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Saxon Mountain Road
Trail Information
Difficulty - Mandatory
5 -
DIFFICULT
Difficulty - Optional
5 -
DIFFICULT
Status
Open
Distance
7.07 mi
Duration (one-way)
About 2 hours
Highest Elevation
11430 ft
Shape of Trail
Straight Through
Typically Open
Year Round
Best Direction
East
Official Trail Name
712.1, 712.2C
Nearest Town
Georgetown
Nearest Services
Georgetown
Management Agency
Arapaho National Forest
District
Clear Creek Ranger District
Highlights
Altitude
Camping
Forest
Mine
Rock
ScenicColorado is known for high-elevation roads with stunning views. Trails like Black Bear Pass and Red Cone are obviously on that list. And Saxon Mountain deserves to be right there with them. With an exciting ascent, historical significance, and picturesque mountain scenery, Saxon Mountain is a must-visit for experienced wheelers. The trail features a continuous 4x4 climb with 20 steep switchbacks and a 4,500-foot elevation gain, culminating at an 11,500-foot summit. Along the route, you'll encounter rocky and exposed shelf roads that are both thrilling and challenging, even for the most seasoned drivers. The views are magnificent but don't take your eyes off the trail.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
Recommended Vehicle:
Lightly Modified 4X4 (Small Lift and Larger Tires)
Concerns:
Summary:
The trail gets its rating from the shelf roads along it and the non-optional obstacle at Waypoint 11.
Community Consensus
(Last reset on 09/17/2021)
2 votes
3 votes
1 votes
Easier
Spot On
Harder
The weighted average of your fellow members agreement of our trail rating. As trail conditions change this helps us keep the community aware of changes.
Mandatory
5 -
DIFFICULT
The hardest part of the trail that you
cannot bypass - you have to drive it.
Optional
5 -
DIFFICULT
The hardest part of the trail that is
purely optional - you can bypass it.
Rocky or undulated road surface. Potential rocks and/or tree stumps less than 24" tall and/or vertical ledges less than 24" tall and/or near vertical ledges or waterfalls less than 54" inches. Tire placement becomes more difficult. Can be steep and off-camber. Read More about our Rating System
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Trail Navigation
Saxon Mountain Road is a 6.6-mile straight-through route beginning in Georgetown and running to the top of the mountain overlooking the town. The rocky trail climbs over 3000 feet and has 20 switchbacks to negotiate. It has three sections considered obstacles and plenty of tight shelf roads.
Full exposure on shelf roads for a large portions of the trail.
This road is prone to rockslides and conditions can change quickly in bad weather.
1. Trailhead (0 mi)
The trailhead is on the northeast side of the three-way intersection with 19th Street and Main Street.
2. Destination Sign & Private Drives (0.23 mi)
Continue past this intersection with a few private drives and the Old Saxon Mountain Road that leads to more private properties and dead ends.
3. Small Parking Area & Switchback #1 (0.33 mi)
Follow this switchback up and past this small parking lot. This small parking area is mainly for locals and hikers parking at the bottom.
4. Lower Gate (0.99 mi)
While Saxon Mountain is not a seasonal trail. Gates are here in case the trail needs to be closed for safety purposes.
5. Campsite Spur (1.49 mi)
This short spur leads to a small campsite best suited for a single-family.
6. Old Mining Spur (1.88 mi)
This old mining spur dead-ends after a few hundred feet.
7. Scree Pile - Caution (1.96 mi)
This is one of the shelf areas that can feel a little sketchy. This old rockslide is well-worn but causes you to get very off-camber.
8. Mining Remnants (2.7 mi)
Old mining cars and piping used in mining operations are scattered on both sides of the trail. Take only pictures if you stop to look around.
9. Anglo-Saxon Mine Spur (2.73 mi)
This is the spur road for the Anglo-Saxon Mine ruins. They are not accessible, though, and are blocked by a rock slide.
10. Cabin Ruins Spur (3.6 mi)
Stay straight past these old cabin ruins. A large campsite behind these buildings can accommodate a small group of 3-4 vehicles and a couple of families/tents.
11. Hold Your Breath Hill - Caution (4.08 mi)
Most people are talking about this obstacle when referring to this trail's danger level. This old rock slide has a few breathtaking moments of driving up and over (or coming down with the town below your rig's nose), and every driver should pay attention and go slow when going through this. The rock is not typically loose, and as long as the trail is dry, there should be no issues climbing up and over or coming down this obstacle.
