Chihuahua Gulch Trailhead

Location

Range: Front Range
Coordinates: 39.60045, -105.83816
14ers: Grays Peak, Torreys Peak

Road Difficulty

4 (0=Paved, 6=Very Difficult 4WD)
Easy 4WD up to the Peru Creek road.4WD up the Chihuahua Gulch road.

Driving Directions

Take U.S. 6 to the west end of Keystone. If you are driving east on U.S. 6, take the exit for Montezuma Road before U.S. 6 begins its climb to Loveland Pass. If you are driving west (from Loveland Pass), turn left into the River Run area of the Keystone Ski Resort. Take another quick left and drive a bit to get to the Montezuma Road. Drive ~4.3 miles on the Montezuma road and turn left on the 260 (dirt) road. There is a large parking area at the start of this road. You do not need 4WD to get to the trailhead but do not drive a low-clearance vehicle up this road. From the parking area, drive along Peru Creek approx. 2.25 miles to the trailhead (left). There is a small parking area on the right.If you have a short, high-clearance 4WD vehicle, you can continue another 2 miles up the rough Chihauhau Gulch road.

Winter Access

The Peru Creek (260) road is closed at the start.

Status Updates
2021-05-20 Posted By: maxwellq Info: Peru Creek Road still closed. I hiked up the road a bit and it didn’t look too promising. Passenger cars likely wouldn’t make it much further than a mile, and there was a drift around the 2.3 mile mark that was 3-4 feet deep.	1	1
2021-05-02 Posted By: TakeMeToYourSummit Info: Gate is locked at the start of the Peru Creek Road until May 20th (per a sign).
2020-05-25 Posted By: mtngoatwithstyle Info: Peru Creek road is in good shape to be be driven for 3.23miles. A few mud holes but in good shape. After 3.23 miles, it is not plowed anymore and impossible to drive on it due to the amount of snow on it. Chichuahua Gulch TH- parking is not possible yet as it is covered by quite a bit of snow on pull off next to TH. Lenawee TH- clear for parking.		1
2019-06-01 Posted By: Carbinematt Info: peru creek road is still closed. We were looking to get up the road to go after Ruby Mtn again. There are massive avi debris fields after the first 2 mi. If you are looking to access anything up peru, be prepared to walk from the bottom. Snow conditions were rare, was able to stay afloat even near the bushes by the creek. With the amount of debris and snow on the road id be surprised if it opened 2019 at all. Safe travels, Matt	3
2016-06-12 Posted By: Chicago Transplant Info: Peru Creek road gate is open and road is mostly dry and in good shape. Should have no issues getting to Chihuahua Gulch turn off. See Argentine Pass update for road beyond this point.		3
2016-06-03 Posted By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Peru Creek road is still closed/gated at the lower parking area, at the junction with the Montezuma road.
2014-07-21 Posted By: Skieric Info: The wash-out on Montezuma Rd now has a temporary detour over the river to allow access to Peru Creek Trail and Chihuahua Trail head. I used the detour on or about July 12th.
2014-06-09 Posted By: 14erFred Info: Access to Peru Creek, Chihuahua Gulch, Horseshoe Basin, and Argentine Pass is closed until further notice. Last week the Snake River washed out a 45-foot length of road just west of the Peru Creek Trailhead, 0.6 miles west of the entrance to the town of Montezuma. The flooding caused severe road damage to a half-mile stretch of road west of the washout site, with the entire south lane destroyed in many spots. Road & Bridge will work throughout the summer to rebuild the washed-out section of road. Access for the general public may remain closed throughout the summer. Summit County officials announced they have closed Montezuma Road until further notice, prohibiting access to trailheads, trails and roads on national forest lands east of the flood site. The closure applies to skiers, snowmobilers, hikers, bikers, off-roaders and all other recreationalists looking to access Peru Creek Trailhead/Peru Creek Road, Chihuahua Gulch Road, Chihuahua Lake Trail, Sts. John Road, Webster Pass Road, Deer Creek Trailhead and Deer Creek Road, Morgan Gulch Road, Cinnamon Gulch Road, Argentine Pass Trail, Lenawee Trail, Warden Gulch Road, access to Grays and Torreys peaks, and the Continental Divide Trail from Grays Peak to Whale Peak. The easternmost turnaround location for vehicles with trailers is at a roadblock 3.12 miles east of the intersection of Highway 6 and Montezuma Road. Recreation-specific updates can be found at the White River National Forest website (www.fs.usda.gov/whiteriver), by navigating to the Alerts and Notices page using the button in the website’s upper right column. More information is available by calling the Dillon Ranger District at 970-468-5400.
2013-07-09 Posted By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Walked up the 4WD road into Chihauhau Gulch today. The stream crossing near 10,900 is still fairly deep but there‘s a small log-bridge to the right, just before the road crosses the stream. The upper road is fairly dry.
2011-07-01 Posted By: 14erFred Info: Dillon Ranger District states the Peru Creek road (FR 260) is now open to the Chihuahua Gulch trailhead (10,400 ft.) near the start of the Chihuahua Gulch Jeep Trail.
2008-07-13 Posted By: Chicalorado Info: Hiked to the Chihuahua Gulch TH from the base of the Chihuahua Gulch 4WD Road. Encountered several streams, but none were too deep, and all stock SUVs and trucks with descent clearance should be able to make it no problem. You sometimes had to scope the area first to find the best route across, but all streams were passable by foot.
2008-06-28 Posted By: BillMiddlebrook Info: Open and dry to the TH. From the trailhead, I continued on ATV to the end of the Chihauhau Gulch road - encountered some deep stream crossings but no snow.
2007-05-26 Posted By: bombing Info: gate is still closed at peru creek parking lot. hiked to chihuahua TH and it doesnt require snowshoes but still had snow.
2006-12-07 Posted By: blakeduncan Info: I drove up Montezuma road to the Peru Creek trailhead; the winter closure gate was locked. I then skinned up Peru Creek Road, which had alot of snowshoe/skin/snowmobile tracks all the way up to the Chihuahua Gulch trailhead, where I saw a single skin trail going up Chihuahua Gulch. Folks I met on Peru Creek Road said they went all the way up to Horseshoe Basin.
2006-12-07 Posted By: blakeduncan Info: I called the Ranger District office in Idaho Springs, and they said the Guanella Pass Road from Georgetown was plowed up to Clear Lake, 3 miles up, and then the road became ’impassable’.
2005-06-08 Posted By: BillMiddlebrook Info: The 260 road is completely open.
2005-06-06 Posted By: ColoradoScott Info: On Wed. June 1st the gate was still closed at the Montezuma Road.
2005-05-22 Posted By: BillMiddlebrook Info: As of 5/22 the gate is still closed at the start of the Peru Creek (260) road.