Trail Overview

Follow along Lincoln Creek on this beautiful and popular trail through the wilderness. There are 24 designated campsites available. Trail is open May 23-September 15 to licensed vehicles only. Be respectful of mountain bikers and hikers.

Photos of Lincoln Creek Road

Want to see more?
View All Photos

Difficulty

Moderate. The northern portion of this trail is easy. South of Grizzly Reservoir, the trail narrows and gets a bit rockier. The last 0.7 mile before Ruby Mine is rocky, narrow and steep.

History

A plaque on Frenchman's Cabin says it was built in 1894. This cabin marks entry into the Lincoln Mining District. Silver was the primary ore mined here starting in the 1880s. Development of the area was hindered by the fact that ore had to be hauled all the way to Leadville. A resurgence in mining occurred in 1900 when the Ruby Mines and Development Company took over the operation. They built a 50-ton concentrating mill, then shipped the ore to nearby Aspen, which improved profits. Operations eventually shut down in 1912.

Technical Rating

Cory Lecce

May 25, 2026

2022 Ram 3500

Temporarily Closed

See photo for openings.

Louie Mangampo

Sep 30, 2025

Open

DustyNormal

Rick L

Jun 23, 2025

Open

some creek crossings

Timothy Matis

Jun 03, 2025

Temporarily Closed

Seasonal ClosureClosed Gate

The ranger told me it was closed until June 21, 2025

Danny Whipple

Sep 09, 2024

2006 Toyota 4Runner

Open

nice trail, lake has dried up. switchbacks at the top of the mountain are extremely washed out and treacherous. take extreme caution

Braiden Patrick

Jul 01, 2024

Open

Rough/Deteriorated

Very awesome trail that seems to be very popular. There are 22 total campsites, some of which are big, some of which you can’t even park a car. We parked in campsite #10 which was very enjoyable. The whole ground was basically just flat boulders and it was very spacious, though it probably wouldn’t be the best for tent camping. If that’s your thing, most of the campsites that we saw were most suitable for tents. This trail is surrounded by huge mountains on each side and is very pretty. Each campsite also has a bear-proof container that anybody can use for anything you need to store. Very pretty, very popular.

Jennifer

Jun 26, 2024

Open

Normal

Went up to Portal. Lake is incredibly low

Al Hayes

Aug 02, 2023

Open

Normal

Yvette Cancel

Jun 26, 2023

Open

Normal

Rob Baker

Jun 24, 2023

Temporarily Closed

Seasonal ClosureClosed Gate