Peru Creek Trail is a truly outstanding SUV adventure in Colorado

Peru Creek Trail is a very scenic mountain road located in Summit County, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It’s one of the highest roads of Colorado.

Peru Creek Trail

How long is Peru Creek Trail?

Peru Creek Trail (Forest Service Road 260) is totally unpaved. It is 10.1km (6.3 miles) long, running from the paved Montezuma Road at 3.055m (10,022ft) above sea level, to its end at Horseshoe Basin, at 3.760m (12,335ft) above sea level. Over this distance the elevation gain is 705 meters. The average gradient is 6.98%. The road leads to Ruby Mountain and Mount Edwards.

Is Peru Creek Trail challenging?

The track can be driven in a high clearance two wheel-drive vehicle from the beginning to a parking area and gate at the Shoe Basin Mine (7.56km-4.7 miles) long. It is a fairly mellow road with plenty of room to pass other vehicles. Expect to see passenger cars on this road as well, though a SUV with good clearance is recommended. Beyond this point it is an old 4wd road, totally drivable but closed to motorized access.

Is Peru Creek Trail open?

Set high in the White River National Forest, the road is usually accessible from March until November. On the highest point of the trail, at Horseshoe Basin, expect snow to linger here well into July. The lower part of the trail would be open earlier.

Is Peru Creek Trail worth it?

Running parallel to the infamous Argentine Pass, it’s a truly outstanding SUV adventure. This road offers amazing scenery, gorgeous hiking trails and access to other spur roads, all without being very difficult for most SUVs to access. It offers stunning scenery, rich mining history with many well-preserved structures. You will have opportunities to explore other drainages off the main Peru Creek Road including Warden Gulch, Chihuahua Gulch, and Cinnamon Gulch. The scenery is outstanding.

Can I drink water in the Peru Creek Trail area?

The drive is very scenic as it passes many relics of the area’s mining heyday as it climbs through an open, verdant alpine basin, through which runs a chalk-white stream colored by calcium carried by the water. Remember the water here contains heavy metals giving the water a distinct blue/white color. People and pets should not drink from this water.
Pic: Jeffrey Downs

 

 

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