Switzerland Trail

Pretty cool trail for either having an easy day out in the woods, if it's early season and nothing else is open, or if you are a beginner. A few fun optional obstacles that truly give this trail the upper 5 rating. I had fun testing out my JLU Rubicon with a 2.5" lift on 35's. Otherwise, it's more or less a dirt road with some rocks.

A foggy and drizzly day greeted us for a ride along Switzerland Trail. When mother nature takes away the spectacular views of this trail, the ride is a little eerie. The trail was wet with a little bit of mud, but that also meant that it was not very busy for the ride. A little bit of snow remains in the trees along the route, but the trail is clear of all snow.

The area still has a ton of snow. On the trail however, the snow has been extremely tracked out so travel was not difficult at all. From waypoint 1-4 the trail is snowpacked but easily traversable. From waypoint 4-6 you are on a south facing slope so the snow has melted off a lot and the trail was sloppy and muddy from runoff. From 6-8 snowpacked, but again easily traversable.

Had a great time exploring, no issues, beautiful views, good amount of snow and found some nice spots off trail to test the 4x4 out

Not too much snow for this time of year. Some Tesla's and Prius's at the Sugarloaf lot so it was pretty easy to get up. Beautiful as always!

No snow on the northern 1/3 from Fourmile to Gold Hill.

Had a lot of fun on this one. Not overly difficult but does have some shelf roads if not a fan. Snow was well packed and never had any issues with traction. Great views and all around just fun for some winter wheeling.

Mostly rocky except for a few spots on north facing slopes that had packed snow with some icy spots. Nothing difficult. Definitely worth going out to do. Weather was perfect and minimal traffic. Just some campers, bikers and hikers.

Trail had some snow pack in spots. Nothing terrible and the south facing sides of the trail were mostly clear.

Easy trail to navigate through and light traffic

Less than 2 inches of new snow on the trail this morning. Airing down is highly recommended. Great views and light traffic; I think we skirted two small groups on the whole run from 120 to Gold Hill.

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

Nice trail. One of my first official trails. Lots of sharp-ish rocks and pretty slow going and rough most of the ride, didn’t seem necessary to reduce tire pressure. There were a lot of little spurs along the way that looked like they’d be fun to try another day. The section at the Rock Corner is serious, would love to see someone go up/down it. Real narrow in a lot of spots. Very limited camping along the way. At the picnic spot with the chimney the directions say “stay left” however there’s a sharp left turn going down before you get to the small lot. You don’t take this left, just in case its not clear when you’re on it.

views are incredible, ran this along with sugarloaf this was definitely the better of the two. some nice challenging sections for my lifted subaru crosstrek.

This was my initial off road trip as well as the Rubicon's. Took this trail thinking that it was a green. It was a beautiful day for wheelin' and the trail itself was very scenic. Not very many other vehicles on the trail. This proved to be a little more challenging. I thought it was fun but bumpier than expected. I used another source for my research which was a mistake. Trailsoffroad information is much more up to date and accurate.

We took Sugarloaf Mountain Road From 72 to the trail head. This adds about 6 miles of easy wheeling to the trail. Switzerland is easy and rocky. If you don't like shelf roads though, then this is not your trail. It is super fun and requires every bit of you attention. you will want to air down for sure on this trail. I only went down to 25psi, but i think 20psi would have been the better option. Only saw one other vehicle on the trail today and fortunately going the same direction! Great views in all directions.

Easy trail, any car should do well. 4wd not needed. Mostly a dirt road. Yes its a shelf road but it is not tight nor dangerous whatsoever. Areas to pass come up every couple yards or so and backing up would not be hard/dangerous if needed. After the trail we went to the town of Gold Hill which is cool and historic. You can reach Lefthand Canyon Dr (paved highway) from Gold Hill by taking Lickskillet Rd which i heard was the steepest grade road in Colorado. It is not dangerous in warm weather.

Great views close to the city. Found some great off shoots that weren't listed and required our vehicles full ability but super fun! Combined this with upham gulch, Pennsylvania gulch, Gordon gulch for a great day!

