Capitol Creek Trailhead

CAMPING RESERVATION REQUIRED
A reservation is required to camp at Capitol Lake and permits are small in number. This means you may have to either day hike Capitol (long day) or find a dispersed camp outside of the "Capitol Lake Zone," which would be approximately 2 miles below the lake. Check for Capitol Lake camping permits at recreation.gov. For reference, also check out the Overnight Permit Zone Map

Location

RangeElk Mountains

Elevation9,450'

Lat/Lon39.23422, -107.07952

14ersCapitol Peak

Road Difficulty

3 Easy 4WD/AWD, good clearance

Rough 2WD to the horse-trailer parking spot, approx. 2 miles before the trailhead. Easy 4WD dirt to the TH. In spring and early summer, the road can get slippery on a steep hill. 4WD and good clearance is recommended in early summer.

Driving Directions

From Glenwood Springs, drive about 26 miles southeast on Colorado 82 and turn right on Snowmass Creek Road (this is not Snowmass Village). From the intersection of CO 82, it's 9.9 miles to the trailhead and the remainder of these directions assume you reset your trip-odometer at the intersection. Drive 1.7 miles to a junction and turn right on Capitol Creek road. Continue to 6.4 miles where the road turns to dirt. There's horse-trailer parking in this area and it's a good place to park if you have a low-clearance vehicle or the upper road is muddy. Continue up the rugged, narrow (and sometimes slick) road to reach the trailhead at approximately 9.9 miles.

On-Site Info

ParkingParking for about 20 vehicles.

CampingThere are a few places to set up a tent near the trailhead. Most people pack in to Capitol Lake to camp.

Restrooms?No

Fees?No

Photos

Winter Access

Unknown

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

Status Updates
Map


9/16/2018 Posted On: 9/16/2018 By: Misi197 Info: Completely dry and easy navigating for any vehicle with decent clearance. There was even a Toyota Corolla parked up there in addition to the usual collection of Subarus and Toyotas. Several good pull offs should you come across another vehicle. You can certainly see how even the slightest of rain could turn the road into a slippery endeavor. For now though...easy access.
9/13/2018 Posted On: 9/14/2018 By: hberry Info: Road is dry and in decent shape to the trailhead. Saw a Nissan Versa at the TH, I'm sure it bottomed out a few times on the way up.
7/15/2018 Posted On: 7/16/2018 By: thurs Info: You should actually be able to drive a 2WD vehicle to the upper TH...it's not rough at all. Saw a Chevy Malibu and a Buick up there. The berms are pretty steep though so particularly low-clearance or long wheelbase vehicles might high center. But your average honda civic should be able to make it.
4/5/2018 Posted On: 4/6/2018 By: soloclimber97 Info: Road was plowed up to about a mile away from the summer trailhead. Made it up the road to the trail head in trail runners.
12/10/2017 Posted On: 12/11/2017 By: krs1 Info: The summer TH can be reached if you have a 4x4 vehicle, the last mile is lightly covered with snow/ice, but one can reach the summer TH parking lot "if" you know how to drive.
9/7/2017 Posted On: 9/9/2017 By: kayleenann8 Info: The road is graded and in great shape. Dry all the way to the trailhead. The dirt is loose/sandy in some spots but my stock Subaru Outback easily made it. This road will likely be another story entirely if it's wet at all.
8/27/2017 Posted On: 9/17/2017 By: bking14ers Info: I've been to the TH before about 4yrs ago. The road back in there was much better this time. There's a couple high spots that a low clearance vehicle would rub on. If your a good driver and had a lower clearance vehicle, you can easily make it back in although you will rub in a couple places. If it's wet it would be a red mud, slippery mess I'm guessing.
8/20/2017 Posted On: 8/21/2017 By: chicagostylehotdog Info: The road is graded and in great shape. Got my stock 2009 honda civic up to the 4WD TH without much of an issue (bottomed out on soft dirt on small radius rolls approx. 3 times each way). The road is really dusty with soft dirt now, so I imagine the road will wear away quickly and you'll need more clearance. Ruts were already starting to form on some sections. I wouldn't recommend taking a sedan up there, mostly because it's narrow and if you need to let a car pass, you can easily get stuck in one of the pulloffs (like I almost did). I wasn't the only one with a sedan at the TH this weekend - I saw an Accord, a Versa, and a Corolla S up there.
8/10/2017 Posted On: 8/14/2017 By: hoff_hikes Info: Witnessed several cars being towed that were parked along side the road between the lower and upper parking lots while heading up last Thursday. Other then that, the road is in decent shape.
8/9/2017 Posted On: 8/9/2017 By: Britette Info: This is a notification from PitkinAlert: Road work on Capitol Creek Road mile marker 8.3 up to trail head. Today through the 18th, Mon-Fri, 7A-7P. Park at Hay Park or trail head, not on road, expect delays.
7/1/2017 Posted On: 7/5/2017 By: Amgdharper Info: Road up to trailhead is in great shape. It's bumpy yes. Last 600 ft before the TH you'll need high clearance 4wd. I've got an xterra pro4 and had no problem. The way people park on the side of the blows me away. Safe travels.
9/10/2016 Posted On: 9/11/2016 By: Roald Info: As stated in previous update, the last 0.5 mile of the road is pretty rough. A good driver can get a Subaru type vehicle all the way up, but high clearance 4WD recommended. Can't believe the crazy way people that can't make it are parking along the road.
4/26/2016 Posted On: 4/26/2016 By: WillRobnett Info: Snow clear within .9 miles of the upper trailhead. After precip last night the road was a little soft, no ruts other then 2/3 speed bumps. Photo at 7.3 miles from the junction.
12/28/2015 Posted On: 1/2/2016 By: Yikes Info: Can drive to ~9070' (?) where the road is no longer plowed; going right at the Y ends up at a house/mansion (there is a For Sale sign at the beginning of the driveway). There is room for maybe 2 cars at the Y (if the pull-off is plowed). I think it about 3/4 mile from summer TH. The road is steep and narrow, not much room to pass (but probably not much chance for oncoming traffic in winter).
8/30/2015 Posted On: 9/1/2015 By: addrock528 Info: When I drove up the road was totally dry. I was in my Scion xB, a low riding passenger car. I got up to .2 mi away from the trailhead where I believe you would need a Subaru or better to make it. I parked in a less than ideal pull off and don‘t recommend it. You see, it rained all that night and part of the next day and the road was muddy. It could have been very possible that my car would be stuck where I parked it. Luckily I got out with no problems, but know going into it that the difference between that road dry and wet is huge. Otherwise the road is in good shape.

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