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Fall River Reservoir Trailhead

  
Posted By: nedryarson
Info: Chinns Lake road update - as others have said, this road is no joke. Was able to get my stock 2012 Xterra up to the first dam before a large snow drift blocks the road. Scraped a few times on the way down. Only other vehicles up there - lifted Tacoma, lifted Land Cruiser, lifted Wrangler.
 
Posted By: hberry
Info: I was able to make it within 1/4 mile of the gate at the Reservoir. The road is blocked by deep snow at this point and will likely be many weeks until it is melted out.

A Tacoma was trying to make it through this snow and the driver got it buried quite deep in the snow. I did not stick around to see if they got dug out.
 
Posted By: martinmq
Info: Was able to make it to the lower CDT junction in standard 4WD with no issues. Some bigger snowbanks right before the uphill section leading to the upper CDT junction. Snow was continuous on the road from there on but thin in spots so I don’t expect it to last through the week. On my way out there were some jeeps pushing higher up the road so will probably be drivable to upper junction or farther now.
 
Posted By: SherpaSara
Info: I tried to get up to the CDT TH along Rainbow Road, but encountered snow about 0.8 miles out. There are twin tire tracks that go to the ground in most places, but I only made it about 0.1 miles before starting to scrape the bottom of my truck. I was not sure if theres anywhere to park/turn around, so I just backed up and headed out.

It seems to be melting fast though, so maybe another few cycles of sunny days and itll be passable at least to the CDT intersection.
 
Posted By: Bombay2Boulder
Info: There are 2 parts to this road- the final 0.25 to the CDT cutoff is pretty bumpy but is easily doable in any regular hatchback. I even saw a sedan parked there. Go figure. This section however gives a good idea of how bumpy the rest of the road will be if you decide to go past the CDT TH to the reservoir. IMO, this road is totally doable by a subaru till the reservoir. I could have easily taken mine to the the end but wasn’t sure based on some of the condition reports some had posted here. The only real obstacle is 1.28 miles in from the CDT TH, even that can be bypassed with a moderately skilled driver taking a good line. There are some camp spots at the CDT TH and a couple more just past it by the hairpin. There are lots of private property signs in various pull outs on the road, be very careful especially if you are arriving in the dark as most of the signs wont’ be visible.

Side note, more of rant- I have barely spent any time in the front range in the last 3 years, but was absolutely shocked by how the conditions of the dispersed campsites were in this area, I tried to pack out as much trash as I can, but absolutely disgusted with the amount and kind of trash that is there in this region. This along with loud music, ATVers going wild, gun shooting near the road/trail, raging bonfires in the middle of the day. This was fall day and a cold weekend, but I cannot imagine how this area will be in summer. In a way, I am grateful places like these exist as they take the brunt of the average person who wants to go camping near Denver and this leaves a lot of other parts of the state from being overrun, regardless a very sorry state of the region. Some very aggressive signage is required for this region for trash and campsite etiquettes.
 
Posted By: Aardvark
Info: Was able to get to the lake in an F-250 4x4, although the last 0.2 miles required 4x4 Low transmission setting.
 
Posted By: ekalina
Info: This update is about the Continental Divide Trail access point on the way to Fall River Reservoir. The access point is 1.6 miles from the start of the Rainbow Road, and has a small parking area on the left side of the road at 39.811256, -105.667339. The first 1.3 miles of the road are easy, any vehicle could make them. But at 1.3 miles the road abruptly becomes robust 4wd for the last 0.3 miles to the CDT access. Pickups, jeeps, and the like won’t have an issue. I took my Subaru and was able to get to the access point parking, but I’d rather not do it again (that said I like to baby my car). Unfortunately I don’t think there are any legitimate parking options below this point due to the private property in the area.
 
Posted By: hberry
Info: Able to drive within less than a half mile of the Reservoir with a lifted 4WD Tundra. For sure needed 4WD to get that far.
 
Posted By: Kitten
Info: Road open and passable for high clearance except for the last 0.3 miles to the Reservoir. Quite a bit of a crowd up there this weekend, mostly 4-wheels and ATVs, and shooters. The place is trashed out already, which was unexpected this early in the season, I hate to see a beautiful place trashed this way...
 
Posted By: shaunblair
Info: Rainbow road in good condition all the way to the Fall River Reservoir gate.

AVOID the Mackinaw Lane "shortcut", Google Maps took me this way and this road is barely passable in a small (short wheelbase) 4WD vehicle using low gears and select tire placement.
 
Posted By: druid2112
Info: For what it’s worth, I made it 1.5 miles in Henry the Camry. It would have been mostly passable to that quasi-parking area about another 1/4-1/2 mile up, but there was enough spice before that to make me glad I parked at 1.5 miles. Any decent 4WD should have no problems, tho.
 
Posted By: GregMiller
Info: Road is quite rocky, would recommend high clearance 4wd. Only saw jeeps/trucks/similar at the lake. Probably could get a Subaru 1/2 to 2/3‘s of the way up the road.
 
Posted By: CarpeDM
Info: I was able to get my Subaru Forester to the Reservoir. The last 2 miles were bumpy. I didn‘t see any low clearance 2wds at the reservoir, but there were a few that made it to various points on that last 2 miles.
 
Posted By: Frontrangeskier
Info: This trailhead is for access to Fall River Reservoir and Chinns Lake. Unofficial trailhead for Parry Peak, Mt. Bancroft and Mt. Eva.(13ers). Dirt road is now snow covered but driveable with a good 4 Wheel Drive and good tires. It is starting to drift so it is possible to get stuck.
 

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