More Subarus than Jeeps.

First time out this year on a trail. Easy and bumpy, stock vehicles should be just fine. We ended up airing down early on in the trail and we were glad we did! Wasnt crowded at all, some bikers and atv but not too much traffic at all. Was a nice day to be out!

Absolutely beautiful!!

Switzerland trail is a must do even though it is rated as an Easy but it is beautiful and usually opens up fairly early in the season so many people get out there. The north side of the trail is a great little area that has a beautiful drive up a mountain with great views. Just about any stock vehicle can do this trail but I do recommend airing down for comfort!

Nice trail to get out with your dog. Saw a lot of Subarus and other all-wheel drive cars making it through the trail just fine. Definitely a bumpy ride but nothing crazy. There are some fun off-shoots that will require proper 4x4 and high clearance. All in all a great day trip from Denver with plenty of hiking and stuff around the area.

Nice easy scenic trail. Encountered a few vehicles but mostly hikers.

First time on this one today, and like a lot of other people, I was taking out the new car (JLU). As I expected, it was extremely busy. Fair amount of hikers, lots of mountain bikers, a few SxS's and ATVs, TONS of dirt bikes, and several cars. For how busy it was, everyone was respectful, minus one Jeep that didn't know the right of way rules (or didnt care about them) and made me back down the hill I was climbing. I would normally be courteous and do that even if I have the right of way if I recently passed a good pullover spot. This time however I was far from anywhere good to pullover and be courteous. I'm glad that was the only annoying encounter I had given how many people were out there today. As others said, it's an easy road but it's bumpy and busy. The views are nice and it was fun switch backing over and over again in the shelf areas.

Easy trail good for a safe off-road experience while social distancing and not putting others at risk.

Has snow and mud but was passable for the majority of the trail.

Got stuck immediately in the wind-loaded area after the plowed-road ends. Chained up and still only ran the trail from WP1 to WP2. Snow was too deep at that point and we ran Gordon Gulch instead (which was great). We kept bashing it for a bit, but were only getting 15 feet or so at a time, then getting winched back out. This was with chains, 33's, 14psi, and about 3-4 inches of lift on both our 2000 Frontier and 2006 4Runner. There may be other sections of the trail that are more passable (starting at Surgarloaf maybe?), but it wasn't very passable when we attempted it.

I've done the Switzerland Tail numerous times (I even grew up just down 4 Mile Canyon from it). Ive done it in all kinds of cars and it is always a good time. Bring a picnic and enjoy just winding around the mountains outside of boulder!

Beautiful trail. Many views to be had. Even though it's fairly rocky, most any SUV could easily drive this route. The fall colors are really popping right now! Get up there and see it!

Great casual trail for the family.

Started around 11 AM with storm clouds already building to the west. But my luck held out and it rained only at the very end. While the trail was peanuts for my F-150 Raptor, there were still many minor obstacles to practice left-foot braking, and a few fun spots where you could get up on side slopes and feel what 20º tilts are like. The trail does narrow in a few places mostly due to vegetation and I had to fold in my mirrors to protect them. Traffic was light, however, and most of the time I felt like I had the road all to myself. There were a lot of cars parked at Sugarloaf Station, but even then I easily found an unoccupied camp site where I could eat lunch in the shade and enjoy the fresh air. I forgot to bring along bug repellant, which I definitely regretted while airing my tires back up due to the abundance of aggressive deer flies. All in all, this was a super nice drive to get up and out of the heat of the city and spend some time in our beautiful wilderness.

Took this trail from waypoint 1-4 with an 06 stock 4Runner and a stock Nissan Rogue. No troubles at all, the trail was good to go with no obstacles my 4Runner couldn’t easily roll over. I would say it is a great trail to introduce less capable or stock SUVs to off-roading, especially if you have the sense to pick your lines. We hiking to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain from waypoint 4 for great 360 panoramic views toward Boulder and the surrounding mountains. There is plenty of camping at waypoint 4 and a couple offshoots just before waypoint 4 with plenty of options for camping.

