Pennsylvania Gulch

No surprises from what other reviewers have written. It’s a tight trail and for the most part there is usually one good line that’s easy enough to follow. If you aren’t used to being off camber a lot you will find this trail a little intimidating. We unintentionally ended up riding this during a thunderstorm and we were glad to have had front and rear lockers. The rocks and roots got real slippery, so without lockers we would have been sliding around a lot inches from boulders and trees.

Very fun! Stock vehicles will struggle on the obstacles. The trail is pretty tight and the rocky climbs are pretty rutted out. The big root weaypoint was definitely the most difficult, just choose a good line and let 4low do the work. Nice views as you come in and out of trees. Fun to hit when in the Switzerland Trail network.

Got a stock 3rd gen Tacoma to get through YOU WILL NEED TP CHOOSE YOUR LINES VERY CAUTIOUSLY and recommend a spotter a good length of the trail

Decent trail not a lot of technical stuff but I assume the rating is for the pucker factor of the off camber forwards the edge of the road.

Pennsylvania Gulch is a great, but short trail really close to Boulder. It's the most difficult trail in the immediate area near Switzerland Trail. The trail is subject to minor changes throughout the season because of erosion even though the difficulty remains about the same. The rocky and boulder sections were about as I remember them, but the final section dealing with the tree roots in the little gully was a bit more washed out. I really enjoy this route.

We completed the trail east to west (uphill) using a JK with a 4” lift and 32” tires – no issues with clearance and an older Defender. Both didn’t have much trouble – tire placement and inertia should be thought out prior to meeting some of the minor challenges. We aired down to ~20 PSI which made all the difference. The trail is littered with larger rocks, roots, and drainage pipes that create hazards and obstacles. The recent rains seem to have eroded several more challenging places than the rest of the trail. Most of the trail is on a shelf road where your best lines will be near the edge – this makes the trail unnerving for some parts. Going slow will also help with managing traction and tire placement. A stock Jeep should have plenty of clearance, but I would avoid this if you have a lower-clearance vehicle like a Subaru and/or tires that poorly grip on wet rock. There seems to be a spring that expels water down a large portion of the trail, making this slippery in several locations. There are some minor pools of standing water near way-point 3 with about 8” of water.

We completed this trail today uphill with a stock 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with 33" K02s. We aired down to 20psi. 4L with front and rear lockers and sway bar disconnected. We are beginner-intermediate and appreciated having a spotter. It gets very slick when raining! Lots of chances to slide into rocks, trees, and pin-striping. We were lucky to get out without any damage. This trail definitely challenged us, but it was really fun!

I’m rocking a trd with KO2 275, 3inch OME lift and this segment of the trail was challenging. I had to use my max tracks as a bridge up a large boulder, hit my gas tank on the first attempt but managed on 4L w/ real locker. I also air downed to 20psi- the obstacle is next to a cliff which added another variable of danger BUT I did it !! Definitely need a spotter- there is no room to turn around so make sure you can send it before climbing or you’ll have to go in reverse downhill.

We didn't run the entire trail, so I won't rate it. At the moment, it is very wet and can be slippery. The frequent heavy rains seem to have had an impact on the erosion of the trail. Also, beware that it can be difficult to deal with oncoming traffic.

Someone managed to drive a Mazda rental car from the top and got it stuck at about the half way point, ~roughly 1/4 mile from the big tree root notch. Impressive that they got it that far, but it is abandoned on the trail. It’s a tight squeeze to get by it, but at least they had enough sense to pull it over as far as they could.

We ran the gulch today. I've never been in the area before and was impressed. We ran down the gulch and that was by mistake as I didn't know the trail system. My friend has a Rubicon on 35s and I'm in a F-150 on 35s. The trail is narrow but the full size had no issues going down it. We went onto Switzerland trail and eventually leading out to Boulder. Very dry in that area which was surprising. Next time I'll go up the trail. Lol

This s a fun local trail. The trail was pretty much dry with just a couple of the usual puddles. The upper section of Switzerland Trail leading back to the highway seemed a bit rougher than last year, but nothing crazy.

100% passable. Good steep climb or descent. A little tight but not pin stripe tight. Should be good for any stock 4wd with good ground clearance.

