Rule Ridge

Divide, Colorado (Teller County)

Last Updated: 10/11/2021

3.8 / 5 ( 10 reviews )

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Information

Nearby Trails

Status:	Open
Typically Open:	Year Round
Length:	9.27 miles
Highest Elevation:	9057 feet
Duration:	About 1 hour, 30 minutes
Shape of Trail:	Straight Through
Best Direction to Travel:	N/A
Nearest Town:	Divide
Nearest Town w/ Services:	Divide
Official Road Name:	357
Management Agency:	United States Forest Service
District:	Pikes Peak Ranger District

Highlights

This scenic 4WD & OHV trail starts near the Westcreek area off 67 in the Hayman burn area. While there isn't much vegetation at the start of the trail, the views of all 14,110ft of Pike's Peak are amazing. As you proceed down the trail, the trees will start to pick up and you'll even encounter some logging operations by the Forest Service to thin out the trees towards the south. Rule Ridge is great for camping near 67. While there aren't well-known trails on this route, the spurs off the main trail offer a little of something for everyone.

Video

Route Information

Technical Rating

( EASY )

Waypoints

1. Rule Ridge/Creek FS 357 Trailhead (0 mi)

The entrance to Rule Ridge is easy to find along Painted Rock Road. There is a large trail opening that includes the signage for the trail. Make sure to stop by there and check for any restrictions or special notices. Since a large portion of Rule Ridge runs through burn area, the area is more sensitive to dry conditions. Rule Ridge has large parking areas near both entrances. It's recommended that you air down here if wanted as coming from Painted Rocks Road there is little to no parking outside of camping spots throughout the trail.

Directions to Trailhead

Starting Point: Divide, CO

Take Highway 24 and head northwest to Highway 67 and then north towards West Creek. Turn left on Painted Rocks Road, 7 miles north of Woodland Park.

Camping

Dispersed

Land Use Issues

This area is part of Pike-San Isabel National Forest, and as such is part of the 2011 Lawsuit where a coalition of conservation and recreation groups were suing the U.S. Forest Service over what they say is an illegal addition of 500 miles of motorized roads and trails. A settlement was reached in late 2015 that is requiring the U.S. Forest Service to re-evaluate the roads and create a new travel management plan. 30 roads have been partially or completely closed while this evaluation takes place over the next few years. Those trails affected have been noted here at trailsoffroad.com. It is imperative that the OHV community makes their voices be heard on this issue. If we do nothing, those 500 miles will be shut down, some already have. Contact the local ranger districts and let them know why the area is important to you and the history you have there. Contact your Congressperson and Senator as well. They know how important the OHV community is to the economy of the state.

More Information

Trail Reviews (18)

Author:	Jen Marshall Official Crew
Status:	Open
Difficulty Accuracy:	Spot On
Offroaded on:	10/11/2021
Rating:

This trail has gorgeous views of mountains and forest. You can always catch glimpses of Pike's Peak along the way too. A lot of places to pull off for lunch. Not as difficult as some of the other trails in the area, so if scenery is your thing instead of big obstacles, this trail is for you!

Author:	Miguel Ortega
Status:	Open
Difficulty Accuracy:	Easier
Offroaded on:	09/21/2021
Rating:

Beautiful place to ride Good for beginners You can find some good camping spots here Not too busy

Author:	Joe. No...... the other Joe
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	06/05/2021
Rating:

Very Busy. We camped off of Manchester creek and took Rule to get home (ran reverse). Too many ATVs - UTVs cutting blind corners and nearly smashing into you.

Author:	Brad D.
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	05/29/2021
Rating:

Trail is open an in great condition. Saw plenty of large campers this holiday weekend so easy to get in and out. Overall traffic was a little heavy but to be expected on a holiday weekend.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	03/21/2021

This trail is open, however, CAUTION. Colorado weather is unpredictable this time of year and there may be the occasional fresh snow fall or mud and melting snow. This trail is in an area of the state where snowfall levels have dropped for the season and the majority of the trails are dry, muddy and/or only have a small bit of snow on them. Again, please use caution if traveling on these trails until the dryer season.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Impassable
Offroaded on:	12/23/2020

This trail is located at a higher alitude of Colorado and at this time of year should be considered impassable for any regular off-road user. Some people may be able to manage these trails with the correct gear, emergency equipment, and rig. Travel with caution.