We ran this trail with very little technical driving, more just uneven rock road, Stock SUV's would have no problem. Beautiful views along the way, many great camping spots that were unoccupied once you got a little ways off the main road. Definitely would like to circle back and do some camping off this trail and explore the adjoining trails.

This is a nice long trail with lots of scenery. Most stock vehicles should be able to make it, if you don't have much ground clearance then there will be a few spots where you need to be careful. Did I mention the great scenery?

Ran this trail with a group of 6 Tundra's (some were stock and one was a DC longbed) and had no issues. Gorgeous views and made for an easy run without needing to dig or pull anyone out.

The trail is pretty rocky and bumpy throughout the whole thing. Its an easy trail just slow going at times. I did it in a stock 5th Gen 4Runner, never scraped anything and was in 2WD the whole time. A few miles into the trail there are places to go onto some different trails. The back half after the small town is pretty narrow, we had to pass a few people on our way up the mountain and it was very tight both times. The views were good, this seems like it would be a better trail to run in the winter after some light snow.

Followed the trail as written in this guide. Right away not far into the trail we hit a really soft, deep drift. A few of our rigs made it fine, but the last few were smaller and had to be pulled through after some shoveling as well. A little farther down, came across 2 vehicles that needed help getting unstuck and then it was smooth with only a few inches on the ground all the way to waypoint 6. We bailed out there and took Fourmile Canyon out. Although this guide has the GPS, there are many offshoots and intersections not marked. The views are really good and even with fresh snow this trail was busy with all kinds if vehicle and hiking traffic.

Drove Switzerland trail from Sugarloaf Station (waypoint 4) to waypoint 9. From Sugarloaf station to the Pennsylvania Gulch intersection, the trail varied with sections of less than 2 inches of snow to rutted snow pack roughly 4 - 8 inches deep. We were early enough in the day to be the first to experience 2 - 3 inches of fresh powder on the rutted sections from last Wednesday's storm. From Pennsylvania Gulch to Waypoint 9 the trail varied from about 3 inches of snow to exposed ground. A 2015 Jeep Rubicon hardbody, stock height with 255 75 R17 tires, and a 1999 Tacoma, 3 inch lift with 275 70 R17 (both are just over 32 inch diameter tires) had no issues getting through the snow in 4WD high. The ruts will move the vehicle away from the side of the rut the tire is trying to climb, which increases the pucker factor when the rut moves the vehicle towards the cliff edge. But - no worries the rut's other side will move the vehicle away from the cliff edge. Just drive straight and realize the ruts will slide the vehicle from side to side on the snow a little bit. Clearance was not an issue. If snow wheeling is your thing, right now is a good time to go and experience the wonderful scenery along Switzerland Trail.

Ran this trail yesterday and had a great time. We were looking for some good snow wheeling opportunities, and while there wasn't that much snow on the trail, we still enjoyed some awesome views and a fun trip. We didn't run the trail all the way to the end, as we took Pennsylvania Gulch back to the trailhead (which presented its own challenges!). Overall, a super fun and easy trail...until more snow falls!

Snow

This one of my favorite trails near Boulder, CO. I have taken many friends and family member here to give them a glimpse of what Colorado has to offer. Last time I ran this trail during one of the first days of snow. It was forecasted 20” of snow that day. Had an awesome time we were one of two groups up there that day. Started at the sugarloaf station area. If you haven’t driven this trail in the snow I highly recommend it. Just make sure you go prepared especially if your vehicle in stock form. Snow was too deep in some areas and with that much snow it is difficult to know where the ruts are.