Tried from the bottom at Switzerland North junction and got a fair distance before getting stuck. Had to back down, which was a bit sketchy, slippery and danger of sliding into trees. Tried again from the top but ran into a few Jeeps pulling out a stuck friend. Fun until we got stuck though.

Waypoint 2 to 3 is tough. I’m a relative beginner and was sweating. Also pinstriping. Did it a day after rain but it wasn’t very wet but would be extremely slick if wet so avoid around precipitation. Fun and challenging for me.

Great short trail. There is a small stream running the down the entirety of the trail which has made parts of the trail slick which in turn made it more fun and slightly more challenging. Ran it with a group of people including the following vehicles: Stock 2019 Jeep Moab Edition with stock tires; Jeep with 3" lift and 37s; Stock 2021 4Runner TRDP; and our 2020 4Runner with 3" lift and 33s. Easy to pick lines without a spotter on this trail. There is a tight spot towards the end that hugs a sharp boulder that wants to catch your door or fender flares. This is because of a slight camber that pushes you into the boulder. No snow. Just wet and slick.

I completed this in my stock frontier pro4x, although I added footsteps that got caught on rocks (on the 1st attempt) and it quickly grinded them up. I was barely able to turn around. Next attempt without the foot steps on I completed it. But I was sweating and my wife was super nervous. Although we were new to offroading so that's expected. With some good spotting I made it up. But I came back with a few hundred dollars in body work that needed to be done from pinstriping and and small dents. Since then I have put rock sliders and a few more inches of lift, and I think if I did this again it would be a bit easier. Fun trail, but not for the faint of heart since there's not much room for error once you get going. OnX Offroad app rates this as a 7 out of 10. I'd prob rate closer to a 5.

Fun, bumpy run. Slow going and careful placement wins the race. Bit of mud but no snow.

Ran this trail in a tacoma with stock suspension, and 32s. I was with a 4runner with a slight lift and 32s, and a stock Jeep Cherokee trail hawk. Tacoma and 4runner had no issues, but the jeep struggled a bit on a few of the bigger obstacles. The trail was very wet, with a stream running down the middle of the trail for just about the whole thing.

Lead a group of 8 rigs including 2 stick 4Runners and was able to successfully make it all the way through the trail. There is still a lingering snow bank but with some traction boards able to get the 4Runners through. No issues getting any of the Wranglers through. The root obstacle has been cut back and didn’t cause any issues for us as it has in the past. With the snowmelt making the trail wet, it provided some nice challenges.

Still one large snow drift blocking the trail towards the end. Some people made a bypass through the aspens next to the trail, PLEASE DON'T use this as it is off trail. Rest of trail had plenty of slick icy spots, take it slow or risk sliding into trees.

A little icy in some areas but passable. We went with a group of Tacomas, 4Runner, and a Nissan Titan, and we all did fine.

Ran East to West today. Snow on everything. While it is open, there is a section about 2/3 up heading from the East to the West that is completely iced over. I had to winch up it to pass it, even with front and rear lockers. With current snowy conditions, I would suggest a minimum of 33" tires, front and rear lockers, and a winch and if you are full-size, expect body damage due to lack of traction.

We actually ran this "backwards"(downhill) early on Sunday before the crowds. XJ w/ 5.5" lift on 33's and Stock Ranger Tremor on 32's The root is very present in what I'm going to call the gauntlet. I was able to sneak around it by staying high on the right side but too far right started tipping my XJ in to the root("missed it by || that much."). it might be passable if you put your tires over the root and straddle the sides with your tires but a tire slip could make for some nasty trail damage on the vehicle. My buddy in the ranger went around that section. He was hitting some rocks with his rails between the gauntlet and the lower mining operation. Definitely a fun trail to run, will be running it the uphill route next time I'm out there.

Trail is way more washed out due to the recent storms, especially around the root mentioned in previous reviews. The ground below it is now washed out 2-3 feet, while the opposite embankment is still fairly tall. We were at about 26 degree roll and almost slid into that root while trying to pass. To avoid body damage, we backed down to a small bypass through the aspens (tracks going through previously, not sure if official bypass, or several people before us trailblazing...). Bypass fed back into trail about 10 yards past the root.

Interesting little trail. Nothing too difficult except the root that everyone mentions. Most of us were small enough to sneak next to it but we did end up with some damage as you can see in the video. We ran Switzerland trail as well and made a loop out of it.

