Trail Overview

Cascade Creek is a challenging 12.3-mile off-road loop near Idaho Springs and Georgetown designed for drivers seeking a journey through historic Colorado mining country. This route climbs from an elevation of 8,534 feet up to of 11,159 feet, offering breathtaking mountain views along a network of backroads. The overall difficulty is rated a 6, with most of the loop presenting moderate terrain, but the western half of Cascade Creek Road (710.1) raises the stakes with loose boulders and tricky ledges. Navigating this section uphill is particularly demanding, though a stock high-clearance 4WD vehicle can complete it going downhill with careful tire placement. Beyond the technical driving, the trail is rich in history, passing near the late 1890s mining townsite of Lamartine where a short detour on road 727.1B reveals the faint remains of log cabins and historic mining operations. Because the trail winds through areas with abundant private property, visitors must respect posted signs and stay on the designated trail. There are no official seasonal closures, but winter snows can make the route impassable, so checking weather conditions is highly recommended before heading out. Unlicensed vehicles will find very limited parking, but a small staging area is available along Route 103, with additional space located about 0.4 miles up the trail.

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Difficulty

Difficult. Mostly moderate except for the western half of Cascade Creek Road 710.1. This part has loose boulders and tricky ledges. Harder going uphill in reverse direction. We did it in our stock Wrangler Sport going downhill, but it was a challenge.

History

Hidden in the trees just south of Waypoint 04 is the townsite of Lamartine, accessible via a faint road (727.1B). In the late 1890s, this was a small town of about 500 mine workers who serviced the nearby Lamartine Mine. Today, only a few logs remain from a couple of cabins, but looking closely along the trails will reveal the remnants of many other historic mines in the area.

Technical Rating

A F

Jul 10, 2025

2023 Toyota Tacoma

Open

Took this coming down from Saxon Mountain in a stock 2023 Tacoma Sport. Lightly scraped my lower cross member a few times. There are some challenging and tight rock obstacles that I felt very oversized for in my "modern midsize" I wished I had larger tires and another few inches of clearance many times. I was grateful to get the hell off this trail after spending hours crawling at a literal snails pace down this dried creek bed. This will be a challenge with stock vehicles, bring a spotter and give yourself an extra hour for stacking rocks

Kirk Thompson

Jul 06, 2025

2023 Ford Bronco

Open

Muddy/WetRough/Deteriorated

Larger rock obstacles, can get pretty technical can be done in a stock Sasquatch bronco. Pretty fun trail and satisfying to complete. You will probably bottom out and can hit your front or rear bumpers and rocker panels if you don’t pick the right lines.

Brenden McKinney

Jun 15, 2025

2014 Lexus GX

Open

Normal

We took the south side of the trail. A couple technical spots but other than that it’s just a super bumpy trail. There is a lot of cool dispersed camping spots along with some shooting areas. It is a little confusing when you end up driving through some areas with private property on both sides with a bunch of abandoned cars and junk. We ended up taking this way up to Saxon mountain. If you’re looking for a camping spot with no one around I recommend it. But other than that nothing special.

Michael Barberio

Jun 15, 2025

Open

Not a fun trail.....I'm running a '18 Tundra Crewmax on 35s, 3inch lift, full armor and sliders. Have a lot of wheeling experience in this rig on tough trails. Came up via 103 side. dirt FS road turns into a slightly washed out bump fest. After the shooting areas it's 4lo territory and you pass by a hoarder's junkyard. Slow, technical, and narrow all the way. past 712.2b cut off, difficulty starts pushing into 7.5-8 in my opinion. I wheel with my family for views and to get away from people. This is more of a test your rig/skills type trail. No real payoff views wise. First time turning around on a trail at this rating. SxS or shorter wheelbase and narrower vehicles would fair better. Few pullouts and turnaround points. aired down to 15 and still felt beat up....never wanted to get off a trail this bad.

Jay E

Jun 07, 2025

Open

Normal

Trail had a little bit of snow melt and a little bit of mud/water in sections, but was overall in good shape. Used lockers on some sections just to keep from ripping up the trail, but probably not necessary with good lines.

Will Utesch

May 29, 2025

Open

Muddy/Wet

Seemingly Pretty easy trail, not many places to turn around, I didn’t go all the way but there wasn’t anything I encountered that I would be worried about in my 4Runner on 33s

Jordan C

Dec 22, 2024

Open

Snow/Ice

Deep snow on the back side of the loop. Ran it counterclockwise and was able to make the loop. Clockwise would be more of a challenge. Large sheet of ice at the fork.

ADHDnomeds .

Nov 03, 2024

Open

Muddy/WetSnow/Ice

Some ice in sections. Some of the wet crawling was challenging without lockers engaged. After the storms coming up might not be passable without larger tires

Brent Lamborn

Aug 16, 2024

2023 Jeep Wrangler

Open

Pretty easy trail. I took the Idaho Springs route down from Saxon. Easier path down than Saxon Trail. No issues in my stock Rubicon.

Jason Elkins

Aug 03, 2024

Open

NormalRough/Deteriorated

Reiter S

Jun 08, 2024

2023 Jeep Gladiator

Open

NormalRough/Deteriorated

The asccent from Highway 103 demands that you air up as soon as you're off the highway. We went counter-clockwise on the loop and checked out Griffith Mountain. We broke the last few snow banks between Griffith and Cascade Creek and were first up there for the year, and it offers great views! The trail itself, eroded largely by rainfall, will offer some mildly challenging obstacles that will catch any armor you have on your vehicle if you're sitting below 37" tires and smaller lifts. Our 4-Runner had consistent armor kiss throughout the entire run, and my Gladiator with 35s and a 3.5" lift had to rub rock rails on some of the obstacles on the ascent. Once up to the start of the loop though, the trail becomes a bit more manageable. I didn't hit anything else on the loop with my rig, but if you don't have articulation, expect some more armor bumps. But hey! That's what you're out there for. Sorry for not getting photos of the obstacles or trail this time!

Joel George

May 27, 2024

Obstructed

Deep Snow

Snow drifts still deep in some areas causing high center issues. We did it counter clock wise. Could have probably winched through the snow but would have taken a while. Bigger rig would probably be ok.

Bradley Kovacs

May 25, 2024

2023 Polaris RZR Pro R

Obstructed

Deep SnowDowned Tree

I entered from the 103 in Idaho springs and was trying to make it to Georgetown. There was a huge downed tree right before the loop, making it impossible to pass.

Coletrane Buchanan

Apr 24, 2024

Open

Muddy/WetSnow/Ice

Trail is clear 2/3 of the way up last 1/3 is still snow covered. Deep ruts from snow in certain spots.

Steven meow

Apr 14, 2024

Open

very beginning of the tail is clear except for the trash. please pack it out more than what you packed in. other than that, before we actually got the trail circle snow and ice made it fun for a minute but we turned around.

Cascade Creek Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

Single Track
50 Inch
60 Inch
High Clearance
Full Width

Access Description

Be aware that Cascade Creek winds through a significant amount of private property, so visitors must stay on the designated trail. There is very limited parking available for unlicensed vehicles along the route. While there are no official seasonal closures, winter weather can make the trail impassable, and checking local weather and snow conditions before heading out is highly recommended.