somewhat advanced trail also means less people at the lake, which is a nice change of pace as it's close to popular hiking trails and Idaho Springs. There were numerous hikers, so definitely watch out for folks walking.

Trail is open all the way to the top. It was pretty busy even for a Friday but the lake is beautiful. I would consider this trail easy, it is rocky but pretty easy going all the way to the top. Most capable stock vehicles should have no problem with this trail.

This was my first off-roading trail, and it was a blast. I had a stock 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD off road model. It was a bit hairy at times for a newbie, but a lot of fun! Unfortunately the top gate was still locked, about 1.25 miles from the lake, as their was still a snow drift right before the lake.

The upper gate is still closed.

There is a GREAT huge camping spot at the top (right at the upper gate) and across the stream that we always camp at. we go every year so DONT ruin it for us. The kicker is that people will park like S&*T and block the upper trail entry if you go even the day before the trail opens (as of 7/10, it wasnt open yet) so be prepped to back out for about 1/4th a mile (depending on the weekend) leading up to it. 4runner TRD, jeep, f150 all made it up for our trip. i didnt see any Subaru cars make it up. beautiful view.

Per the district ranger, the lower gate has been opened, but the upper gate remains closed.

Ran this yesterday after Chinns Lake. Open all the way through. Pretty easy ride, a bit bumpy, but airing down should help. Most of the water in the lake has been apparently drained off. Great day but freezing cold with the wind.

Drove up late on a Sunday afternoon in a stock 4Runner SR5. The trail is rocky but was easy peasy even in my stock 4Runner. It was a bumpy ride though and some of the rocks are big enough that you definitely want something with good ground clearance, not a CUV. I passed a few vehicles on my way in and there were a few more at the lakes when I got there, but not overwhelming crowded. The trail is relatively wide and it's easy to for vehicles to get by each other throughout. The lake you get to at the end of the trail is alright and there is a nice waterfall, but there are three more lakes further up that you can hike to. I would definitely recommend doing that. The trail is kind of overgrown and poorly marked, but it's not to difficult to find your way up (probably a couple hundred feet of elevation gain) and when you get there you are rewarded with much more pristine looking lakes.

Passed one Wrangler on the way up on a Wednesday. Otherwise had the trail all to myself. High clearance required in a few places and I would not consider 4WD a requirement. Still recommended though. Beautiful mountain views up top. Hiked across the Dam and up to the saddle opposite of the waterfall for some photos. Also hiked the closed portion of the 4WD trail south of the parking area. Looks like it would have been a really great trail with 360° views. Two tacoma bros hooting and hollering rolled up into the area while hiking, one drove down to the waters edge and along the bank for IG pics. I passed them going down the trail where they were camping. They had a raging fire during the FIRE BAN...

Took a trip up Sat with the family, somewhat crowded for post Labor Day but no issues passing etc. Whomever is in charge of the lake brought a backhoe up there and was actively working on the dam Sat, I believe in the process of hauling it up the road they graded both the rut after waypoint #2 AND removed the one small rock obstacle referenced in some recent reviews. The drive is still bumpy but probably the easiest I've seen it in the last 3 years, could even be considered Subaru friendly right now if you dont mind a scrape or two. If you chose to hike I would caution against parking on the main road at the start, although everyone seems to do it there is no legal parking within St. Mary's and we saw violation notices on several vehicles. enjoy this road before the upper gate closes in 30 days.

Great views at the top. As many have said, trail is rocky but not difficult. It could likely be done in 2WD and high clearance. Stock 4Runner with no issues.

Busy trail. Fun (bumpy) little trail, nice views and excellent dispersed camping. We went up to the Loch, which was packed with visitors, so we ventured back down the trail and found a really nice camping spot for the night. Moose were around, the Milky Way was out, its a fun escape and close to Denver. Try to avoid the crowds by visiting during the week.

Absolutely breathtaking payoff. The ride up to the lake was slightly rocky. As long as you air down and take your time and lifted vehicle with 4 wheel drive will make it. Be aware of the hikers and stop so they can walk pass you.

Only one dug out spot, which may give those without flex/locker/traction control a fit (watched a mildly lifted Jeep YJ pull over to let traffic by because it was flexing out and spinning tires). Otherwise, it's a rocky road that has a few rocks large enough to give stock high clearance vehicles a scrap if you're not paying attention or choosing good lines. Still a popular area, particularly on the weekends, so expect to meet traffic along the way. Most of the road is wide enough to allow passing without big concerns. The runoff is flowing so high and fast still that it is overflowing onto the road in one spot, but it's not deep so no worries.

Awesome trail. Did it in my mostly stock lexus gx460. Not washed out. The hardest part was still no problem.

open all the way. beautiful trail for sure! I had gone up this trail in a 4th gen 4runner a few years back and it was smooother. this year it was a little bumpier and yes "crux is quick into this driver" as Max has mentioned before, but after that it's easy. I first got there started driving up came across this crux and chicken out reversed back and parked hiked it up and once back down i decided to give it a go. had to engage the 4x4 in the xj and did just fine. any 4x4 should do it perfectly fine. a lot more traffic than the first time i visited this place

Trail is in good condition. Crux of the trail is fairly quick into this drive. Crux is a section of rutted out area, pick a line left or right and you’re fine. Stock 4Runner, no issues.

