Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Shaw Heights, Colorado

This is a super fun, single lane road to amazing camping. You'll camp above the reservoir and fish, canoe, kayak and relax. No swimming. Open to licensed and unlicensed vehicles. Trail is open from May…
Learn more about Gross Reservoir

Magnolia Road East accesses the Aspen Meadows residential area but allows you to avoid the heavy traffic of Boulder Canyon. This is a smooth dirt road any vehicle can navigate, and it has beautiful scenery.…
Learn more about Magnolia Road East

During the warmer seasons, this trail is ideal for beginners and stock sport utility vehicles, thanks to its gentle grades and stunning scenery. In winter, it becomes popular for snow-wheeling enthusiasts seeking adventure, though caution…
Learn more about Switzerland Trail

Enjoy this simple trail that leads to some pretty camp spots. If you're lucky, you might even be able to see a moose! Most vehicles can do this road, although it does have some spots…
Learn more about Peewink

This trail continues from the famous Switzerland Trail on the north side of Gold Hill Road and exits on Sawmill Road. It offers varied rocky terrain similar to the southern Switzerland Trail, with the addition…
Learn more about Switzerland Trail - North

This trail begins off Highway 119 and just south of the start of the Pickle Gulch trail. The majority of this trail consists of a dirt road, with some single-lane sections winding through private property.…
Learn more about Missouri Gulch Road - CR 15S/15N

Calm out and back trail ending at a hut on private land. Be sure to not trespass on the private land. Some small ruts and rocks, along with some off-camber berms. A technical rock patch…
Learn more about Gold Lake Trail

You're likely to see hikers on this trail, and it is a popular camping destination on the weekends. Check for postings on what camping is dispersed and what is designated. Be bear aware and plan…
Learn more about Gordon Gulch

Little Bear Creek Road (FS 151) provides an excellent scenic alternative to paved routes when traveling between the CO-103 corridor and Idaho Springs. This 6.2-mile well-maintained dirt road offers stunning mountain views while remaining accessible…
Learn more about Little Bear Creek Road - FS 151

This is an easy, one-way trail with a few places to pass and some rocky and washed-out sections. You'll find a handful of dispersed campsites and great views of Idaho Springs. The end of the…
Learn more about Santa Fe Trail

This trail begins off of Squaw Pass Road. At the trailhead, you will see a sign for "Historic Arapaho Springs". This is an easier trail in dry conditions, accessible by stock 4WD vehicles and higher…
Learn more about Old Squaw Pass East

Journey through old mines, historic structures, buildings and cemeteries along this route to the town of Nevadaville. There are still a few people living here, so please be considerate. There is a fun kids' playground…
Learn more about Nevadaville Loop

Kids will love this small area with intersecting forest roads and camping. To camp, enter at the north end. No dirt bikes allowed on this trail. Open May 15 to November 30.
Learn more about West Magnolia

The Beginner Trail is one of the easiest ATV trails in the Rampart Range Recreation Area. It starts directly from the northern trailhead off State Highway 67 and winds its way south for 12 miles…
Learn more about 627 Beginner ATV Trail

787 is one of the longer ATV trails in the Rampart Range Recreation Area at almost 8 miles long. It starts at the most northern staging area on Rampart Range Road right off State Highway…
Learn more about 787 ATV Trail

This trail is easily accessed off of Squaw Pass Road. As the name hints, the trail takes you takes you to Squaw Mountain fire lookout which is about a 1-mile hike from the end of…
Learn more about Squaw Mountain Lookout

This trail can accessed from either the Squaw Mountain Lookout trail or the Old Squaw Pass East Trail. The trail is blocked in the middle by a gated section of private property which prevents you…
Learn more about Old Squaw Pass Central

Starting on Country Road 100, you'll head east onto the dirt path. You will then turn onto USFS Road 376. Once you are on the trail, it is pretty calm but you'll still need an…
Learn more about Chipmunk Gulch

There is a lot of history along this easy, backcountry drive. You'll have the chance to explore four old cemeteries, as with as several historic structures in Apex, an old mining camp and ghost town.…
Learn more about Apex Road

A fun, out and back trail with a great campsite a few hundred feet up the trail, and an abandoned mining site just past that. The trail is fairly narrow. 4WD wasn't required, but definitely…
Learn more about Buckeye Mountain Road 512.1

Garber is an easy ATV Trail near the north end of the Rampart Range Recreation Area. There are dirt trailheads at both the north and south entrances to the trail off of Rampart Range Road.…
Learn more about 686 Garber ATV Trail

The Michigan Hill trail starts from the Pickle Gulch Campground. This trail is a relatively easy trail for most off-road vehicles, although there are some narrow points on the trail. This trail winds through mining…
Learn more about Michigan Hill

Beaver is a short ATV trail in the Rampart Range Recreation Area that starts on the west end at a large dirt parking lot off Rampart Range Road. From west to east, it's a steady…
Learn more about 688 Beaver ATV Trail

Hidden Valley Road offers a range of conditions depending on the severity of erosion. It can vary from a rugged trail with numerous washouts to a smooth, mellow dirt road. In the summer after a…
Learn more about West Jackson Creek Road to Hidden Valley Road

Tomahawk is a 3.3-mile-long ATV trail in Rampart Range that is easy the whole way. It's easy because it's really wide with no obstacles. It's on a pea-gravel surface that can be a bit slippery…
Learn more about 685 Tomahawk ATV Trail

Barr Trail is a fun ATV Trail in the Rampart Range Recreation Area that starts at the Flatrocks Trailhead off Rampart Range Road. It steadily descends 1,200 feet over 3.6 miles all the way to…
Learn more about 673 Barr ATV Trail

This is a graded dirt road that is accessible to all street-legal vehicles. While driving, be mindful of the soft shoulders. This road links Jarre Canyon Road to the north with South Platte River Roads…
Learn more about West Pine Creek Road

The 662 ATV trail is a 2.7-mile-long two-track in Rampart Range that connects the Overlook ATV Trail (#682) to the Garber ATV Trail (#686). The trail is pretty wide the whole way between the pine…
Learn more about 662 ATV Trail

The route begins in the middle of Cave Creek and is both USFS 217C and 217D. If you head up the left side of the trail there is a nice hill that offers some good…
Learn more about Rifle Road

The Overlook Trail is a 3-mile ATV Trail in Rampart Range that goes north from Forest Service Road 507 to connect back to Rampart Range Road. The southern end of the trail is really wide…
Learn more about 682 Overlook ATV Trail