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Boulder Ranger District

Quick Facts

Mammoth Gulch Cross-country Ski Trail

Beginning Elevation:	8,900 Feet (2713 Meters)
Difficulty:	Easy to More Difficult
Elevation Gain:	1,420 Feet (442.6 Meters)
Ending Elevation:	10,340 Feet (3152 Meters)
Length, Round Trip:	10.0 Miles (16.1 Kilometers)
Road Number:	#176
Usage:	Light to Moderate
USGS Maps:	Nederland; Central City; Empire

		Satellite and Topo Map

General Description

This relatively easy trail follows an old road southwest of Nederland, west of Rollinsville. The road offers a fine view of the Giant's Ladder, a series of old railroad switchbacks on Rollins Pass. Beyond Teller Lake, a smooth snow patch to your right in the bottom of the gulch, take the middle of three forks in the road where a sign points out Mammoth Basin to the southeast and Nebraska Hill to the southwest. Continue steadily uphill with the gulch below you on your right cradling Mammoth Creek Reservoir. Head west along the steep north side of the Pile Hill past an old steam boiler, log shack, and an abandoned road grader, to the Mammoth Mining Co. buildings. To return, go back to the boiler and contour down into the gulch and back past Mammoth Creek Reservoir to the Mammoth Gulch Road.

Directions from Nederland: Travel south on Colorado Highway 119 to Rollinsville. Head west on a dirt road signed Rollins Pass Road. Drive 0.2 miles beyond the town of Tolland and turn up Mammoth Gulch Road as far as road conditions permit. Park on the side of the road.

Seasonal Information:
Normal Winter Season: Late December through April (NOTE: Seasons vary depending on snowFall.) .

Fee Information

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		Current Conditions & Trip Reports
		Add your own trip Report! Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others. This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip report Filed By: H Berdan (Boulder, CO) Time of Day: mid day Length of Time: 4-5 hours Difficulty: Easy Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl Recommend to a Friend: Neutral Report: Regardless of the written description, do not expect to be able to drive up this road in the winter! Park at the road jct just west of Tolland and ski or hike from that point. If you try to drive this road you are likely to get stuck with no place to turn around! The intial section of this trail can be very windswept and have variable snow conditions. After reaching the FR junction after a mile or so the snow conditions will improve somewhat, but this entire route is subjected to west winds almost continously and can be scoured. Be prepared to walk, especially in the first mile! It is possible to use this route to approach the top of Colorado Mountain and ski the Jenny Lind Gulch area from the top. Do not turn into Mammoth Gulch from the initial trail, but continue on road a couple of miles; best to look at a topo. Conditions: Usually windy! This trail can be a lot of fun if you hit it immediately after a good snowfall, but the wind scours it in many sections. Water Availability: No water there except snowmelt. Mammoth Reservoir does not have any water, it was torn out in the 1980's. Recommended Clothing: Very windy, prepare for that. Suggested Accessories: If you ski be sure your ski boots are comfortable for walking on mixed rock/ice conditions! Maybe a better snowshoe trail than a ski trail! Filed By: Scott Rohling Time of Day: Noon Length of Time: 2 hours - but we didn't get to Mammoth Lake Difficulty: Easy Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl Recommend to a Friend: Neutral Report: We ended up parking off the East Portal road, where it forks up to Mammoth Lake, etc. It's really not drivable due to wind drifts. So it's a long hike to even get where this trip starts! Conditions: Not great for snowshoes. Windy, and road is packed snow. The view makes up for it. Water Availability: We had a thermos of tea and a liter of water. We didn't go far, so no problem Recommended Clothing: silk thermals - good ski pants. Muffler or neck band is a MUST with the wind. You need it for your neck and your mouth. Suggested Accessories: Just bring a good neck band, muffler, or mask.