Just went up this trail in my stock 2015 4Runner. I do have Falken Wildpeak A/T3W tires on it though. The trail starts off through a narrow forest road with private land on each side that is very pretty. This goes on for a few miles then you hit a pretty wide open trail that has lots of rocks but not too big. Just a lot of them everywhere. This is a very bumpy trail throughout. Once you get through that section it becomes a one lane trail that hugs the side of the mountains continuously going up. There seamed to be a lot of pull off spots right after or before the tight one land areas so just look ahead before heading into those areas. There are many spots to get awesome views and lots of places to pull off to the side if you want to rest or hang out for a bit. At the top of one of the mountains there is a large picnic area with what looks like a chimney stack in the middle. Had fun. Took me about 3 hours to go the whole way through stopping for lunch at the top for a bit. Towards the end there is a open area that had a few vehicles, even a Prius parked up there, not sure how he got there lol. There were camping and hiking trails at this spot. I am definitely going to do this again. I used the GPS tracks on this site to keep me on the path as there is one section where it spits off and I realized because of the GPS I had gone the wrong way. It's at a spot in a valley with some houses. Make sure you pick the correct road as they are not labeled that well or at all. This is only my 3rd trail I have taken and would be fine for beginners if you go slow and steady. I only turned it into 4WD for a little at a spot with some deep ruts across the road with some larger rocks. Probably didn't need too but like to turn it on to lube it up. Never hot the undercarriage so stock clearance was good. Was a good trail. Have fun and stay safe.

First, this site and info was really helpful - thank you! The trail was as described and although it was slightly cloudy we still got to take in some great views. We encountered a few other vehicles and a few motorcycles but had no issues getting everyone through safely as there is plenty of space most of the way...although there were a few spots that were 1 lane for a decent distance. Overall great trail for a beginner. We never put it in 4WD. 2018 Raptor.

Very grateful I found this site and had the GPX file, trail description, and trail reviews before heading out to Colorado. Being armed with information helped offset my inexperience off road. The trail was easy enough, had lots of fun puddles from overnight rain, and we did the whole thing in 2WD (stock 4Runner except for tires). Only came across a couple hikers and motorcycles, which I guess is expected for a quiet Monday morning. Excellent views and had a great time.

Good easy trail with wonderful views. The family had come to Colorado for the holidays and this was a nice, close excursion from Denver. Nothing technical; just a rocky dirt road. We even saw a Toyota Corolla on the trail... it was having some issues but made it nonetheless. Great time.

Some great views here, not very crowded, dry. The northern section between gold hill rd and the sugarloaf station has some chunky rock to it, enough to keep me paying attention on my adventure bike. Not sure I'd want to attempt this in a civic. Some puddles and less rocky heading to the peak to peak hgwy; made for a fun afternoon.

Did a trail clean up with the USFS. The trail has some puddles left over from the last rain/snow but nothing that isn't managable. 2wds can do this trail. Plenty of camping spots were cleaned up on both the north and south sections of the trail. Remember to keep this area open by packing out what you pack in and stay the trail please.

Muddy and snow patches

Just a trip out to get the wheels dirty, not to mention the rest of the Jeep, and get into the hills. Met the others in Nederland and headed to the south trail head. Aired down to 18 psi for comfort and took off in heavy fresh snow that at the trail head was already driven on. We did find some unadulterated snow further up the trail but that didn't last long as the trail opened up. Temps were reasonably warm even though it was cloudy most of the day with intermittent sprinkles of rain. A few people shared the trail but seemed quiet for the most part. Enjoyed lunch and then tackled a quick obstacle. The only time I used 4Low with lockers after a couple of attempts with out. Maybe in dry conditions there may have been no need. Ended the day airing up at Mill Site Inn just north of Ward on Peak to Peak. One of my favorite spots to stop and have a "refreshing" beverage or two. They had a fire in the wood stove so that was the spot to sit and reflect the day and solve the worlds problems. Nice to get out of the city.

Calvary 4-Wheelers made our way to Switzerland Trail on Saturday, February 17, 2018. We had three rigs along for the trip, my lifted Cherokee, Karen's stock JK and Jon's lifted Cherokee. We went in through 4-Mile Canyon and entered the Switzerland Trail at Sunset (the town, not the time) so we only did the northern half of the trail and don't have a report on conditions on the northern half. From Sunset to the Gold Hill Trailhead conditions were mostly dry with an occasional short stretch of snow-packed or icy trail.