12. Small Camp Spur (4.35 mi)
The site can fit a family and a vehicle or two on this small spur.
13. Cabin Ruins (5.05 mi)
This is another set of ruins of mining cabins. There is also enough room behind the structure for a couple of vehicles and a small group to set up a camp.
14. Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch) (5.85 mi)
Stay straight past Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch). This trail leads back to Idaho Springs.
15. Old Gate (7.05 mi)
This gate marks the technical end of the Forest Service Road. You can turn around by turning left here and quickly looping around the summit.
16. Trail End - North and South Summits (7.06 mi)
From the summit, you'll marvel at the splendid panoramas of various mountain ranges within the Southern Rocky Mountains from two vantage points - north and west. Gazing west and south, the Front Range, including Saxon Mountain, unfolds before you. Further west, the Tenmile Range boasts prominent peaks like Quandary Peak and the Breckenridge Ski Resort. The Mosquito Range has several majestic 14,000-foot peaks, such as Mount Lincoln, Mount Democrat, and Mount Bross. Further southwest, the Sawatch Range is home to Colorado's tallest mountains, including Mount Elbert and Mount Massive.
Turning your gaze to the north, you'll see the Indian Peaks Wilderness, a subrange of the Front Range. This area is celebrated for its magnificent peaks, such as Apache Peak, Navajo Peak, and North and South Arapaho Peaks. Moreover, you may also spot Longs Peak, the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park, situated farther north in the Front Range. Remember that weather conditions, like clouds or haze, can affect the visibility of these ranges and their peaks.
From here, you can pick up the trail where you came and either head back down Saxon Mountain or continue to Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch) by turning right at Waypoint 14.
Dispersed
Camping is allowed along this road under Ordinance 4 in Clear Creek County. Those with a party of 12 or more must get a permit from the Historic Public Lands Commission. Many of the established sites are noted as waypoints. The largest is at Waypoint 10, with views into Georgetown. Additional primitive camping is available on the connecting Lamartine Road (AKA South Spring Gulch) and that trail network.
The adjacent Historic Waldorf Wagon Road, AKA McClellan Mountain, and Argentine Pass have several dispersed primitive campsites along their banks. These trails also have the Tundra Hut, a privately owned cabin that can house a large group at 11,000 feet.
Geneva Park Campground is located near Upper Geneva and offers 26 campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills. The campground is open from late May to early September, providing tent and RV camping and hiking and fishing opportunities.
Burning Bear Campground is located on Guanella Pass just south of the mountain and offers 18 campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and grills. The campground is open from late May to early September, providing tent and RV camping and hiking and fishing opportunities.
Guanella Pass Campground is a popular campground located about 7 miles from Georgetown. It has 18 sites and is open from May through September.
If you prefer more traditional lodging, several hotel options are available in Georgetown and Idaho Springs. Several options are the Hotel Chateau Chamonix, Georgetown Mountain Inn, and Microtel. The hotels offer amenities like free Wi-Fi, on-site restaurants, and pools.
Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain (Formerly Old Squaw Pass), located just outside of Idaho Springs, offers a unique opportunity to stay at one of the few remaining fire lookouts in the United States. This lookout is available to rent from the Forest Service and offers breathtaking views from its floor-to-ceiling windows. A mile hike from the trail, you can spend the night with up to four people at 11,500' elevation. Follow this link for details and reservations.
Starting Point
Georgetown, Colorado
From downtown Georgetown, take Rose Street east to Fifteenth Street and turn right, follow for 500 feet, turn left onto Main Street, and follow for 0.4 miles to the signed trailhead on the right.
