Longwater Gulch

4.2/5 (26 reviews)
Divide, Colorado (Teller County)
Last Updated: 05/06/2021

Trail Information

Highlights

Sometimes the middle child gets left out, but even though Longwater is the middle of the three ‘gulch’ trails, it stands on its own as a destination. This trail offers a step up in terms of difficult obstacles and sweeping views of the valley. The scenic stop at waypoint 4 gives you views of Wildcat Canyon as a whole, and portions of Metberry Gulch Trail to the north, and Hackett Gulch Trail to the south. While you can spend plenty of time taking pictures along the way, the obstacle is the part that's likely to take your breath away. This rock face is similar to Metberry’s ‘Chicken Scratch’ obstacle, but a little larger. This rock has multiple lines to the top but no bypass. Traction is essential here, but in good conditions, this is really more of a mental obstacle. It looks and feels steep going down, and there are plenty of moments where all you see is the sky when climbing back up. Running this obstacle and enjoying the scenery can be an all-day adventure, or add Metberry or Hackett to your day for even more rocky views.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.3/5 (26 reviews)
200
Open
Visited: 05/06/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Went down Longwater on 6 May and back up 8 May. 2011 Tacoma, 3" lift. 33" Yokohama Geolander M/T G003. Ran into a little bit of traffic both ways but not a lot. On the way down the rock chose a line more to the right. Put the passenger tire in the "groove" that runs almost straight down the rock. I think this would be less off camber than further to the right. It's also a pretty straight shot. On the way back up put the driver side tires in the "groove." Gotta be sure you're lined up right because about two thirds of that all you see are hood and ski. Most off camber with this line is one spot just off the top which can be unnerving if unaccustomed to off camber. Went all the way to the river, camped and fished. If the desire is to turn at the county line you have to pay very close attention using either a GPS or mileage. The "barrier" which is in disrepair is easy to miss as the bypass is very well travelled and the path that the barrier blocked is no longer there. As far as crossing the Platte, chose to not do that. My vehicle doesn't have the height to manage the trough if going straight across. The more shallow route hooking right just after entering the river and crossing about 20 feet further downstream had a couple ~18" square concrete blocks with 6'-8' steel posts embedded in them. These were lying flat, submerged and barely visible. Apparently someone dropped those there to block the crossing. Could easily damage a vehicle.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 09/23/2021
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this trail yesterday. The trail was clear all the way to the river. I only saw two other vehicles the whole time. I ran this in a stock Gladiator Rubicon with no issues. I went down the right side (left on the return) of the large boulder. I used both lockers coming back up but I don't think really I needed them at all, I just didn't want to figure that out halfway up. That obstacle wasn't nearly as bad as it looked but I imagine that would change fast if it was wet. Fun little trail that is very similar to Hackett Gulch.
Open
Visited: 07/05/2021

We ran the trail on the Monday after the 4th of July and the trail was open and we were able to descend all the way to the creek, we found it a little funny that the only gulch that we encountered for the entire trail was the final decent the rest of the trail follows a ridge line with great views. We were in 1989 Jeep Cherokee with a 3 1/2" lift and had no real issues with the entire trail the rock obstacle was a little challenging with the open differentials but with a little driving we made it up several times without much issue. We would have stayed and played even longer but the afternoon storm clouds moved in and forced us to leave a little early.
Open
Visited: 07/03/2021

Ran Longwater for the 3rd time (not in same day) on Saturday, 7/3 and did not have any issues. Trail is clear all the way to the river - water looks fairly high at the crossing (we didn't cross) and the current was moving quickly with all the recent rain. The one rock challenge showed about 32 degrees of angle when we went down, which is fairly high. Did not need to use lockers going back up. Ran it in a 2021 Ecodiesel JLUR Wrangler on 37" tires. Great trail!
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 05/22/2021

Fun trail with some very nice view. Easy to get to from CS/Divide. A few minor obstacles, and one good challenge (steep rock that can require a sharp turn right before it. Saw several rigs get their rear tire a foot off the ground while making the turn/decent. Ran this the same day as Longwater Gulch (both out and back trails that can be done the same day).

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