Nellie Creek Trailhead

Posted On: 7/14/2025 By: paigemoney
Info: June 13/14 post-construction update – My first time on this road, and WOW, it is PHENOMENAL. (I drive a Wrangler.) Easily the smoothest 4WD road I’ve driven in Colorado. A couple of things worth noting: the creek crossings and subsequent sharp turns are exactly as pictured and described by others. There are some large bumps—like exaggerated speed bumps with a lot of up-and-down motion. Clearance would still be helpful, I think. I never had to pick a line; the road was truly amazing. The biggest issue on this road is passing. There are pull-offs, but you’ll need to be prepared to back up to let others by. On Sunday at 3:30 p.m., there was still quite a bit of traffic coming down. There was still decent side-by-side traffic leaving Monday mid-morning. The hardest part was passing full-sized pickup trucks, but fortunately everyone was kind and did their best to move over.

Posted On: 7/12/2025 By: Flips
Info: The maintenance on the road has improved the drivability immensely. We joked wondering when they were going to paint the center stripe.

Posted On: 6/23/2025 By: tdc001
Info: Updated info from the Hinsdale County Administrator: Nellie Creek Road 877, off of CR 20 in Hinsdale County, will be closed weekdays for road maintenance from June 23 through July 10th. Hinsdale County Road Crews, under agreement with the USFS Gunnison Ranger District, will be maintaining the road with heavy equipment, focusing on improved safety and drainage. NFSR 877 will be closed to vehicular use by the public Monday-Thursday 6/23-7/10. Those wishing to access the Uncompahgre Trailhead will need to plan on parking off County Road 20 at the base of NFSR 877. The road will be open for use Friday- Sunday during the maintenance project.

Posted On: 6/21/2025 By: BillMiddlebrook
Info: ALERT!! Starting Monday, June 23rd, 2025, the Nellie Creek road will be CLOSED Monday through Thursday for the next several weeks while Hinsdale County conducts Road Maintenance.

Posted On: 6/23/2025 By: asmenyak
Info: Road was sketchy but just barely doeable in our Rav4. A few bumps along the way but nothing too insane. We did stop and camp just before the first creek crossing, but later on we watched a CRV go through so it's definitely possible with the right amount of gumption, and after that it's mostly the same conditions as the bottom half if not better. Don't attempt this one in anything less than AWD, and 4WD with decent clearance is definitely preferred. Note that the bathroom at the upper trailhead seems to be boarded shut.

Posted On: 6/7/2025 By: Cuttlefishette
Info: Creek's running high! Hiked up 6/6. Road actually looks to be in really good shape, considering all the rain, but both creek crossings are pretty gnarly right now. One little spot of old snow, but nothing to write home about. Mud's a little rough on the way down though. Saw the same trucks and jeeps at the TH that always make it. Creek's another story. At the first crossing (~2mi), you're going straight against the current for maybe 40 feet before you hit the main creek, which gets to be about knee deep towards the left side and looked even deeper to the right. Rocks aren't too slippery or sharp if you want to barefoot it (I did, no regrets, actually not that cold) but no way to boot across without getting soaked. At the second crossing, there're a couple navigable logs a few yards upstream of the road; they're a little PG-13 when dry, but get slippery enough in the rain that I'd bump them up to an R. Campsites up top were mostly dry and mostly empty on a Friday afternoon, I recommend the little meadow at around 3.7mi. A little farther from the TH than other options, but way better views. Overall, if you're walking the creek road this season, I'd bring a towel, trekking poles, and a change of socks.

Posted On: 3/31/2025 By: jacolc
Info: CR20 dry in 99%. Winter gated 0.3m above intersection with 4WD, 5miles from LakeC. 4WD section above CR20 well packed by skiers, snowshoers and scouts (they bivi 0.6m below upper TH). No sign of snowmobiles.

Posted On: 10/16/2024 By: indyjmatt33
Info: Made it to the top in a stock 4Runner. Can honestly say this is the worst road I've driven on. Very narrow, with very sharp turns up the switchbacks. Myself, or others, had to backup several times to allow others to share the 1 lane road. Got a few pinstripes from how narrow the road is. I tapped my skid plate twice going down--likely user fault, but still difficult. Tons of side-by-sides and ATVs. Only other cars we saw were another 4Runner, Bronco, and a Jeep.

Posted On: 9/16/2024 By: DrewJHartmann
Info: Pretty gnarly drive; but fun and doable if you are prepared & capable! I made it to the upper trailhead in my stock Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk; I had a spotter which was tremendously helpful and didn't have any issues getting up there. Only thing is, there are very few places to pull off, so traffic can be a bit sketchy. Overall, this road is doable with 4wd, off-road experience, and high clearance; I would highly suggest having a spotter as well for when it gets tight or traffic arrives.

Posted On: 9/16/2024 By: ColoNativeGal
Info: Didn't think it was as bad as what I had read. Definitely need a good 4w vehicle with good clearance. Road is narrow and S curve is very tight. Would not recommend for full size truck, but did see stock F150, Tacoma, 4Runner, Jeep and I think a Tundra at the upper TH. We made it no issue in a Jeep Gladiator with 4" lift.

Posted On: 8/23/2024 By: mountainero
Info: Drove a 2DR JK Rubicon on metric 33's to the TH, took about 30 minutes both ways. Hard to measure the difficulty given the capability of my vehicle, but in my opinion, as long as you've got some good tires (aired down) and decent clearance you'd be fine. I thought the worst part was the off camber section at ~3 miles. It's slow, but nothing crazy and faster than walking. Saw a one ton dodge and a suburban at the TH.

Posted On: 7/23/2024 By: djrey002
Info: This road is technically Subaru-able but don't think I would do it again. I made it to the top in a stock Subaru Forester Wilderness (~9.2 inch clearance) but would think you would want to have a Wilderness or modified Subaru to even attempt it. I did air down the tires to ~20 PSI, picked lines very carefully, and still scraped the skid plate in a few spots. It took about 45 minutes each way and I only had to pass a few vehicles on the way down. Creek crossings were not an issue. I was the only Subaru at the upper TH and other vehicles that I saw at the top included Tacomas, FJ's, Tundras, Wranglers, and somehow a Jeep Liberty and a Suburban.

Posted On: 7/19/2024 By: F5fourteeners
Info: Definitely a 4x4 road above the 2-wheel trail head. 4-wheel low, take your time, and pick your line. I wheeled a full sized Tundra up there, no problem. 2 water crossings, and couple of hair pin turns that required a 3-point turn, but totally manageable. Not many places to pass opposite traffic, but its workable. Note: The high trail head toilet is still not open. Appears that maybe its permanently closed. Only about half of the camp sites were occupied on a Friday morning.

Posted On: 7/18/2024 By: ScottHendrick
Info: This is a challenging four miles. We needed 45 minutes in our 2022 Tacoma. Had to drop into L4 twice, including the second stream crossing. Encountered no vehicles driving in on Wednesday night.

Posted On: 7/6/2024 By: IHikeLikeAGirl
Info: Made it to the top in a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, ~8.5" clearance. The only issue I had was coming out of the 2nd creek crossing. Steepish bank on exit, then sharp left, steep, rocky switchback left. I couldn't see the line to take ahead of time and didn't have enough speed. Spun tires. Should have gotten out and viewed how to back up and get a better run at it (there's a pull out there). Instead I put in 4 low, spun the tires a bit more and got thru it. I did not hit bottom once (up or down). As the previous posters have said: go slow, pick your line, and know your vehicle's limits. This is not a road for people inexperienced on 4wd roads FYI: There was a Subie Forester up there.