Clear Creek Canyon
Clear Creek Canyon
4.5
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Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
15 reviews
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MyBucketListTrips
409 contributions
May 2023 • Family
This is a beautiful drive along Clear Creek between Idaho Springs and Boulder. Look for signs for Hwy 4. There are many places to park along the route to stop, walk, take photos. One could spend a day enjoying and exploring this scenic route.
Written 23 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly F
Cascade, CO95 contributions
Apr 2017 • Family
This is very off the beaten path but well worth the drive. The ghost towns of Clear Creek Canyon is between Buena Vista, and Leadville, Colorado on County Road 390 West. This is in Chaffee County Colorado.
Off of Highway 24, north of Buena Vista, or Highway 24, south of Leadville, take Chaffee County Road 390 West. This road is Colorado dirt road, which means it is composed of crushed granite and easily accessible by a 2WD vehicle. We took an SUV and had no issues with the road itself.
The you turn on County Road 390, you will travel 6.1 miles to Beaver City, the first ghost town. There are 3 distinct ruins here. One is a cabin that is relatively intact and you can see how people constructed housing back in the 1800's. There are ruins of several other buildings and outbuildings as well. There are 2 more cabins that are not in good shape but you can see where they were.
The next ghost town is Vicksburg and is another 1.5 miles west of Beaver City. This is a larger established mining encampment with several buildings to view. In the summertime, there is a museum that is open to the public as well.
Rockdale and Winfield are on west of Vicksburg, but unfortunately, we did not get to go to them on the day we traveled. An avalanche had occurred several days before the there were trees blocking the road on west.
This is a great way to spend an afternoon, learning about our history and seeing how people lived all those years ago. The area was settled due to silver mining and boasted quite a population back in that day.
The scenery is breathtaking and that alone is worth the trip! Unfortunately, many people chose to carve their names, or other words in the Aspen trees at Vicksburg. That is so sad because it really takes away from the beauty of nature in the area. Carving or cutting on an Aspen tree will cause it to form a black scar over the injury. Please, if you go, DO NOT cut into the trees. Leave them for others to enjoy. It is up to us to take care of these beautiful areas!
Off of Highway 24, north of Buena Vista, or Highway 24, south of Leadville, take Chaffee County Road 390 West. This road is Colorado dirt road, which means it is composed of crushed granite and easily accessible by a 2WD vehicle. We took an SUV and had no issues with the road itself.
The you turn on County Road 390, you will travel 6.1 miles to Beaver City, the first ghost town. There are 3 distinct ruins here. One is a cabin that is relatively intact and you can see how people constructed housing back in the 1800's. There are ruins of several other buildings and outbuildings as well. There are 2 more cabins that are not in good shape but you can see where they were.
The next ghost town is Vicksburg and is another 1.5 miles west of Beaver City. This is a larger established mining encampment with several buildings to view. In the summertime, there is a museum that is open to the public as well.
Rockdale and Winfield are on west of Vicksburg, but unfortunately, we did not get to go to them on the day we traveled. An avalanche had occurred several days before the there were trees blocking the road on west.
This is a great way to spend an afternoon, learning about our history and seeing how people lived all those years ago. The area was settled due to silver mining and boasted quite a population back in that day.
The scenery is breathtaking and that alone is worth the trip! Unfortunately, many people chose to carve their names, or other words in the Aspen trees at Vicksburg. That is so sad because it really takes away from the beauty of nature in the area. Carving or cutting on an Aspen tree will cause it to form a black scar over the injury. Please, if you go, DO NOT cut into the trees. Leave them for others to enjoy. It is up to us to take care of these beautiful areas!
Written 26 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pmjc
Tucson, AZ793 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
This place is a gem, and so accessible from Denver. The scenery combines green hills with granite cliffs, a rushing stream, tunnels, bridges with numerous pull-offs which allow you to take it all in. Stop and stare at the cliffs and pretty soon you'll be able to spot the rock climbers, as spots of color start moving on the wall. Sturdy folks. A relatively flat, paved walking / biking trail makes it a great spot for those of us who can't scamper up rock faces like monkeys. I lived in Denver back in the 60's and a trip up Clear Creek Canyon is the surest way to bring back all those wonderful memories. Do it.
Written 13 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cmillerus
Jacksonville, FL44 contributions
Nov 2018 • Family
The best discover was on the way back. I 70 back to Denver had a fair amount of traffic so we decided to take route 6 back towards Golden and get back on 70 there. Mama and I were loving the alpine views and the snow covered mountains and trees. Based on a complete whorang in the morning trying to leave the hotel the girls hadn’t really gotten to play in the snow. The road runs along the creek and on the opposite side is an improved paved trail. So I pulled off at the Mayhem Gulch Trailhead parking lot. We braved a little ice and walked over the foot bridge spanning the creek. The whole area was covered in powdery Colorado snow. The girls had a blast running and playing in the snow, and so did Mama and Papa. We had a great time and check off playing in the Colorado mountains and snow. We all agreed this would be a great place to come back too in summer. We imagined riding our bikes all the way down the expansive trail. The drive back continued to be full of great views.
Written 28 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet F
Highlands Ranch, CO1,120 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
We often take this drive as an alternative to I70, especially if traffic is heavy. It is a pleasant run along the creek, with lots of pretty scenery. The landscape is dotted with old mines, antique homes, and nice trees.
Written 26 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JTr
Highlands Ranch, CO1,037 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
Fun ride down the frontage road from Georgetown to Idaho Springs. Saw a couple of rafts, the mines, and the old cemetery.
Saw a large group of bachelor sheep in Dumont - about 18 animals - sad that most vehicles were going to fast to see them.
Saw some activity at the climbing towers.
Saw a large group of bachelor sheep in Dumont - about 18 animals - sad that most vehicles were going to fast to see them.
Saw some activity at the climbing towers.
Written 3 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
finesilver
Denver, CO2,191 contributions
Oct 2018 • Business
A Canyon up near Georgetown and through Golden. Classic Colorado scenery with a creek running next to the road. great views, vistas and photo ops.
Probably not worth seeking out but worth checking out if in the area.
Probably not worth seeking out but worth checking out if in the area.
Written 20 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken Q
Denver, United States824 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
This is a very scenic area that you can enjoy while driving to the mountains. You can stop and take a break and enjoy the views.
Written 24 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JenniferVaughn
Denver, CO18 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
Beautiful area to explore within close proximity to Black Hawk where we stayed. The creek is gorgeous as are the divide views while driving up I70. There's also quite a few activities to do here including Indian Hot Springs, Clear Creek Rafting, Zip lining, more than a few Mine Tours and food & shops in Idaho Springs.
Written 27 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hilla B
Sarasota, FL143 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
The drive up Clear Creek Canyon on route 6 winds along Clear Creek offering a pleasant drive up through the canyon. In the canyon there are two country parks for hiking, biking, fishing and prospecting with paved parking and restroom facilities. Alone the drive are numerous pull offs to park and go trout fishing in Clear Creek.
Written 14 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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