The unplowed road to Left Hand Reservoir in CO

Left Hand Reservoir is a high mountain reservoir at an elevation of 3.256m (10,682ft) above the sea level, located in the heart of the Indian Peaks, in Boulder County, in the U.S. state of Colorado.

Left Hand Reservoir

Set high on the Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains, within Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, the road to the summit is totally unpaved and rough. It’s called Left Hand Reservoir Road. A 4WD high-clearance vehicle is required. Not suitable for standard 2WD vehicles.

Located west of Ward in north-central Colorado, the road is prone to exposure from high winds. It’s open from approximately mid-June through mid-October. The road is steep, hitting a 10% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting at the paved Forest Road 112 (Brainard Lake Road), the ascent is 2.67km (1.65 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 183 meters. The average gradient is 6.85%.

 

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