| Difficulty: | Number: | Miles: | Altitude: | Obstacles: | Time: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy 1 | FR 103 | 20.20 | 9,960 ft. | NA | 2-3 hours |
Parks Ranger District
Walden, Colorado 80480
Closure:
July - Best
August - Best
September - Best
October - Early snows possible
Accessed:
From Kremmling, CO. head west on US-40 W/Park Ave toward 5th Street. Continue to follow US-40 W for 15.4 miles. Turn right onto CR 27/FR 103.
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Heading up Eastern Gulch photo by: Adam M |
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The road will pass two spurs on the right that join and head southeast, but do not connect to anything. Stay to the left and you will cross the creek an start to climb up the side of the gulch. You will head up a side gulch and cross the small creek as you head toward the head of the gulch. You will come to a spur road to the left that has a fence across it. This is the old road up to Indian Pass. Continue to the right as the road will curve around the gulch and climb up and onto a ridge bringing you back into Easter Gulch, but higher up on the north side. As you cross the ridge you will pass a pull off on the right that is used for camping. The road will continue up Eastern Gulch going in and out of small side drainages. You will make a few curves and then a final climb above the head of the gulch making a sharp haripin turn to the left passing a corral on your right. The road will continue north along this ridge heading into some aspen. You will cross into another high valley coming back out into the open. At a pull off on the right was a large military truck, with valid plates. Not sure what it is used for. To the west of this parking area is Carter Mountain.
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Old truck parked near Carter Mountain photo by: Adam M |
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The road will head into the pines and then back out into an open meadow before going into the pines again. You will pass a campsite on your right and then drop down into a small saddle. Where the pines change over to aspen there is an ATV/Snowmobile route on the right. The road will make a right turn then a left turn before coming back out into an open area that slopes down on your left. The road will climb here crossing a cattle guard just before you enter Forest Service lands.
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Climb near Forest Service boundary photo by: Adam M |
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You will work your way through some small aspen groves as you continue the slight climb. At a curve you will pass a spur road on the right. This is FR103.2A, a narrower two track, which heads to the east for 3.5 miles going through aspen and pine forests before it ends. Stay left at the intersection continuing on the main road. You will continue to climb through aspen groves and open areas before heading into a thicker forested area.
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Heading into the forest photo by: Adam M |
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As you come into the trees you will pass a campsite on your right. The road will continue through mainly aspen trees with a few pine mixed in passing some small open meadows. You will pass a campsite on the right and then you will come to a spur road on the right, FR103.3D, which is a short loop going to two campsites. Stay left on the main road. Here, to the west is Chimney Rock.
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Chimney Rock in the center distance photo by: Adam M |
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You will continue through pines passing another campsite on the right before coming to an intersection where the pines give way to aspen. The road to the right is Arapaho Creek South Fork, FR700, which heads to the Slack-Weiss Reservoir. Stay to the left.
The rest of the description is based on Google Earth.
You will continue through aspens before making a turn to the right and dropping over a low ridge. The forest will change to pines as you continue winding downward through the forest. Where the road turns from north to the west is where you will cross the Continental Divide. After a while you will come to an open area with a spur road on the left that goes to a campsite. Continue right and the forest with get thicker again. After going through the forest for a while you will pass another campsite on the left. The forest will become a mix of pine and aspen and you will come to a spur road on the right. This is FR103.3A which heads east for 1.26 miles before ending. Stay left continuing down through the aspen and pines. You will pass a campsite on the right and then make a left curve dropping into a wide valley. This is the west branch of Indian Creek. The road will cross the creek and then head north down the valley passing a campsite on the right. The road will continue down the wide valley following the creek passing two spurs on the left that may be to campsites. Just past these spurs is a cattle guard where you will leave Forest Service lands and enter private property.
The road will pass a few roads on the left that go to private homes and then you will cross anothe wide valley. You will pass another private drive on the left and then the road will head toward a more forested area. When you cross a cattle guard at a fence line you will be on BLM lands. Just past the cattle guard is a spur road on the left, BLM25186, that goes to a campsite. Further up the main road is another spur road to the left, again BLM25186, that also goes to a campsite. Just past this spur you will be leaving BLM lands and going back on to private property. The road will head north following Indian Creek as it passes through a forested area, then you will come out into an open area and pass a private drive on the left. The road will head back along the forest, then come out into a large open area. When you come to a cattle guard at a fence you will be crossing back onto BLM lands. The road will now head northeast across open land until you come to a wide pull off on the side of County Hwy 14. From here a right will take you to Walden, a left will take you to Hwy 40 at Muddy Pass.