Longwater Gulch

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.

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.

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.

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!

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).

I love the views on these trails but man do they beat ya up. Longwater is pretty much as I remembered, and there was very little traffic to speak of today. Looks like most people hit Hackett today.

Awesome trail. I had to turn around at the main big rock about 3/4's of the way down to the river. Small bald tires and no winch.

Traversed the trail Sunday in a lifted 35" JKUR with no surprises. Some of the ascents/descents are a little slippery from the loose gravel, however if you're 4LO and/or watching your speed, you should not have any issues. The one large rock coming out of the turn going down towards the river can be a little tricky if you do not take your time finding the right line. Coming back up, this was the only time on the trail where I used my lockers. Nice trail, perfect for scenic views and a nice picnic by the water or on one of the pull-offs where you can reach the rocks.

Cut and removed a downed tree from recent high winds. For those unsure about the county line, my recommendation is to start searching for a turnaround spot after the power line towers (can’t miss them). Fun trail. Some caution on the rock slab is necessary but it’s otherwise a typical trail with small features here and there. No scrapes, running it on a Gladiator, 37s, 3-4” lift.

Great trail for expansive views but as for obstacles, I prefer Hackett Gulch. Metberry is more fun as well

Ran it May 1st and May 9th. May 1st, it was extremely busy, lots of Toyotas on it which was cool to see. May 9th, hardly anyone, was kinda surprising as they were both weekends. I essentially did a video review, but it’s fun, somewhat challenging (but you still need a capable vehicle), and extremely scenic! I’ll add, 0 your odometer if you don’t want to miss the county line. No signage at all. Also, I’d recommend this over Metberry if you’re newer to off roading. Metberry is rutted out and requires more driver skill as of right now (which may change with repairs).

NOTE: There have been reports of various people receiving tickets for traveling beyond the county line into the closed area and crossing the river. Authorities are actively patrolling the area. Please do your part to help us in getting the entire trail reopened by adhering to the partial closure and do not travel past the county line or cross the river.

We hit Longwater Gulch after staying the night at the end of Metberry Gulch. It was a great trail! Lots of loose rutted, rocky, dusty and steep accents and descents. No real issues but I did hit my rock slider and rear bumper HARD on a blind, washed out bolder. Just could not see that is was soooo deep. No damage, so all is well. Pretty happy I had a rear locker on parts of this one. It was pretty loose footing and my tires are in need of being replaced. Put a small slash in one side wall too, but like a say they are old, worn and dry. On the Rock Slab section someone has added a trail off to the left (if descending). It is not noted in the above description and is obviously not supposed to be there, as it crosses over two downed cables designed to keep people on trail. I have never done this trail and took that rout completely by accident. Took about 45-50 min in and 45 out, so the description was spot on for us.

Got ~1mile into the trail and the snow drifts were to large. Blowing wind covered the trail, not only was the drives large but the snow hard and made highcentering easy. We followed some other tracks and ended up turning around at the same location they did.

We ran the gulches and had a good day. Minimal ice and snow just saw LOTS of off trail usage.

For anyone taking the drive out to Longwater, after seeing the post below where the guy got a ticket I did some digging. Apparently, the trail is closed after mile 3.8 where it falls into the next county. This means you can't go to the river or you can be ticketed. You have to turn around at the county line. Hacket and Metberry are both completely open, use Metberry if you want some river time. I've also been assured that Longwater and Metberry are fine for stock JKs, but Hackett needs lockers. That's good info to have for noobs like me.

Beautiful day and the trail was in good condition. No issues to report.

The trail was quiet everything has dried out.

I got a ticket from the DOW for having a motor vehicle on this trail. I stopped at the river and set up to go fishing when he put me through the ringer and wrote me up. I told him that everything I read said it was legal as long as I stopped at the river. He said I couldn't get within a half-mile of the water with ANY motorized vehicle.

We did Hackett and Longwater for an easy day on the trail. Longwater was nice all the way out and back with nothing to really note in the trail, change wise. Please remember, this trail is still closed at the county line, waypoint 5. A number of vehicles have violated that this year and paid dearly losing entire vehicles. Note, if you flood your vehicle here, it's not an authorized road and therefore insurance will not cover it. Someone lost 46K for trying to go through the river at the bottom this year.

The trail was dusty, but had no issues going down and back up. Used a locker coming back up on Longwater Rock, but felt like it was doable without a locker with a little better approach and departure angles. The River was a lot deeper than 12" this time. It was closer to 2ft at the crossing, and that is next to the large hole that needs to be driven around. I was unable to see any signs or even markings that looked like a gate, and had followed a UTV down to the river. On the way up, another UTV group was headed down to the river also.

Besides Longwater Rock, this trail is fairly mellow with a number of steep climbs and descents. Longwater Rock is certainly a puckery obstacle. Line yourself up for a good straight approach and you should be fine, but don't be surprised if your back end slide a little towards the fall line against the hill where there is an old tree trunk sticking out. The cable where the trail is closed at the county line no longer exists.

Nice day on all three gulches, we ran this one second. There wasn't another soul on the trail and there's almost no snow or ice on the trail right now.

It was a very windy and cold day up on Longwater. Some areas had a small amount of snow/ice, more in the trail in and out however. The majority of the trail itself was dry. The water crossings looked to be in the middle of their range with only some ice chunks.

Gate at entrance is still open. Reports of snow 12"-18" deep in most spots. There is also reports of a tree down across the trail, unsure of exact location, but appears to be just after one of the first big hill climbs.

The weather was so nice out that we decided to take a quick trip up to Longwater Gulch for the day. You couldn't have asked for better weather in late September. The trail is in pretty good condition and not too many areas were washed out from all the rain we've been having. Tree growth in the burn areas seems to be coming along nicely. The views were spectacular as all the aspen trees were changing for the season and were mainly a beautiful golden color. The only traffic on the trail were two other Jeeps that had pulled over. The drivers were sitting out in their folding chairs soaking up the sun and admiring the views just as anyone else would do on such a lovely day. There were still some areas where burned trees fell near the road where you have to mind where your tires are. The rock slab is still the toughest part of this trail. It causes your vehicle to come down at such an awkward angle and the gravel all over it and a large stump right in your path doesn't make it any easier. But with a little navigation and some puckering from sliding sideways, we made it down successfully! A quick drive down some more steep gravel hills and we arrived at the river. It's such a beautiful setting. The water was crystal clear. I took the opportunity to fly my quadcopter around to get some amazing shots of the river. It was a very fun and relaxing day.