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 option is to start through Cumberland Gulch. Open all year.

Photos of Yankee Hill Road

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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

Mark Cameron

Jun 13, 2026

Open

Arun S

Jun 07, 2026

Open

Around mile 6 (going east to west), it got quite gnarly. I was able to do it comfortably in my LR4 (with lockers, raised suspension and low range gear). I had to scout one or two spots so I can pick the correct line, but outside of those, it was a fairly easy trail. Great scenery and not many people on a Sunday.

Donnie Lovett

Jun 06, 2026

Open

Pretty fun trail and some nice views, the rocky section near the top was a little dug out around the trees but had no trouble navigating through it.

Dan w

Jun 06, 2026

Open

First time running the full onX route, started in central city ended St Mary’s. Passed the gun range at 8:30 on Saturday and only saw one JL on the way to summit. XJ on 31”s aired down, open diffs, had no issues. Some fun rock features, plenty of bypasses and space to pass as most technical sections braid into multiple routes.

Wiky

May 31, 2026

Open

Kayla Dawn

May 31, 2026

Open

Certain areas are a little more rutted out than I recall it being in prior years, mostly just the hill climb after poser rock, otherwise same

Luis Reyes II

May 31, 2026

Open

Nearly effortless, the trail is not nearly as advanced as they make it out to be. I’m in a stock 25 Toyota Sequoia with the standard 4wd system.

Curt Greeley

May 26, 2026

Open

The last section of the rock garden requires some line choices but was able to do all of this trail with a 5th Gen 4Runner with 2” lift and 33s w/o scraping once

Ben Danek

May 25, 2026

Open

Definitely not for the weak. Got stuck a few times and broke my Yukon. Would do again now that I know the trail

Lewis Terroir

May 24, 2026

Open

Natalia LittleRadAdventure

May 10, 2026

Open

We hit the trail with an amazing group of Colorado Bronco ladies and had an absolute blast! This trail is definitely around a 4/5 difficulty rating, with a few steeper sections with loose rock that made things extra fun and challenging. We went May 10th, so there was some snow and mud along the trail. Definitely recommend having good tires, taking it slow through the rocky sections, and being prepared for changing conditions this time of year. But the views at the top made every muddy mile and rocky climb completely worth it, absolutely breathtaking! 🤍

Seth

May 09, 2026

Open

Went west to eat. First section was pretty eaten up. Good clearance and 4x4 is a must. There was some snow but nothing that is a challenge in relation to the rest of the trail.

Brandon Garcia

Apr 24, 2026

Open

Robert Young

Apr 20, 2026

Open

Jon

Apr 12, 2026

Open

Lots of rocks, snow, ice, and mud. A blast on 4 wheels with nothing too crazy, very intense on 2 wheels. Bring friends, and be careful, there are LOTS of SxS out here.