Must Do Hike in Boulder County, Colorado
Rattlesnake Gulch Trail
Length ~ 3.8 miles
Fee ~ $10 entry fee to Eldorado Canyon State Park (cash or card)
Or you can purchase an annual pass to Colorado State Parks
Parking ~ Trailhead is about ½ mi past the pay station and trailhead parking is limited but has bathrooms
Location ~ Eldorado Canyon State Park, Eldorado Springs, Boulder County, CO
Hours ~ Daylight
Dogs ~ Allowed on a leash ( and I definitely would for this hike, the majority is spent hiking on a ledge)
Getting There:
Approx 45 min from Denver
In the winter (Oct-April) the roads can be mostly snow covered and narrow so 4WD is suggested
Check out my favorite products page for suggested items to pack!
Annual Pass :
A single vehicle pass can be purchased for $80
Each additional vehicle $40
Or a family pass can be purchased for people sharing the same address for $120
More purchasing info below
get away from the crowds
If you’re like me and want to avoid the crowds… go late in the day after a snowstorm in chilly weather. I went at 3pm on a Thursday after getting a few inches of snow the night before in 6 degree weather. No one else was in the parking lot and there was only one other person’s tracks in the snow for part of the trail.
the trail
Park directly at the trailhead, and take off on the trail! There is an information board with a trail map which you walk right by on a small incline. Just ahead you’ll want to take a sharp right for the Rattlesnake Gulch trail or continue straight for the Fowler trail. When rounding the corner for the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail, the incline becomes slightly more steep but make sure you take in the 360 degree views of the sandstone cliffs and rock faces of the canyon. During your 1.4 mile and 600 foot vertical ascent to the Crags Hotel Site you’ll cross over a wooden, man-made bridge and have views of the active railroad tracks to your left. Once you reach the ruins to the Crags Hotel site which succumbed to a fire in 1912 (only 4 years after it was erected in 1908), you’ll see an informational sign showing what the hotel must have been like in its glory days.
The Crag Hotel ruins site starts the lollipop loop, behind a bench to your left the trail continues ascending towards the railroad tracks. Fingers crossed you’re lucky enough to see a train go by during your hike! I saw two! The ascent is completed at just over 1000 feet at a fence blocking off the trail just before the active tracks. A small map post is at this fence showing you to turn around. Don’t go back down the way you came, the trail splits and you just came up from the left side so take the trail on the right to continue your loop. I didn’t notice the split at first with the trail being snow covered so keep those eyes open. Continue your descent 0.8 miles until you see the sign post for the Continental Divide Overlook which is just around the corner past the sign. Once you’ve taken in all the vast extraordinary mountain views, retrace your steps from the overlook back to the lollipop. Then continue on a short way to the hotel ruins to end the lollipop loop and get back on the trail back to the trailhead.
