Trail Overview

Bonanza has a rich history of mining beginning in 1880 and lasting until the 1930s. Many structures still remain.Rich silver ore was discovered in the mountains north of Saguache and west of Villa Grove in 1880, and the town of Bonanza sprang up that fall. The name comes from the optimistically named Bonanza mine;one of the prospectors told his friends, "It's a Bonanza, boys!" and the name stuck. In 1880-81, 40,000 people passed through the area, including former president and Civil War general U. S. Grant in August of 1880, drawn by rumors that Bonanza was "the new Leadville".Most of the mines in the Bonanza area closed by the 1930s. The end of the town of Bonanza almost came in the fire of 1937, when 30 buildings in the business section burned. The town has never been rebuilt, and just a few old houses, mine structures, and piles of rock remain from the boom days. Today, Bonanza is the smallest incorporated town in Colorado with one permanent resident. There is a pit toilet and picnic tables (9) along the Bonanza Access Road.

Photos of Bonanza Highlights

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Difficulty

Steep loose trail

Technical Rating

Shashank Racherla

May 11, 2026

Open

Very rocky and narrow once you start climbing. Very few turnout/turnaround points. High clearance and low range required.

Peter Galle

Feb 08, 2026

Open

The shaded areas have deep snow, you’ll need chains and a winch to push through. We only got up a few miles before turning around. We entered through HWY 285.

James Robinson

Sep 20, 2025

Open

Started trail on the East From Highway 285. Pretty scenic, a lot of smaller rocks. Limited places to let people pass. Trail is mainly a 4, but there is one spot (offshoot) heading North up Round Mountain past the mine that I would say is at least a 5, maybe 6 due to how loose the surface is and very steep. At one point we reached 30 degrees nose up with some cant on a loose surface, with rain on the horizon so we decided to backup. I could see you getting in some serious trouble on this hill if you don't know what you are doing. Also a couple of steep sections around Whale Hill. At the very Southern end of Whale hill, there is a closed road that looks like the trail but you actually have to take a hard NW turn to continue Westbound down the West side of Whale Hill. This section is very tight and some off-camber. Even with just a 392 Wrangler we were scraping branches etc. Would NOT take a full-size down this section of trial. Trail eventually kicks you out towards the town of Bonanza.

Kyle Hughes

Jul 04, 2025

Open

Took this trail as a means to access the Bonanza mine and others in the area. The trail is narrow and bumpy with up to baseball-sized rocks on the trail, and occasional tree limb debris. Depending on where you are, there may or may not be suitable areas to let someone pass, so be prepared for a long distance backing up if you encounter someone on the trail. Luckily for me, we only encountered one other vehicle on the trail and were close to a spot just large enough to get out of the way for passing. HOT Tip! The highlighted trail route is incorrect in the Whale Hill area (38.32128, -106.1073). You will need to take the trail to Whale Hill if you plan on going down to the Bonanza mine.

David Miller

Oct 07, 2024

Open

Lots of shoots and mines. The last steep section near the summit from the east has been closed. We had to turn around and go back.

James Long

May 26, 2024

Open

Blocked by snow toward summit coming from the west side. Plenty of offshoots and mines. Any direction had sizable drifts in the shady parts of the trail. Should be mended in a few weeks.

Richard Beebe

Jul 15, 2023

Open

M.M. Miles

Jun 17, 2023

Open

Austen Reneau

May 27, 2023

Open