Chinaman Gulch Loop Trail 6044 and 6043 Loop(edit)

Trail Length: 6.9 miles Low-End Rating: 4 High-End Rating: 7 The start of this trail is about 2 1/2 hours from Denver down Highway 285. It is in a valley in the Fourmile Area, making the weather very mild nearly all year round. The weather is one of the best things about this trail, though it can get pretty hot in the middle of the summer. This trail is often mistakenly called "Chinaman's Gulch" or "Old Chinaman" as well. It stays well below timberline and in the trees for almost all of the trail. This makes for a day of very little scenery compared to many other Colorado trails, but the obstacles more than make up for that. It starts very close to the highway, which is an added bonus -- no long, bumpy road to go down on your way to the trail. It is a loop, with a bit of the trail repeated on your way out. This also makes it nice because you rarely run into anyone else (run the loop counterclockwise). It starts out with some nice rocks, then the Rock Garden. The "guardian" rocks from the start get bigger every year as the dirt around them gets eroded. The beginning of the trail is probably the most difficult as it can't be avoided. It is a long stretch and offers a lot of fun. There are fun little challenges on your way to where the loop meets itself. It's a wide, open area that is great for lunch if you're there at this time. There is always shade, which is hard to come by sometimes. The loop is traditionally run counterclockwise because the obstacles are more fun and challenging in this direction. You should not run it in the opposite direction as there is often no room to pass another vehicle. Take the road to the right and you will come down the other road to your left later. Follow signs to Chinaman Gulch throughout the trail. At one crossroads you can turn right instead of following the sign to your left. This will take you a short distance to the very top of Carnage Canyon where you can see one of the most challenging trails in Colorado. There is a sandy stretch that is very mellow, then you come around a corner to find the Rock Pile on the right side of the trail with a bypass going around it to the left. The Rock Pile is a short section of rocks, but it can take awhile to get through it. Stock vehicles may not be able to make it through this optional section, and even modified vehicles may find themselves high centered in spots. The next section is called The Wash, and there are lots of rocky areas with many lines through the challenges. Some areas have bypasses. Just before The Wash ends at Whale's Tail, you come to two piles of optional rocks on the left side of the trail. The first set of rocks has many lines through it but it isn't too tough if you find the right line. The second set of rocks is difficult for most vehicles and impossible for most stock vehicles. The chances of getting hung up in the middle of it are pretty good, even with a modified suspension. You can go around these rocks and stay in the sand. Just around the corner from The Wash is the Whale's Tail (also known as "The Waterfall"). It is a big sloping slab of rocks with many lines. The line to the far right is the easiest and the line to the far left is very difficult. This line is for modified vehicles and experienced drivers, and it might be smartest to put a strap on the front of vehicles with shorter wheelbases, just in case. Other vehicles should take the line in the middle, straddling the large crack running up the rock. When you get to the far end of the loop you will travel along the fence without passing through it (the old trail used to cross to the other side but the trail was rerouted in 2003). Here you will find The Stairs. Most lines over this obstacle are difficult, but many stock vehicles will be able to cross it (you may want to take the easy bypass if you do not have rocker panel protection). There is another extremely difficult line through it, on the left. The easiest way through it is to keep your driver's side tires on the highest point on the rock in the middle, keeping close to the the right side of the obstacle. Not long after getting through The Stairs and the difficult rocks soon after them you will come to The Chutes. This is a difficult section with no bypass. It is narrow and most vehicles will need to climb the high wall on the right to get through it (there used to be a rock sticking out into the trail on the left but this rock slid down into the trail in 2004, blocking one of the routes through the obstacle). You climb a few more rocky sections and then the trail is relatively easy for a little while. The only other difficult section in this half of the loop is a tippy area that can be dangerous if wet. You should walk this section first to plan your route through it. When you come back to the crossroads you will continue straight and do the section of trail again where you started your day, only the other direction. You will do the Rock Garden again, which can cause even more tr

Copyright © by FunTreks, Inc.

Copyright © by FunTreks, Inc.

6-8 Difficult

Dec 2018