Trail Reviews
4.5/5 (44)
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 05/20/2023
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Impassable around waypoint 14, due to 2ft snow drifts
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 09/04/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
We ran this trail with a Built Landcruiser 100 and a mostly stock Wrangler. Whit the exception of a couple spots, this wasn't an exceptionally technical trail by any means. There are certainly a couple clenchers with a tire position required right at the edge of an off-camber shelf road and a few tricky boulders crowding the trail. The only trouble we ran into was a tire eating rock . . . which of course got us right where the trail became too narrow for anyone to pass. There are occasional glimpses where you can see the staggering altitude gain above Georgetown and I-70. But until you get to the top, the views are intermittent. With the tire's death, the day became a little longer and hotter than we'd hoped for, but it's still a nice run with truly remarkable views and plenty of parking at the top.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/27/2022
Ran the trail from the junction with Lamartine Road down to Georgetown in a stock 2 door Wrangler. Not my planned route, but missed a turn outlined in Wells Backroad Guide 1999 addition that was supposed to be "easy" to get to Gtown. Found it extremely tiring with constant vigil and a couple of off camber areas with the 2000 foot drop offs toward I-70. The narrowness of some of the side trails on the Lamartine Road leading up to the junction make turning around quite a challenge when one gets off track. Definitely a learning experience with misadventure aspects when I was looking for a easy/moderate run.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/17/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
We ran this trail uphill and went down Cascade Creek on the other side. This trail is a solid 4 with the exception of waypoint 11. There is a puddle just before the 'can opener' where you are off camber on a very high up shelf road. This is also in a location that would be difficult to back out of. I agree with the 5 rating because there is definitely a risk of vehicle damage here and caution people from taking this trail if you are not experienced and/or by yourself.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/23/2022
We ran Saxon today point to point and had a blast. One of the best trails I've ever ran. We had a F-150 on 35s with 2.5 inch lift and had no issues on the trail. I was glad I had a spotter in a few places and we took it slow as it was a new trail. The views from the top of Saxon mountain are the best around and really loved cascade crest out to highway 103.
Top notch trail system !!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/19/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
IMO... this rating needs adjusted. The shelf roads are minimal where there is not enough room to let other rigs pass. Maybe it is easier since all the rock slide has been removed, but it rides more like a 3/4 at most. And only that due to the shelf roads. We took Saxon up to Cascade Creek and Cascade Creek was more fun (not as good of views though) and more challenging in areas. If there was snow, that would easily up the ante to over a 5 due to risk factor, but as is, it is a 3 for the most part.
This trail guide's difficulty was changed on
09/17/2021
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/12/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
This is a great trail with a lot of nice views. Ran it from Georgetown over to Cascade creek and out Idaho Springs in a 2012 4runner. I ran it in early June 2021 before any of the cleanup work had been done and there were a few obstacles that made for some real challenges. Went back yesterday and all those obstacles have been taken away. The trail is definitely over rated at 7-7. There are a few cutoff's that might be worthy of a 7, but the main trail is now a 4 or 5.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 09/11/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
We went up Saxon and down Lamartine in a mostly stock Expedition XLT. There are certainly some sketchy spots and the crux of the route (just before the switchback overlook) is precisely as narrow as my car is wide. Made it through without issue, just had to take it slower in some sections. Not much else to add to previous reviews.
There is a crew working on those summit AT&T towers that is also camping next to them. They're friendly folks that have been up there sine mid-August 2021, end date yet to be determined. Definitely say hi if you see them.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 09/01/2021
Difficulty Accuracy:
Easier
I'm glad the trail was repaired and allowed to re-open, my only comment is on it's current 7-7 rating. Saxon used to carry a 4-5 rating prior to 2021. We ran it twice with its 7-7 rating prior to the recent repairs and once after. In our opinion, the 7-7 rating was inflated even during its worst condition this year. With the recent repairs and changes, experienced high-clearance stock 4x4s should be able to navigate this trail without difficulty. The squeeze sections have been significantly widened and many medium-large boulders removed. Suggest dropping it to a 4 or 5 at most.
Open
Visited: 08/05/2021
The trail is open again after a few boulders causing major safety concerns were addressed by the trail caretakers. Additional work will be done in the coming weeks by volunteer groups, but the trail is open again as is. The trail should still be considered dangerous due to off-camber and blind climbs along the shelf road.
Open
Rated
3/5
Visited: 07/17/2021
I ran this for the first time yesterday, starting in Georgetown. While there isn't anything that's going to test your rig really hard, this trail is dangerous. There are a number of spots that are narrow, a shelfy climb over off-camber sections, and more. This trail should be considered Severe until/if maintenance is done to clear some of these rockslides.
Open
Rated
3/5
Visited: 07/03/2021
Ran this one top to bottom. Has definitely gotten more technical as the trail has degraded. The trail is pretty much rocks top to bottom with several slides that get off camber and in some places pretty tight. Not sure you could get a full size truck up it. There are some awesome views from it and kind of fun to sit at the bottom and look up and see that the trail disappeared.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/01/2021
There are a few narrow spots on this trail but it's not as bad as I expected running it backwards from the top down. Running it this direction allows you to see all the lower switchbacks and potential traffic. Fun trail as we came up from Cascade creek which was more difficult. Great day!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/19/2021
Great trail, as always, but it seems to be degrading by the year. I'd argue this is no longer a "moderate" trail due to the handful of obstacles where a stock vehicle is likely to incur damage even with a good spotter. I'd highly recommend a lift, larger tires, and rock rails to safely navigate the back-to-back rock obstacles.
