White River National Forest · Colorado
Gold Hill
3.7 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 79 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike
Trailhead Gold Hill TH #79 Drive there
Gold Hill TH #79 the Forest Service's write-up
The trail climbs over Gold Hill where you can enjoy views of the Upper Blue River Valley eastward and the rugged Tenmile Range to the west. The trail passes through a series of clear cuts that were cut in 1988 along with a more recent clearing at the beginning of the trail in 2008. The remaining thick lodgepole pine in the area average 70 to 100 years in age. These trees, because of their density and age, are especially susceptible to disease and fire. Small clear-cut areas are designed to minimize the danger to the overall forest by creating age differences and open glades. We encourage people to watch this area as a new healthy ecosystem reclaims the area where the clear cut areas are.
Restrictions Closed to motor vehicles.
This hike on fs.usda.gov
Every trail in White River National Forest
Other trails from the Gold Hill TH #79
About this trail's facts
The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.