Trail was more difficult than I remember it being just a few months ago, but I think I say that about every trial haha. Still a fun trek. About halfway between waypoint 2 and the sweeping left hander at the top (after the rough stuff is over), there's a root sticking out on the right that I tried to go over but couldn't and when I backed up to go around, I wasn't paying attention and didn't give myself enough room and broke the plastic fender off the door lol. About 17:19 in the video. I didn't break the fender off last time, so I think I just didn't give myself enough room. There were a couple of spots where I locked it in rather than try to bump it, but bumping probably would have worked just fine.

For me, a very type 2 fun (think not so much fun in the moment but gratifying after it's all done) trail. I am top heavy with an Ursa Minor (add 250lbs on the roof) so I was extra tippy on the off-camber shelf portions of this trail. This style of wheeling is not my cup of tea personally. The rocky portions were fun, however. I don't think I would do this trail again for how unstable I felt going up (again, this is for someone who is top-heavy).

Heavy fog and rain were the basis for today's trip up Pennsylvania Gulch. There was mud in the washed out portion of the gulch. There was also still a little bit of snow at the far west end of the trail, but it was easily passable. The washed out area tends to be a bit off camber and there is a risk of rubbing fenders and doors along the steep dirt embankments.

Trail was open and passable. It has gotten worse over the last few years. The angles in the large rutted out section in the middle have gotten steeper. Open differentials struggled with the mud, but with careful tire placement we made it up. Ran it with a Jeep XJ on 33s and a stock 2018 Tacoma.

The trail is in good shape and passable, although when I went up it someone left their Jeep in the middle of the trail blocking it but if that is moved then this is ready to run.

Made it up today in a stock 2018 4runner. Still quite a bit of snow to contend with but made it no sweat. Well. A little sweat.

Attempted this from Switzerland and made it around halfway. From waypoints 1-2 there were tracks from before the last snow. For that section the trail was snowpacked but passable. Just beyond waypoint 2 there is a wide area pullout near a mining claim. At that point the trail really increase in steepness and there were no tracks in the snow I could see. And for good reason... under the 6-10 inches of snow, is a layer of solid ice. With the ice and the grade, ain't no one making it uphill for awhile. A lot of snow back there still. If someone comes from the south and goes downhill you can likely get all the way through, but it might be sketchy.

Fire closure has been lifted and the trail is back open.

Per Forest Order ARP-BRD-2020-04, this trail is currently closed due to the Cal Wood Fire. See the order and map here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/arp/alerts-notices/?aid=62734

Hadn’t run this in a long time. When I first started running this, maybe 6 years ago, it was pretty boring, but it was close. Now, it’s more fun as it’s run off has exposed more rock and created more off-camber situations. Views aren’t great, but it’ll be a fun little trip. Just used 4low. Vehicles with less articulation may do some three wheeling.

Ran this (and Switzerland) today in my new (to me) 2012 JKU Rubicon. It got my attention but I didn't feel a need to use the lockers. Pretty rocky in spots so it will bounce you around if you're not careful, but a fun trip and worth the drive from Denver.

Ran this trail today in a stock Hummer H3 on 33s. A little challenging in spots due to washout. My vehicle has lockers so no issues but newbies with open diffs may have problems. Some deep holes to negotiate and tree roots. The pics on here don't even describe it!

Ran up this in a Jeep Gladiator, stock suspension, 35" BFG KM3s. The run off made it a bit more challenging than it should have been in one section where I slid back. All in all nice test for the Gladiator. Last ten seconds of the video is a short clip of the truck crawling over the initial mild section of the trail. Didn't film much on this section as my camera man (my gf) wasn't too thrilled about getting out to film :)

Ran this yesterday after running back half of Switzerland. 2014 JKUR on 37". It's a bit challenging and might be difficult to do without lockers as it was a bit wet. Short trail that takes you right back to Switzerland. Good diversion from the simplicity of Switzerland.

Made it all the way in a stock Gladiator with 35s. No snow drifts across the trail but snow melt run off makes the trail a little wet.

Awesome challenge to start the season off! Got to the snow drift a little over 3/4 of a mile from the end of the trail (heading east to west) and couldn’t make it. Had to back down a ways, so I’d advise caution in anything other than a side by side or seriously built crawler. Great trail up to that point!