The 4-Players of Colorado is the group that was happy to help Jose and crew get over the handful of obstacles. With a little bit of instruction and carefully-placed tires, they crushed it!
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/19/2021
This one got a little harry. Rocky from the beginning. Came up here on stock FJ, Tacoma, and 4runner. Me and my group are beginners at this so we had a little trouble getting over big boulders, we had to pile up rocks on side of boulders to make ramps. We had the most difficulty getting tacoma and 4runner over boulders. Tacoma because its weelbase and 4runner because it had running boards. Lucky for us a nice group of experts on Jeeps showed up to share their knowledge and help. Not sure what Jeep club it was but thanks a million! In the end we got to the top and had lots of fun and got great views and pictures. Great trail.
Open
Visited: 06/08/2021
Ran this about 2 weeks back in my Cherokee along with a couple other trails in the area. Full width guys, take note: My Cherokee is on full width axles and is 84" wide. The narrow rock section mentioned in the description? Fairly terrifying. I would not try this in a vehicle this wide without a spotter to gauge your clearance around that rock. We failed to get video/photos of that section, but my driver side tires were pretty close to the edge of the road. Hard to tell if it's well packed or about to collapse there. As well, the rock-fall sections immediately afterwards are a very tight squeeze. If you have multiple people, get someone to walk ahead and hold downhill traffic at the turn after the rockfall section. Neither of you will want to reverse once you're in there.
Good views, fun trail, not for those with fear of heights. Take caution if you're in a fullsize rig.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 05/29/2021
Came up from Georgetown. Didn't see any other vehicles, just hikers. The road has a ton of rock fall leaving randomly placed large boulders throughout. I think it has drastically increased the difficulty. I'd recommend large tires for this trail, and any pickup trucks with running boards BEWARE!
I hit snow at 11,000' with some big drifts across the road. No one had made tracks on them yet. I was able to bust through them completely. Even cleared a downed tree from the trail. Once I cleared the trail to waypoint 9, there were some tracks on the remainder of the road. They were old tracks so could have been vehicles on tracks. I'm not sure. Either way, continued on with very little issue. Maybe 1 remaining drifts caused me to hit it a couple of times, but otherwise made it to the top of Saxton Mtn just fine. I have 40" tires, so the drifts will probably need a few days to melt down for vehicles on tires smaller than that, but otherwise this trail is open for the season!
Open
Visited: 11/10/2020
Stage 3 fire restrictions have been lifted as of 6am, 11/10/20. The forest is no longer fully closed. Areas within fire perimeters remain closed. See closure maps here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD844558
Expect winter conditions on trails. Some trails may be impassable due to snow.
Temporary Closure
Visited: 10/20/2020
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Oct. 20, 2020) – Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions, the USDA Forest Service’s Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests is announcing a temporary closure of all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties, effective at midnight tonight (closure begins at 00:01 Oct. 21). This decision will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/29/2020
Nothing is particularly challenging about this trail. HOWEVER! What a rush with that cliff. It is scary near the rock slide section. Plenty of scars on rocks from people hitting them. It is narrow. Best to run on a weekday. We ran it starting from Cascade Creek. Beautiful views but narrow and bouncy. One obstacle was a bit challenging but nothing good tire placement couldn't handle.
Partially Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 05/10/2020
Dry as a bone right until the top right around waypoint eight. A stock Xterra and Tacoma were able to get up there just fine. Half of the trail past waypoint 8 is exposed with the other half a deep snow embankment. Should be ready by Memorial Day. Turns out Clear Creek County does not allow traffic on any county roads until further notice due to Covid. There were a lot of people on this one but I don’t know if we were supposed to be or not.
Partially Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 04/05/2020
Made it roughly 2 1/2 miles in on a 2-up quad w/ oversized tires. Saw a stock RZR make it up, and turn around. I went about 1/4 mile further into deep snow following ruts from what looked like a tracked SXS, then drifts got closer to 3' and weren't worth the fight to get any more along. Definitely a few more weeks of melting needed. Beautiful views, a few tight points with boulders in the trail definitely would make it tricky for large full-sized trucks. ATVs and smaller trucks/SUVs should be fine with careful placement.
