Kite Lake Trailhead

Posted On: 10/19/2025 By: madmattd
Info: Road still closed at the gate ~1.25mi from Kite Lake for construction. Room to park ~6 vehicles near the gate before anyone else has to park along the road (where there is room to pass you please!!!). No construction vehicles anywhere in the closed section. Looks like they've moved a bunch of dirt around in the main parking lot and 1 other spot below the switchbacks but right now it's just a mess since they appear to be mid-project.

Road to the gate is about the same as always, OK for lower clearance with some care, though there was a bit more wash boarding on the way up than I remember from past trips. The upper road through the switchbacks to the (under de/construction) parking lot seemed about the same as always - rougher with some awkward boulders and ruts here and there to challenge lower-clearance vehicles. So far no signs that this section of road is getting any TLC as a part of the trailhead work, I don't know if that is in Alma's plans or not.

Posted On: 9/3/2025 By: mikegarner77
Info: Reached the trailhead on 9/2/25 for a quick 14er hike. Still open, no sign of construction yet. I went because 1/I was missing one of the summits and 2/despite what I read here and the official update from the forest service, the Town of Alma's facebook page seems to have the most current info. Advise keeping a tab on it: https://www.facebook.com/TownOfAlma as they were aware that the closure was postponed to 9/7 back on 8/25. They further shared earlier in August this update which makes it sound like even with the closure, you still have access though with about 2.8mi additional on your roundtrip.

:
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Construction from the access gate to the parking lot of Kite Lake Day Use and Campground begins September 1st. The road will be closed from the gate up, and the rest rooms will be closed as well.
You may still hike from the Sweet Home Mine up to the trail heads of Emma Lake and the Decalibron 14ers Loop (Mt Democrat, Lincoln, and Bross).
Temporary toilets will be staged below construction.
The Town of Alma is working in conjunction with the National Forest Service to improve the parking lot and road.

Posted On: 9/2/2025 By: Abraxas
Info: Just want to confirm the trailhead is, indeed, still open if only for this week.

Hiked the DeCaLiBron this morning and even when I got back around 11am the lot wasn't full. All the ugly ruts mentioned are also still there if only for this week!

Posted On: 8/29/2025 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: Per Alma's FB page:
"The closing of Kite Lake/Decalibron trailhead access road has been pushed back one week to September 7."

This is a temporary closure to work on the road and it is expected to be closed through most of October. Here's the original closure info: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/alerts/nsfr-8-closure?fbclid=IwY2xjawMew3RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHi5PqQLJVCkv5HpApOimF5QWi7OQLxCpQCURoX3yLXU3Nz0Hh3E_7cxj7G0h_aem_h0kiLBMqICkK7O4Zci1ZoA

Posted On: 8/20/2025 By: SloanerBroner
Info: The road is rocky and a little bumpy is spots, but otherwise it may as well just be a standard dirt road until after the one switchback at the end of the road. There is a decent sized dip right before the campground lot but as long as you can find a good line over it and have good tires, you should be able to manage it without any issues.

Posted On: 7/28/2025 By: transplant_hiker
Info: The road is rocky and bumpy. That's about it. I was able to go up at a decent speed in an crew cab F150 in 2 wheel drive.

There is 1 little spot with a dip that is decent sized - but if you have any sort of ground clearance, you will be fine. I even saw sedans up there... you can do it.

That said, the trailhead is a busy place but the road gets even busier. I was there at 6pm on a Friday and got one of the last spots that was not beside the bathroom. Shortly after that, the place was packed. If you are going to camp, I suggest get there early. If you are not going to camp, please park down the road and be prepared to walk the extra distance as to not disturbed the people trying to sleep.

Not sure what it looks like during the week but on the weekend, it is definitely crowded.

Posted On: 7/25/2025 By: overthe59hill
Info: I returned for the Kite Lake 14ers on July 24, 2025. The trailhead road has sketchy places, but my Frontier made it in 4low. I followed an SUV that had trouble at one spot over a crater, complicated with surrounding rocks, but a third run over it and he succeeded. I may never return to this trailhead, but next year I expect it to be graded and improved because of the plans to work on it this fall. There is room for about 30 vehicles.

There are two fee areas. The lower (first) place was overflowing with everyone's payments. Not good. I knew there was an upper fee area and paid mine there. Just fill out the envelope. They don't have anything to put on your dashboard, as they did in past years.

Posted On: 7/18/2025 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: UPDATE: The Kite Lake road closure will now start on September 1st, 2025. The order says you can't use that section of road, which is essentially the last mile. The peaks are not "closed" but it's clear you cannot walk on or near that portion of the road. So, climb another route or wait until after the closure is lifted.
USFS Alert Details

Posted On: 7/16/2025 By: amderr22
Info: The Forest Service just announced that the Kite Lake Trailhead and road will be closed August 1, 2025 through November 15, 2025, for road and trailhead construction. You won't be able to hike or bike past the construction zone. Because the Kite Lake loop is the only legally approved route for accessing the Decalibron 14ers (according to Colorado Fourteeners Initiative), the four peaks will essentially be closed for the remainder of the season after August 1.

Posted On: 7/5/2025 By: dquinn
Info: Bring a pen or pencil. The $8 parking permit is paid in cash only, at a permit post about a mile before the trailhead, using envelopes provided there. There is info to fill out on the envelope before depositing. I lucked out that the car arriving just after me had a pencil. Penalty for no permit is $47.

Road is bumpy but easily driveable most of the way. Last 1/2 mile or so is a lot of softball/melon sized rocks and big dips, worsening as you get closer to TH, but still navigable. Just expect some rocking. No worse than the road to Grays/Torreys summer TH.

Posted On: 6/23/2025 By: awpalmer27
Info: Road is dry all the way to Kite Lake. I wasn’t able to make it all the way to the trailhead in my FWD Promaster. Clearance wasn’t an issue, but lack of traction on the last 1/4 mile prevented me from getting to the top. Like other posters have said, there are enough pullouts in this last section for those who can’t make it or don’t want to try. Seems like the last 1/2 mile is more easy 4wd road than rough 2wd road, but maybe that’s just when you’ve driving a giant box on wheels.

Posted On: 6/20/2025 By: uppercasenumber
Info: For my nervous drivers out there! This road is very trivial up to a certain point. The last half mile of the road does get a bit more burly, but there is additional parking just before this section, and you can park on the side of the road if this particular lot is full. I saw some un-sporty vehicles at this point, so most vehicles could make it within half a mile of Kite Lake.

Posted On: 5/10/2025 By: HikesInGeologicTime
Info: Road closed/gated at the start of the fee area (has been the winter TH some years). High enough drift of snow right below the parking to likely ward off a lower-clearance vehicle, but most should be able to make it to one of the pull-offs before it.

Posted On: 4/13/2025 By: daway8
Info: Road mostly dry until about 1.6mi from the summer trailhead, then intermittent snow drifts for maybe half a mile before the final stretch becomes all snow. It will take a good bit more warm weather before you'll be able to drive all the way to Kite Lake. There was room for multiple vehicles to pull over along the side of the road just before the snow starts.

Posted On: 1/1/2025 By: marcstrawser
Info: plowed to Paris.