Crags Campground Trailhead

Location

Range: Front Range
Coordinates: 38.87359, -105.12375
14ers: Pikes Peak
Elevation: 10,000'

Road Difficulty

1 (0=Paved, 6=Very Difficult 4WD)
2WD dirt to the trailhead.

Driving Directions

Take U.S. 24 to Divide. Turn south onto Colorado 67 and drive 4.1 miles. Near a ranch, turn left onto a dirt road and follow it 3.0 miles to the trailhead. As of 2010, this is the new location of the trailhead. The old trailhead (0.3 miles higher) is being phased out and is not recommended unless you are camping at the Crags Campground. If you are, continue 0.1 mile farther up the road, turn left to enter the campground. At the far end of the campground there is access to the trail.

Winter Access

Usually closed about 1.5 miles up but depends on winter conditions.

More Info

Parking: Room for 50 vehicles
Camping: Crags campground is nearby. Dispersed camping is NOT allowed along the road or near the parking area.
Restrooms? Yes
Fees? No

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

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Status Updates
2023-06-09 Posted By: gwright Info: Crags campground is open. The trail from campground is littered with fallen trees for the first mile making a difficult navigation by headlamp.
2023-05-31 Posted By: marksilas Info: Gate just above the church camp was open on 5/31. Road up to the main Crags TH was dry.
2023-05-23 Posted By: JQDivide Info: Gate was still closed today.
2023-05-07 Posted By: Eagle Eye Info: The road up to the gate was fine, parking was plentiful! The gate is closed. The road past the gate is also clear/dry. The men’s bathroom is unlocked at the summer TH, but no TP. Womens bathroom is locked.
2023-04-08 Posted By: AndrewJCraigie Info: Gate to the campground still closed - not much snow on the road up to the gate. A bit muddy by the end of the day.
2023-03-18 Posted By: madmattd Info: No issues to the Mennonite Camp - dirt and a shallow amount of packed snow/ice. The short stretch past the camp to the gate (~1/4mi) had not been plowed since the last snow storm(s) - 4-5" of light, fluffy snow on the road with only a couple sets of tire tracks through it. FWD and snow-rated tires was sufficient, but marginal in the lot itself. By the end of the day, enough vehicle traffic had come through to flatten out most of the snow on the road and by the gate, so it should be fine now. Lots of room for parking.
2023-01-13 Posted By: ssowalskie Info: The road to the gate is pretty well-maintained right now, with only a light amount of snow present. Parking available for probably 10 cars, maybe more. The restrooms at the actual campground are closed.
2023-01-03 Posted By: mtn14 Info: The dirt road leading to the winter trailhead might be one of the best maintained roads in the state. Maybe I just happened to go on a good day, but its a nice dirt road.
2022-12-06 Posted By: Jay521 Info: Gate is closed.	1
2022-11-28 Posted By: Jim Davies Info: According to the Forest Service, the "No Parking" signs by the gate will be removed when the gate closes for the season (around December 1st).
2022-11-23 Posted By: elevatedtv Info: Winter gate and TH parking still open (Crags Campground). Compact snow and ice in places starting about a mile in, AWD vehicles should be fine. This may change soon w upcoming storm cycles.
2022-11-07 Posted By: johngorman31 Info: There are now "No Parking" signs all around the winter closure gate. I spoke with the Forest Service and they confirmed that any parking at the gate is not allowed. The nearby Mennonite camp is also known to tow any unauthorized vehicles that park on their property. The FS person I talked to said that technically any spot not marked "No Parking," not blocking the road or a gate, and not on Mennonite camp land is a legal parking spot. So winter access is still possible if you can find a legal spot and you’re willing to add the miles to your round trip. But for now, the winter gate is still open and there is thin snow cover on the road above the Mennonite camp.
2022-10-29 Posted By: bfaulkne Info: The gate is still open to the summer trailhead, but the road is covered in snow beyond the Mennonite Camp. I imagine 2wd could probably still make it as the snow is not very deep, but chains might be helpful.
2022-09-04 Posted By: Evan_Hikes Info: Clear all the way to the trailhead, a sedan could make this without hesitation. A few handfuls of cars by 5:00, fairly full when returning at 1:30.
2022-08-01 Posted By: ultrarungreg97 Info: Just there on 8/1 - Monday. There was plenty of parking at the trailhead at 6:30 am. Road still smooth getting to the trailhead. Bathrooms were clean!	1
2022-07-08 Posted By: Jim Davies Info: The road was just graded, and is smooth enough for any vehicle (for now).
2022-06-24 Posted By: rower Info: Conditions were good, Campground was clean. Weather was cold.
2022-05-14 Posted By: jmfb3 Info: Open and clear of any snow
2022-05-13 Posted By: solson_ski Info: Gate is open
2022-04-12 Posted By: lacabra Info: Road closed at the winter gate at 38.8872778,-105.1354109: https://goo.gl/maps/WaBZZV1Bhwf31LEy6 right after the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, where there is a small parking for about 10 cars. The remaining road is covered with a couple of inches of hardpacked snow in the morning, which turns slushy in the afternoon (see picture). I was able to ride a small motorcycle to the trailhead possibly also doable with a mountain bike with fat tires to save those 1.1 miles each way to the trailhead.	1
2022-04-02 Posted By: pgres Info: Road closed 1.1 miles from trailhead. Limited parking.
2022-01-02 Posted By: JQDivide Info: Gate is now closed for the winter.
2021-12-25 Posted By: soundchaser2112 Info: The gate is still open and there is about an inch of snow on the road. My Kia Rio made it up alright
2021-11-27 Posted By: mtnmike Info: Crags trailhead still accessible by any vehicle. Little bit of snow on the road but its packed down and wont be an issue.
2021-11-22 Posted By: wolfgangstiller Info: Crags road is still in good shape with no snow or ice causing a problem yet. Even 2wd should have no problems at all.