Beautiful trail. Slightly more difficult this season because of a washed out rut around waypoint 3, but high clearance vehicles were making it through with a little finesse. Jeep with 35s bounced up it without a problem. Water crossings were shallow and slow. Bit of snow still near the top off the trail. Fair bit of traffic on a weekday.

Trail is clear and 2nd gate is open. Fairly calm Sunday morning but coming back down midday we encountered a fair bit of traffic. The road is in good shape but I would say its a bit worse than previous years. Should be passable by most any 4x4 with decent clearance.

Second gate still closed as of 7/20/19. Looked like it could be clear by this upcoming weekend. Still a fun drive to hike if you're into that.

Anyone know if the 2nd gate is open yet?

Second Gate was NOT open. Overall easy trail, just really bumpy the whole way. There are two spots which I would assume give the trail a moderate rating. Both parts were the same, boulder in the middle forcing you to go around. Left gets you close to the edge and right you have to maneuver a 2ft deep hole which gives you a tipsy feeling side to side. Hiking past the gate the trail was dry and 99% melted. There is one section of snow covering the trail that is about 20yrd long or so. Other than that, the area is snow-free. Reports from social media have said possible opening on Wednesday (7/17).

Great trail leading to a beautiful set of lakes. Rocky section a couple hundred meters after the first gate - nice to be lifted but a stock truck could make it. Not sure how this section of the trail will hold up as the snow continues to melt and it gets more traffic. Camping looks great up there but still 4+ feet of snow in some of the drifts.

Road is open to upper gate, road in same condition as last year. Tons of snow past the 2nd gate im not sure it'll be ready for 7/15, campsites all looked very wet. Lake is 95% frozen but the edges are soft and large cracks are forming, likely 10 days before the majority of the ice is gone

The lower gates are open, but snow lingers up high. Best to wait this one out a few more weeks.

I would no longer attempt to get up to the upper (closed) gate without tire chains and recovery gear. The rut about 1/4 mile from waypoint 2 has 4-6 inches of snow covering a VERY icy bottom layer.

Probably one of my favorite trails to run. Just enough of a challenge for a stock 4x4 but nothing too crazy. Usually enough room to pass other vehicles, although at times you may need to reverse and let someone squeeze by. A great trail for someone looking to get into off-roading.

This was the first time that made it all the way to the lake. A trip last year was stopped before the first major bend by weather and a Jeep that needed gas. The trail was great though I wish the water was higher. It's late in the season and it's quite low. There were vehicles and hikers on the trail and it made for a busy afternoon. I would say the ruts near the start of the trail should probably get noticed. A Nissan Xterra that may have been able to make it, turned back.

Fun trail, but there are definitely a few sections that one should take slow and have good wheel placement. Fall colors were great today. A bit windy though, so fishing was out. Some great places to camp below the lake area. And there was a lot of people today. Still a great place to go.

This was a fun trail that led to a beautiful lake. It was a much more bumpy ride than I expected but my all stock 2006 silverado 1500 made it up. There were 2 very large ruts that presented problems but I got over and down them

Both the upper and lower gates are now open. I'd agree with Jonathon's review in that the trail is a bit rougher than I've seen in years past. A friend's stock Nissan Frontier pickup made it all the way up the trail, but needed to be pretty careful with line placement in a few spots. My 2000 Land Cruiser with 33" Duratracs made it up with no issues. Overall, a very fun trail and the scenery at the top is absolutely gorgeous!

Upper gate is still closed, looks like they will stick to the 7/15 opening despite the snow finally disappearing on the upper half of the trail over the last 10 days. 3 rating is fair based on current condition, the roads in rougher shape than I remember from 2017. My Tacoma required one second attempt at a rut thats about .3 mi past waypoint 2 and has been getting deeper the last few weeks. Arrived at Loch by 5am and was greeted by a bobcat making some interesting sounds, fishing has been great since ice off in early June...

The upper gates are now closed until late spring and the lower portions are soon to be impassable.

We went up today to try out my new Cherokee Trailhawk. I haven't done a 4-wheel-drive road in about 30 years. The only bit of problem I had was at the little whoop-de-dip about 50 yards past the lower gate. I tried to go to the right, the less rocky but more dug out and loose, and I was spinning my right front wheel. I backed up and went over the rocks to the left. It turns out I had forgotten to lock my rear axle (the Cherokee is front wheel primary, rear secondary until you lock up). No problems the rest of the way. Any rocks more than 8" were easily avoided. Coming down was a cakewalk.Low range low gear and I just crawled down the rocks. Just a few opportunities for someone to back up to pass. We did see a sedan up in the dispersed camping area and wondered how it got up there. On the way out, we also met a basic in-town SUV with no low range at the whoop-de-dip trying to figure out how he was going to get past it. This little obstacle stopped me cold in a Rogue about 7 years ago. That CVT just wouldn't give enough torque to get past it.

We made it a mile in before weather and a CJ in need of gas made us stop. We ended up dead-towing the CJ with another vehicle and got him down to where it was safe for him to find out he'd just flooded it after the trail fill-up. A reminder to always fill up before you go out and carry extra gas if you can.

All gates are open and you can make it all the way up. It just opened and there were several vehicles up there and some people fishing. Road conditions have not changed from previous years.

Upper gates will open around July 15th, 2017.

The trail is currently closed due to seasonal closure as it normally is until June 15th, I went up on snowshoes and although it normally opens June 15th, I would suspect that with the 30' plus tall drifts at the top it will be closed towards the end of June unless we have a very warm spring.