Nice and easy trail, sunny day, some wind. Found a geocache hidden in the rocks. Met another truck and had to pass each other on a ledge, thank goodness I had a spotter. Met a bike rider and a hiker with her dog as well, busy trail! Though it was a short hour and a half, definitely loved every minute up there.

Easy trail. Great views. Dry and clear. The fall colors are just starting to change. Some areas are rocky and there are some rutted spots. Some trip books and trip advisers state it's passable in a 2WD low clearance car. I would not recommend it. A basic stock 4WD with reasonable clearance should do fine this time of year.

Calvary 4-Wheelers ran Switzerland Trail on Saturday, April 22, 2017 as out Early Spring Warm-up trip. There had been rain in the Denver area the night before and, as we made our way to the trail, it was obvious there had been a light dusting of snow in the foothills. Most of it was already melting off by the time we turned off Highway 72 onto the trail but a little stuck out into the trail here and there in the shady places. It wasn’t enough to affect the driving conditions, though. Shortly after starting the trail we met a large herd of trail runners coming up the trail. The trail is wide enough in that section that we only had to slow down a little to get past them. From there we made our way down to the Sugarloaf Mountain trailhead without incident. We stopped for a short break at Sugarloaf before heading on down to Sunset. I was disappointed to see that many of the temporary closures of some of the side trails due to the floods of 2013 seem to have been made permanent. We passed through Sunset and started our way up toward Mt. Alto. Along the way we met a Jeep coming down at one of the few sections not wide enough to pass. She ended up backing up for about a quarter mile to a pull out to let us pass. From there it was on to Mt. Alto and lunch at the picnic ground. After lunch we finished the trail to the Gold Hill Road trailhead. From there we headed straight across Gold Hill Road and continued on the lesser known and not as well used last segment of Switzerland Trail. This last segment of Switzerland Trail dead ends at private property before reaching Ward (the terminus of the old railroad) but there is an escape route up FSR 461, over the ridge and on to Sawmill Road. I hope to go back in a few weeks to map out this route and add it to the database. On our way over to Sawmill Road, we encountered a pair of moose laying down in a meadow several hundred yards off the road. It was either a very large cow with a yearling calf, or a bull who had shed his antlers and a smaller cow. As I told the rest of the group: I didn’t want to go over and check underneath to be sure. Once we reached Sawmill Road, we called it a day and headed home.

When in Rome... I was in the area and figured that the trail should be clear being that it is a popular trail, and hadn't snowed much in a while. I was wrong! When we did find existing ruts from maybe last weekend, there were also regular deep snow drifts covering the old tracks. Snow was fairly deep for most of the trail, and the biggest issues were the completely wet and packed snow as well as the ruts under the snow. A lot of the trail, especially towards the west end, was consistently deeper than a foot. The snow drifts were easily two feet deep and some of the ruts pulled you a little too close to the edges so you had to be careful about carrying too much speed. But the trail has now been traveled from waypoint 1-4. The trail starting at waypoint 5 appeared to have been well traveled but we did not venture down that side.

I made an impromptu trail run on the evening of the 5th. I began from the west side of the trail, and after passing the last driveway, the snow quickly became deeper. There were recent ruts in the 12+ inches of snow that were on the trail. About 3/4 of a mile into the trail, I came upon the vehicle that made the tracks, which was now stuck. After a while of maneuvering and digging, I was able to lead the way and plow through the snow and they were able to follow me out. The snow continued being at least 12" deep for most of the trail with leftovers of ruts from the previous snow. Lifted vehicles with good snow tires should not have a problem with appropriate recovery gear.

Took a nice relaxing trip on Switzerland trail this past weekend. It was raining and there is some standing water on the road. The only snow left in the area includes a few drifts along the edge in the shaded areas. The trail is easily passible with any stock 4WD vehicle.

We did a fun run with 18 Toyota FJ Cruisers and a few 4Runners. It was snowy in the shade but no major ice and it was sunny. It was a great day, and the trail conditions were very good. I'd recommend this trail highly for any 4x4. There was a great picnic spot towards the end of the trail that was able to accommodate our large group.