Not Reported
Rated
5/5
Visited: 10/21/2019
Saxon Mountain is one of my favorites, but also one I only do occasionally. Definitely a moderate trail, but the pucker factor is huge for me on this. I first did it in 2014 when the rock slides were fresh and way worse than they are now, but they still make me cautious. In reality, now, they’re decent, but still a bit unnerving. I made a youtube guide here, not my best, but hopefully it shows you the trail a little, but definitely rely on trailsoffroad updates for this one. I’m likely not going to run it this summer.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 09/06/2019
We drove from Idaho Springs over South Springs Gulch to intersect Saxon Mountain Road and drove it into Georgetown downhill, opposite the direction in the description. We did not drive to the top of Saxon Mountain which would be the easterly quarter of the trail. The trail is mostly rocky and bumpy switchbacks on some exposed ledges. Those parts are not difficult but require the drivers full attention. Most of the switchbacks are wide easy turns but one near the top required a three point turn. There are three obstacles that need to be addressed however. The first near the top is a rocky bump with a boulder on cliff side and a rocky outcrop on hill side but side view mirror height. You'll need to negotiate between these while going over the bump. Not hard, it just requires some careful wheel positioning. A bit further down, you'll encounter a boulder that blocks the road and forces you to go around cliff side. In a stock Jeep Rubicon, it was no issue at all but we're beginners so I had my partner spot me. Again, only intimidating because of the drop off. The third obstacle is half way down the hill where you'll encounter a boulder pile that will force you to hug hill side and drive partially over the boulder on cliff side. Our stock Rubicon did this without any undercarriage contact but it required some spotting for wheel placement. As I said, we are beginners so take this review for what it's worth. The views from Saxon Mountain are great and mostly it's a rocky ledge road but there are a few obstacles that require negotiating.
Open
Visited: 06/30/2019
Several boulders still obscure the trail in several places so a spotter is really helpful.. We ran the trail down-hill into Georgetown (opposite direction from the intro above) and with care was able to navigate the tight spots which are many for a stock rig. There are actually 2 boulders blocking the road in separate spots and caution is certainly needed if for no other reason than to save your undercarriage. I ran this road in a stock WJ with undersized tires, and much to the surprise of the guys in their 8" Tera-Flex rock climbers, was able to navigate some very tight and steep portions while steering around them. This is a great trail with spectacular views, and barely 1/12 hours from Denver
Trail Review: Saxon Mountain
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 08/12/2018
Drove up to the summit from Georgetown, then out to Idaho Springs via the northern stretch of Cascade Creek (Lamartine Rd).
I also think the rating on this should be Moderate due to a couple of obstacles on the way up. Helped a guy in a 4x4 pickup backup and turn around when he lacked the clearance/traction.
Open
Rated
4/5
Visited: 06/16/2018
ran lamartine over to saxon and into georgetown yesterday. trail was in good condition and fairly clean. there were a few other users, but the trail is in general, not as overused as some other trails in colorado. the rock obstacles are all still in place, so you have some tight squeezes on the shelf road on saxon, but otherwise trail is easy
Open
Visited: 06/11/2018
We gave this trail a try yesterday. As newer Jeep owners (1 year) with some great experiences under our belt, I would rate this trail as a very difficult blue because of some of the trickier spots on this trail. The description is very accurate, especially the part about the boulder on the road that forces you to pass next to the cliff's edge. There is absolutely no room for error and I would not attempt this trail in a larger/wider wheel base SUV. We did it in our Jeep JK and it was scary in places but then again I'm not a huge fan of narrow roads with a lot of exposure to steep drop offs. The road is extremely rocky and there are MANY switchbacks up and as mentioned in the description,the road gets much narrower as you climb up. Despite the long sometimes scary bumpy ride up, the views from the top were amazing! There are picnic tables and fire rings and great cell signal as there is a T-Mobile tower right up there at the top. If we were to attempt this one again I think we would approach it from Lamertine Rd/Spring Gulch Rd (we used this for our decend). If you want to reach the Saxon summit without the craziness that we ran into then I would recommend taking that other route to up.
Open
Visited: 09/23/2017
The trail is 100% open currently. We ran Saxton down from the top today as our exit from Spring Creek. For the first bit of the trail we were above the clouds but as we started dropping in elevation we drove through the clouds and the lower we got the more rain we ran into. It certainly was creepy driving through the clouds. Towards the top there are a handful of rock falls along the trail. A couple do squeeze you close to the edge, but we had 2 jeeps on full width axles and didn't have issues. Yes they were on the edge, but not hanging off or anything like that.
From the Community
Be the first to ask a question!
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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