Author:	Tracy Barker Official Crew
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	12/13/2020
Rating:

The North Divide area got 3-4 inches of snow on December 13th. Once again this year, my local Toyota club supported the USFS Pikes Peak Ranger District (PPRD) and their annual Christmas Tree cutting event. We patrol the forest roads in the designated cutting area, report road conditions, and extract "stuck" vehicles if someone asks for help. The designated area this year was north Divide, where Rule Ridge (357) was the east boundary, Spring Creek (CR 3) was the west boundary, and CO 78 (Painted Rocks Road) was the north boundary. For three consecutive weekends (November 28-29, December 5-6, and December 12-13) we had club volunteers patrolling these Forest Roads. I was present each day (except December 5) and drove almost every road in this area (I drove all for which Trails Offroad has published a guide, except the southern end of Grouse Road/354).

Author:	Brad D.
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	11/08/2020
Rating:

Super easy trail with some nice offshoots to get a bit more fun. Passible in a lower clearance car.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	05/18/2020

Ran through here while updating and checking on trails in the area. No changes to note on the writeup but I will note that there was a LOT of ATV and bike traffic in the area. We were stopped from going all the way to Woodland Park as someone had broken their leg and the trail was blocked off. We turned around and headed out via Painted Rocks.

Author:	Carlo Donzelli
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	05/17/2020

Easy ride but quite a lot of ATV/bike traffic that made us stop quite often. We took this trail on the way to Phantom Creek.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	12/10/2019

Rule Ridge was opened this year as part of the cutting area for Christmas Trees in Pike National Forest. My wife and I went out with our newly transplanted in-laws and got some great Christmas trees.

Author:	Tracy Barker Official Crew
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	12/07/2019
Rating:

Patrolled FS Road 357 with a few Chevrolet Colorado guys who came to support Colorado Land Cruisers and the Pikes Peak Ranger District (USFS). Each year the Forest Service sells permits to cut trees, and this year they included FS Road 357 in the cutting area. The road is in very good condition; the southern area seems to have more snow than the northern section, but neither is difficult. Go prepared (traction aids, strap, tow points, etc.) and have a buddy rig to help extract you if you get a little sideways. Photos are by @trukstuf on Instagram. Go follow!

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	04/28/2019
Rating:

Rule Ridge is dry all the way through and there was just a lot of ATV & Motorcycle traffic. There are no major changes to report on this trail.

Author:	Ryan Boudreau Official Crew
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	01/19/2019
Rating:

Went down to the area to just get away for the day and hit some fresh snow on the trails. Only a few inches along the entire trail and not icy at all. The trail appeared to be well used for the day although we only saw tracks and only a couple other vehicles. Beyond the awesome views of Pikes Peak, this trail is super mellow even with the snow.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	12/30/2017

It was a great day on Rule Creek. We set out to check this trail and others in the area for damage since we were last there and check on snow conditions. The trail is nearly all dry with a few spots of ice and snow that's been well traveled in the shade. There is nothing special to note on the trail different than the writeup at this time.

Author:	Justin Daniels Official Crew
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	06/17/2017

Drove this plus the more difficult loop 357B, 354, camped on the loop and it was fantastic conditions! A bit dusty but a nice trail.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	06/09/2017

Ran various portions of Rule Ridge while mapping side trails. Nothing significant to report and the trail was very dry.

Author:	JD Marshall Official Crew
Social Media:
Status:	Open
Offroaded on:	06/03/2017
Rating:

Nice day as we used Rule Ridge to get to some side trails for mapping. Nothing significant to report and dry throughout.

Questions & Answers (2)

Q: We're looking for a relatively easy trail without a lot of high-speed traffic for our son to drive his small side-by-side without holding everybody up. It seems like this might be too busy; any thoughts? He can handle level 2 or light level 3 trails.

–Bryan Tillman (08/31/2020)

–JD Marshall (09/01/2020)

Q: Is the camping at the beginning of this trail have good coverage or is in the burn area? Also, how busy is the area for camping? Would I be able to find a spot on Friday evening?

–P (08/12/2020)

–JD Marshall (08/12/2020)

Writer Information

JD Marshall

Mapping Crew - Colorado

Jen & JD moved to Colorado from Chicago in May of 2015 for work and brought with them a 2001 stock Jeep Wrangler that had been garage bound for two years. Within a month of arrival, all rusty 170,000 miles of it was shaking on Colorado trails and they've never stopped. As time as gone on, their 2001 TJ had to be traded and a 2015 Jeep JK has been added to the family. JD works as a Systems Engineer for a cable company and Jen runs a business from their home during the week to pay the bills. When the weekend hits, they're almost always hitting the trail. When Sunday night rolls around, the question turns to, 'so what's next week?!'.

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