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Silver Creek Road
Walden,
Colorado
(Jackson County)
Last Updated:
06/27/2020
Trail Information
Highlights
Water and water-crossings highlight Silver Creek Road which travels from the base of Owl Mountain eastward toward the Continental Divide at the edge of the Never Summer Wilderness Area. The terrain is rugged, heavily forested, and wet, but the views of the peaks in the wilderness area make this trip a worthwhile adventure. Winter ends late and begins early in this part of the high country. The trail is often saturated from the late snow melt or the typical afternoon showers during the summer.
Trail Difficulty and Assessment
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Trail Reviews
Open
Visited: 11/13/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
Driveable at least to the campsite pin in the linked map as of Veteran's Day weekend. Probably could have gone further, but we found a nice campsite so we stopped there. I think they've had more snow since then, so it may no longer be passable.
https://caltopo.com/m/PF251
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 07/24/2022
Difficulty Accuracy:
Spot On
The trail up to the water crossing is pretty tame (like 2 rating). After the creek crossing things get a little more difficult. There are a few rocky, steep sections but doable in a slightly lifted rig. However, there is a ton of beetle kill deadfall. Most of the trees that have fallen on the trial have been cut back but it is still very narrow for a 3rd Gen Tacoma. We had to move a few downed trees and several trees got stuck on my roof top tent. I would highly suggest bringing a chainsaw if you go past the creek crossing and expect some pin stripes for those pretty rigs out there.
We did see six moose in the fields at the top. Hiking on the trial at the end of the road is also very difficult with deadfall. We hiked just over a mile in an hour due to downed trees and wet conditions. This trail is worth the ride and effort but go prepared with the chainsaw and expect the overgrown conditions. There are very few pullouts and turnarounds to with luck you wont cross paths with any other vehicles.
Partially Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/20/2021
Ran as far as we could this morning and confirm the downed trees near WP8 are still there. Consider taking a short recon hike up the hill once you cross the creek as turning around is difficult. As Jared eluded to, the trail above the 1st crossing on is tight and overgrown with few chances to pull off if you encounter another vehicle. Very fun run with all the water coming down right now.
Partially Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 06/12/2021
Large tree across the road around waypoint 8, too big for my cordless chainsaw so we didn't quite make it to the end. Overall the trail has gotten pretty overgrown in recent years with majority of users being ATV/UTVs but the 80 series Land Cruiser squeezed through. There was plenty of pinstriping as a result but a fun outing nonetheless. Definitely bring a saw for this one and help keep it passable!
In reference to the culvert - it's been there for years - not sure if it's high on the FS's priority list.
Open
Rated
5/5
Visited: 08/02/2020
Late out of camp so we turned back at the crossing. Looks like its days are numbered due to all the ATV/UTV abuse - there is a culvert staged nearby so I’m guessing there will be a bridge at WP3 at some point. Bridge or not, I’ll definitely be back to see the end of this run!
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