Was able to make it halfway up the trail from the bottom( Jeep xj, 33'' BFG's 30 psi). Heavy snow, may be able to be passable going down.

Just got my jeep a few weeks ago and headed up to sugar loaf mountain. Spent about 6 hours on the trails and had a blast. Didn't find this trail to difficult. Had some off camber, but nothing crazy. Little 2" steel water line came apart about half way up made me hug the cliff side and rub some branches, but not enough to scratch anything. 2015 Rubicon 5" lift with 35s. Never ran into a spot where 4WD was necessary.

A recent report indicated that this trail has become much more difficult in recent months. I ran the trail this weekend based on that report to check for changes in its difficulty. The erosion portion of the trail, which is near the top/west, is not much different than in the past couple of years. Based on the rating system used by Trails OffRoad, the trail remains rated as a 4. This means that it is recommended that an SUV with high clearance and 4WD with a low range would be appropriate for the trail. On another note, I have also included a photo of one of the hillsides along the trail...The aspens are beginning to change.

Thanks for the update and video. So the section at point 1:03 in the newest video (black Jeep) is where you can see my big rock rut handiwork. That helped a lot...I couldn't get through without rubbing without doing that (although as I said I typically try not to alter trails unless necessary.) Ran it today with a buddy up. A little rainy and wet. I have a heavily modified 3rd Gen 4runner with 5" lift, 34's, and lockers. No issues with clearance and fun until the very top. YES THERE IS MOST DEFINITELY A HEAVILY WASHED OUT AREA UP THERE CURRENTLY. It’s the section at 5:28 in the video but is a lot worse now. I was a bit surprised after running it a year or so ago and not encountering anything like this. It raises the rating at this specific part of the trail to a 7 or so for sure and would surprise anyone looking for a new or intermediate run. My first attempt as it sat put me heavily off-camber (somewhere well past 35 degrees or so) and inches away from the side of the trail berm driver side. There was no good straddle option since the left side is so washed out it's a good 5-6’ vertical wall. Spent 30 min and stacked up rocks on the left side and got through it but it was touch and go. My buddy in his Jeep did much better with the rocks in place. I don’t usually mess with trails unless necessary but this was honestly just too washed out and hopefully our work will help others and keep the trail open. Right after that there's another big straddle wash out with some roots but that went a lot easier. After that it's laughable and you're there at the top. Be prepared though...it's a valley in that one spot. Sorry no pics was too busy trying not to cave in my drivers side door. Since this is technically a county road I’m surprised Boulder County doesn’t send a road crew up there to fix it. Just kidding. I do find it hilarious that it’s a county road though and even has its own street sign at the bottom. As for the guy who built a house up there...that must have been a lot of trips up that thing with lumber and supplies.

Ran this uphill with 34's. Didn't need lockers. No issues with passibility. Tiny amount of water running down and slightly muddy in spots, but mostly dry. Not particularly scenic, but still pleasant to drive. Another reviewer mentioned a heavily washed out area -- I'm not certain where that was since I didn't find any part that was exceptionally off camber or washed out.

Trail open, muddy and fun. Unfortunately quite a bit of trash in a few spots, cleared what i could. Trail not very challenging in a lifted wrangler, although it is tight.

Drove this today in my FJ100 Land Cruiser. Very fun and fairly challenging trail. Despite the lack of stunning panoramic mountain views, the scenery is pretty nice on the downhill side. It's very green with all the recent rain, and there's a nice little Aspen grove or two. We had no issues on 33's with stock suspension. It was definitely very narrow in places. Lots of trees have scars from intimate moments with passing vehicles. Around the midway point the trail was fairly wet, a tiny creek running down. I used rear lockers a couple times getting over some of the larger rocks in the wet. A little further up there was a heavily washed out area, which put us close to 30 degrees off camber toward the driver. I don't know if that's new, but I'd definitely check that off as some level of off-camber.

