Yankee Hill Road

Total Miles
8.0

Elevation

3,347.81 ft

Duration

2.5 Hours

Technical Rating

5

Difficult

Best Time

Summer, Fall

Trail Overview

The easiest way to do this trail may be to take it from west to east. A GPS is handy, as it can be confusing to navigate the route. Another route to take is to start through Cumberland Gulch. Open all year.

Photos of Yankee Hill Road

Yankee Hill Road
Yankee Hill Road

Difficulty

Difficult. There are no obstacles, just a chewed up rocky section in the middle. The rest of the trail is narrow, rocky and steep in places. The biggest challenge is to not get lost.

History

To most 4-wheelers, Yankee Hill is just a challenging rocky hill climb. But in the 1890s, there was a small mining town by the same name at this location. In fact, Robert Brown, in his book 'Colorado Ghost Towns Past & Present,' devotes six pages to the town of Yankee Hill. He visited the site around 1970 and found only a barren hillside. However, at that time, he was able to find an earlier photo of the town, which he published in his book. We recommend history buffs get a copy of Brown's book. He has written several other excellent ghost town books, including his best known 'JeepTrails to Colorado Ghost Towns,' still available on Amazon.com.

Technical Rating

5

Status Reports

Seth Wilkerson
Jun 30, 2024
Open
Normal
Dusty
Went up through central city did the loop and out through Cumberland rd. Good ride! Went with 2 pretty stock 4 runners. And a Range Rover. Good bumpy starter trail.
Brian Cahill
Jun 26, 2024
2004 Lexus GX
Open
Normal
Some decent sized rocks to get over
Jeremiah S
Jun 19, 2024
2022 RAM 2500
Open
Normal
Couple of high clearance and tight spots, but wasn’t. Ad at all with my powerwagon on 37s.
Chandler Strong
Jun 02, 2024
2023 Ford Bronco
Open
Moderate given I am rather unexperienced. Couple areas of somewhat steep and loose but nothing too crazy. Took Freeman Gulch bypass to try to get back to Apex/Nevadaville Rd. but got cut off by deep angled snowpack. Had to turn around and head back to Yankee Hill trail. Going to want to give Freeman bypass a good few weeks before using it as a loop. The turn around on Freeman requires a steep downturn with snow. Kind of sketchy with a longer wheelbase, I was teeter-tottering on 3 wheels. More than do-able just use caution with the current snow.

Access Description

Take I-70 west from Denver to Fall River Road, Exit 238. Drive north about 8.5 miles to Mine Road on right. To start at Cumberland Gulch, bear right where switchback swings left, 7.0 miles up Fall River Rd.

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