About this campground
The trail travels through aspens and meadows with patches of spruce and fir. It is hard to follow at times so be sure and carry a compass and map. Cattle graze in the area making lots of trails. Please leave gates in the position that you found them. For safety, bicycles must yield to hikers, who in turn yield to horses. Keep your speed down and ride safely. To protect wildlife please leave your dog at home; this is an important wildlife area for elk. This trail should not be ridden prior to June 21st annually to avoid disturbing calving elk.
Getting there
From Carbondale follow Hwy 82 east and turn left at the stoplight at El Jebel. Go through El Jebel and travel about 5 miles on county road 13 to the Basalt Mountain Road (509). Turn right onto road #509, proceed 2 miles and take the left fork, which immediately goes downhill. At the bottom of the hill is cow camp, go right and follow this road about 2.5 miles to an old wooden locked gate. The trail starts approximately 50 feet south of this gate. Please park in the new parking lot 300 feet back. Note: Road #509 is impassable when wet past the intersection with the Basalt Mountain road #524.
Activities
- HORSEBACK RIDING
- HIKING
- BIKING
Nearby federal campgrounds
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Cattle Creek #1909 doesn't take campsite reservations — but plenty of nearby Colorado campgrounds do, and we'll alert you the moment a sold-out site opens up.
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