Nugget Hill
Maps:
USGS 7.5' Map:	Gold Hill
Statistics:	Difficulty: Number: Miles: Altitude: Obstacles: Time: Easy 4 FR509 3.50 8,562 ft. Steep downhill 3 hours
County:	Boulder
Adopted by:	Trailridge Runners 4WD Club	P.O. Box 1716, Longmont, CO 80502
Managed by:	Roosevelt National Forest, Boulder Ranger District	2140 Yarmouth Avenue Boulder, CO 80301	303-541-2500
Summary:	(Nugget Hill, FR509, has been closed by the Forest Service since the 2013 Flood. Prior to that the access had been gated by the Gold Hill Resort.) Nugget Hill is a short 4WD road that leads to the top of Nugget Hill, a front range peak, that gives you 360 degree views of the east plains and front range mountains.
Attractions:	Scenic views, steep hill climb.
Seasonal Closure:	Agency - Presently closes all year.
Best Time:	May - May still run into snow drifts June-September - Best October - Early snows possible
Trail Heads Accessed:
Camping:	There are dispersed campsites along the ridge to the west of Nugget Hill. FR509.B is a short loop to the south off of FR509 that has a small grouping of dispresed sites.
Base Camp:	Nugget Hill would be a good area to base camp to explore other 4WD roads. The one issue is the difficulty of access through the Gold Lake Resort locked gate.
Fall Colors:	Average - There are some stands of aspen along the ridge below Nugget Hill.
Navigation:	From Boulder, Colorado get on Canyon Boulevard and head west up Boulder Canyon, Highway 119. Follow Hwy 119 for 15 miles to Nederland, Colorado. At the traffic circle take the second exit onto West 2nd Avenue. Follow this road west and then north out of Nederland, it becomes Highway 72. Continue on Hwy 72 for 11.7 miles passing Ward, Colorado. Turn right onto Boulder County Road 100 heading east. Go 0.3 miles and then turn right onto Gold Lake Road. Follow Gold Lake Road for 3 miles to the gate at Gold Lake Resort where FR509 starts. From Altona, Colorado on Highway 7, the North Foothills Highway, turn onto Lefthand Canyon Drive. Follow Lefthand Canyon for 5.2 miles to the intersection with James Canyon Drive. Take the right and follow James Canyon Drive for 2.9 miles to Jamestown. Continue through Jamestown on Main Street heading west. You will be on Overland Drive. Follow Overland Drive for 6.4 miles to Highway 72, the Peak to Peak Highway. Turn left on Highway 72 heading south. Go 4.1 miles and turn left onto Boulder County Road 100. Go 0.3 miles and then turn right onto Gold Lake Road. Follow Gold Lake Road for 3 miles to the gate at Gold Lake Resort where FR509 starts.
History:
Description:
(Nugget Hill, FR509, is presently closed due to the 2013 Flood. The pictures shown in this description are from a Forest Service lead trip with the Trailridge Runners 4WD Club as part of their Adopt-A-Road agreement to do maintenance.) Nugget Hill 4WD road is an easy road from the gate at the Gold Lake Resort. It crosses a ridge between Lefthand Canyon and James Canyon. At the end of the ridge where James Canyon connects with Lefthand Canyon is Nugget Hill. Road along the ridge photo by: Adam M After crossing the top of the ridge passing the closed road down to Little James Creek and the Gillespie Gulch 4WD road you come to a saddle at the foot of Nugget Hill. Road down to the saddle from the ridge photo by: Adam M Also at the saddle are two spur roads. The one to the left (north) is the old Slaughterhouse Gulch road. It goes down to a meadow and an old cabin, but it no longer accesses Jamestown due to private property. The road to the right at the saddle goes down to a major obstacle called "The Rock". Below this the road is a single lane ledge road that drops down past a mine and then connects to Lefthand Canyon. Due to private property, access is questionable. The "Rock" in 2015 photo by: Adam M The "Rock" is no longer drivable due to the damage from the flood and the lack of access. Below the rock the ledge road has been damaged by an earth flow so you would have to drive down the "Rock", find a way to turn around, and then drive back up. Lower section of the climb up Nugget Hill from the saddle photo by: Adam M Upper section of the climb up Nugget Hill from the saddle photo by: Adam M The climb up from the saddle is very steep and has an eroded section at the top. This is the most challenging part of the Nugget Hill 4WD road.
Data updated - April 28, 2016      4WD Road driven - June 13, 2015      Copyright 4X4Explore.com - 2000-2016