Spruce/Crystal Creeks Trailhead

Location

RangeTenmile Range

Elevation10,400'

Lat/Lon39.43681, -106.05038

Road Difficulty

1 2WD, easy dirt

2WD dirt to the lower TH. 4WD to the upper Spruce Creek trailhead. Rough 4WD to the upper Crystal Creek area.

Driving Directions

From the south end of Breckenridge, drive 2 miles south on Colorado 9. Turn right on Spruce Creek Road. Stay right up a hill before turning left at an intersection. Continue another mile to reach the obvious 2WD trailhead at 10,400'. To continue to the upper, 4WD Spruce Creek trailhead, pass through the gate and drive nearly 2 miles to reach the end of the road, near 11,100'. If you're headed to the Crystal Creek area, leave the lower trailhead, and after 0.2 mile turn right and follow a steep, narrow, 4WD road that goes all the way to Lower Crystal Lake, at 12,000'.

On-Site Info

ParkingParking for about 20 vehicles, with overflow pull-offs lower on the road.

CampingNone

Restrooms?No

Fees?No

Photos

Winter Access

Lower TH (10,400') open in winter but the road up from Highway 9 is fairly steep and often requires AWD, at least.

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

Status Updates
Map


8/23/2011 Posted On: 8/24/2011 By: mstender Info: I drove all the way to the gate on Aqueduct Rd in a RAV4 4WD without any problems. There are a couple of deep ruts (dry) that require a little bit of clearance.
6/12/2011 Posted On: 6/12/2011 By: dougald Info: I drove about halfway to the upper parking today in my Rav 4 before snow forced a halt. A higher-clearance 4WD probably could have made it to the top without much trouble. Should be fully open within 3 or 4 days, I‘d estimate.
6/5/2011 Posted On: 6/9/2011 By: Nathan Hale Info: The standard winter parking lot is easily accessible, and most 2wd drive vehicles can get here (they were fixing some rough spots). Beyond that there is lots of snow, and you couldn‘t even start onto the 4wd roads.
7/14/2010 Posted On: 7/14/2010 By: kaiman Info: I just wanted to post an update that there is lots of water running down the 4WD road about 3/4 mile below Lower Crystal Lake. There is also a tricky stream crossing in the willows around treeline that I watched several parties negotiate with a second person directing them from outside the vehicle. Still drivable, but does require some caution.
6/28/2010 Posted On: 6/28/2010 By: IHikeLikeAGirl Info: I'm sure everyone knows this by now, but thought I'd add it anyway. Clear all the way until the road ends at the Spruce Creak TH, was wet in spots, but not muddy with all the rock imbedded in the road. As far as 4WD roads go, this one wasn't bad at all (IMHO). Any 4WD with reasonable clearance can make it with some care in a few spots. Saw a Subaru up there, but I probably wouldn‘t have taken a Subaru to the end. Not a ton of parking at the end, but there were several places to park between the lower 4WD parking and the upper. Beautiful area with a great trail, definitely worth the trip.
5/31/2010 Posted On: 6/3/2010 By: clemsonmtneer Info: Road is clear to the 2wd TH. Past this parking area, 4wd vehicles can make it another tenth of a mile up the road before there is a split... from this point, there is a gate blocking the Crystal Creek Road (which we hiked up) to the right, while to the left it looks like you can probably drive a good ways up the Spruce Creek Road... however, we didn‘t go down this road so I don‘t know how far you can make it.

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Spruce/Crystal Creeks Trailhead

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