Santa Fe Trail

Total Miles 4.1
Technical Rating
3 Easy
Best Time Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Trail Type Full-Width Road
Accessible By
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Trail Overview

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 trail is a gate leading to private property, and there is plenty of room to turn around.

Photos of Santa Fe Trail

Difficulty

Trail has some rocky sections and steep grades at times.

Technical Rating

3

Status Reports

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Josh Nez
Jun 13, 2026
Open
Trail conditions normal. Should be able to do most of it in 4H. Near the end of the trail there are small some downed trees. Stock wrangler rubicon can get under them easily.
Andrew Ricci
Jun 06, 2026
Open
Great trail. A few dirt bikers up and back. Well maintained from downed trees.
Ariam Rodriguez
Jun 05, 2026
Open
Trail conditions are good. First time taking the new TRD off road up the trail and used, sway bar disconnect and rear locker in certain sections. FYI don't bring people that are afraid of heights, my girlfriend was scared of how narrow the trail was. I really enjoyed it and happy with the truck performance.
Pablo Escoto
May 22, 2026
Open
Beautiful trail super scenic as you get to the top! The trail was mostly dry but you will find a few puddles along the way to have some fun, as you get near to the end, there was a gate and it was open BUT there were multiple private property signs so I just turned around and went back down. I was in 2 wheel drive the whole time
Pippin McFarland
May 05, 2026
Open
Some rough sections, particularly around corners. Pick your lines if youre low clearence
Shane Mass
May 02, 2026
Open
Small sections of mad not deep snow at high elevation maybe an inch at most and melting. The entire road is open no obstacles no down trees in the way. Have fun.
Shawn W
Apr 26, 2026
Open
This was my first real-world trail outside of the Bronco Off-Roadeo. The trail was beautiful. I would agree with the 3/10 rating. There were some points that picking your line was important but those weren't too frequent and mostly when coming back down. There were plenty of spots to camp along the trail. We stopped at a clearing closer to the top of the trail to stretch our legs a bit and it had amazing views. It was only my vehicle for majority of the time. There are not many pull off points to let people pass. The one time I saw someone on the trail was when I was coming down, I had to reverse up the trail a bit to get to a spot where the oncoming vehicle could pass. Overall Solid first trail
Nate Obee
Apr 02, 2026
Open
This an easy road. Very nice views. 4H the whole time. Very rocky, Erosion caused deep ruts on switchbacks. No Snow. Drove al the way to the gate to Private land. Construction is complete, three parked personal vehicles parked on the side of the road. No big venicles.
Jin
Mar 22, 2026
Open
Tyler Arnold
Nov 09, 2025
Open
*OPEN ON WEEKENDS ONLY. Dietzler construction Corp has tons of equipment at the first portion of the trail. I did reach out to Scott (contact on the posted sign at the entrance of trail) who said camping and off roading is permitted on the weekends. No date for expected reopen.
Steven VanLingen
Oct 20, 2025
Open
Road closed, although there is room to drive around the closed sign. There was this sign with numbers to call for access. We didn’t access the road or call the numbers. I’m curious why there private phone numbers to call for access to National Forest.
Mike Pearson
Aug 03, 2025
Open
Carey K
Jul 10, 2025
Open
Trail closed due to water main and tank maintaining until October 31st. Closure began July 7th.
Luke Farris
Jun 27, 2025
Open
Couple of folks camped out at the start of the trail, no one past that, rocky and rough, but stock tire 4x4’s or even a Subaru could make it up. Tight switchbacks that make you watch tire placement. Not so much in the way of views or anything to see of note, some squirrels and an abrupt end at a closed fence onto private property. Some decent camp spots if you’re just wanting to get out of town.
Navar G
Jun 26, 2025
Open
Fun little trail, a bit tight not many areas to move over and allow others to pass. Lots of sharp rocks sticking out of the trail. It was a little muddy today with yesterday’s rain but most of it has dried up. I’m surprised there weren’t more vehicles on the trail, nice scenic drive to the top and easy to turn around. Check the trail out! It’s beautiful

Santa Fe Trail Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • Single Track
  • 50 Inch
  • High Clearance
  • Full Width

Santa Fe Trail Map

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