Fun trail, don't miss if your in the area & looking for a little more challenge than most of the other roads nearby, also much less crowded (we saw a 90's Buick cruising down Switzerland). As other have mentioned the trail is narrow almost in it's entirety so passing requires some common sense. The trail is in the trees most of the time so I knocked a star off for lack of views. Please keep in mind if you are reading other reviews that said 'no problem cruised through', their rig on 37's might be alot more capable than yours. With spotting in one area we made it through no issues, '17 Tacoma on 31's, '04 4-Runner on 33's and a Rubicon on 33's, all with mild lift. A stock truck and/or new driver would likely have a workout trying to leave the trail without scratches.

Ran Penn Gulch up to Peak to Peak HWY from Four Mile Canyon. Trail is narrow with trees that can leave scratches. There is not any snow left on the trail but the spring runoff has made it fairly muddy. Made it with no issues in 18' JLUR 2" lift and 37" tires.

Me with a stock Jeep Wrangler 4 Door with Wrangler SR-As and a buddy with a lifted Cherokee on 29s ran this right during a rain storm. It was a hell of a time and there were multiple instances where my buddy needed a spot to get through some of crazier stuff. Definitely passable with a decent driver and a good stock 4x4. The off camber stuff would definitely be sketch at the top for a new driver, but it isn't particularly difficult. It's a great time, and I would highly recommend it if you want to flex out a good 4x4! Photos of the rigs to show what we brought up, I don't have good photos of this run unfortunately!

Made it all the way up yesterday with all 3 vehicles in our group unlocked. My 05 4Runner on 33s, a Tacoma on 35s, and a Rubicon on 35s. We did run into some snow and ice where the trail gets more technical, but it was passable.

Made it 3/4 of the way up. Snow drift made a tough pass even locked in. You could run this trail down, but not up....yet. Until that thing melts.

Ran the trail from east to west today and made it about 2/3rds of the way through. Up until waypoint 2 was not an issue at all with only several inches of packed snow. Beyond that however, the snow is deep in the trees, its solid ice under the snow, and the constant climb uphill made for very little traction. My highly built LJ on 37s and Lockers on, with full throttle, finally had to call it quits. There is no place to turn around as the trail is extremely narrow, so if you attempt this in the snow, you better have a well built rig on big tires, and going with a group.

Drove Switzerland trail from Sugarloaf Station (waypoint 4) to waypoint 9 in a1999 Tacoma, 3 inch lift with 275 70 R17 (32 inch diameter tires). At the Pennsylvania Gulch intersection, I scouted about 1/2 mile into the trail to see what it was like. It was snow covered with a couple of short off camber sections and mild rocks. At a steep uphill section with rear lockers on, the Tacoma lost momentum and traction in the snow. I decided that was as far as I was willing to go today. I backed up about 200 yards to an area that was barely wide enough to make a 6 point turn. A place where one needs to be comfortable placing the front tires at the edge of a steep drop off. I turned around and returned to the intersection. At the intersection, a trio of Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery members in their Jeeps cruised by in the opposite direction I was going. I talked to the leader. We traded trail condition info. He also mentioned, "Avoid Pennsylvania Gulch in the snow because of the narrow steep sections ...", (I agreed) "... with no place to turn around." (I didn't say anything). I recommend waiting until Pennsylvania Gulch dries out before attempting.

Ran this trail yesterday and had a bunch of fun. This was the first time I ran it, and we really enjoyed ourselves. I'd love to check it out in the summertime as well! It's not terribly snowy, but the "rough" section of the trail has a ton of ice and is likely impassible without a winch or lockers. I had to winch myself up at least 2-3 spots, as did the Jeep behind me. If more snow falls on the trail, I'd say it'll soon become impassible until spring.

Just ran this with a stock JLU Rubicon with normal tire pressure. Was challenging and a little snowy but definitely rewarding and fun. I'll be visiting this trail again.

Passable in my stock JKU with stubby bumper (top was off and no passengers). No war wounds, but a little wet/muddy with the melting snow. Definitely a couple questionable moments. I'll wait until I have a winch before I do it again, just in case. My buddy dented up a few plates on the bottom of his Willy's. Best to go west on the trail so you head uphill, as indicated in the description. Gnarly trail, and highly recommended for a fun run!

With limited snow fall this season, Pennsylvania Gulch is passable without too much difficulty. Because much of the trail is shaded, the trail is snow packed and icy. The warmer weather today melted the snow enough to allow for some traction. A spring storm will, however, make the trail nearly impossible to negotiate.