Eldorado Canyon Trail is a 10.6 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Eldorado Springs, Colorado that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, horses, and snowshoeing. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Eldorado Canyon State Park charges a fee to enter. Entrance fees are $10/vehicle or $4/person for any non-vehicle entry. An annual pass is also available for $80. The Eldorado Canyon Trail is an excellent trail for most users, offering a nice amount of up and downs, beautiful views of the surrounding rocky mountains and canyon, and great access to the south Boulder Creek at the end. Users report that the parking area is hidden and can be difficult to find, so arriving earlier in the day is a helpful way to ensure that parking is found and available. The visitor center has limited hours and no indoor restrooms, offering outdoor restrooms instead. Kids will love seeing the trains go by, way up high on the ridge as users climb up the steady incline. As the trail moves up to the summit, there are several benches in the first half of the route to make the views easier and offers a few rest points. Along the way, there is a small waterfall, with water tumbling over the rocks and limited areas to spread out and enjoy the views. Overall, this is a great hike that offers quite a lot for any user in any season, especially for those with a Colorado State Parks pass!
April 18, 2021About a third of this trail was slush today, as we expected. Took a little over 4 hours
April 12, 2021Completed yesterday 4.11.21 in about 4 hours. This trail and park in general are beautiful and super underrated! We arrived at about 10:30 and there were only 7 parking spots left in the whole park! So be sure to get their early, especially in summer. Trail was tough with the extra incline to get back to the top from the river, but so worth it. Completely dry. Not super busy. Almost everyone was still wearing masks. Views for daaays!
April 11, 20214/11/21 - Glad we made the decision to do the descent to the river. A great place to rest and have some snacks before the way up and back. Will be feeling this one tomorrow! Pretty views throughout and not too crowded.
April 11, 2021Very dry trail but was relatively crowded on a Sunday in April. It’s mostly an incline until the last mile or so takes you straight downhill to a creek. We turned around up top and it was almost exactly 5 miles, so you can modify this hike to do that instead too. Be careful as there is some private property close to the top that is clearly marked with signs. Would do this hike again, it was so nice and dry and sunny for springtime.
April 11, 2021Gorgeous trail & great views throughout. I would agree with previous reviews that this trail should be rated “hard” rather than “moderate.” I clocked over 2,000 feet of elevation gain & much of that happens more than halfway through the hike when you are headed back to the trailhead. Parts are very steep. I loved it today, but would have struggled if I was looking for a moderate hike.
April 10, 2021Beautiful trail with a good amount of gain. Did the out and back in a total of 3 hours with a short rest stop at the creek to eat a snack. Trail was pretty dry (only a few short muddy spots) due to lots of sun. There is intermittent shade but I highly suggest you wear sunscreen and a hat.
April 9, 2021A “hard” moderate for All Trails. No bikes allowed! Hidden gem. Completely dry. Amazing view of downtown Denver. Streams and a beautiful river perfect for lunch at the turnaround point. We will be back.
April 9, 2021Beautiful day, no snow at all. Views are good near the high point, and I could even see Denver. The river at the end was a nice place to eat some snacks.
April 8, 2021Arrived around 12:30 on a Thursday with ample parking left. Not heavily crowded, nice & dry conditions. Lovely views! Took 3 hours to do 6.5 miles.
April 4, 2021Beautiful trail! Majority of trail super dry, very few icy/muddy spots. No spikes needed.
April 3, 2021Beautiful trail, beautiful park! Initially tricky to find parking (til a park ranger opened another lot) so would recommend getting there earlier rather than later.
March 31, 2021Excellent trail, nice amount of up and downs, beautiful views, south Boulder creek at the end is really cool as well. A bit icy in a few places but not too bad.
March 28, 2021Great hike! Crampons were definitely helpful for sections but might be manageable without them. Very few people around 9 am, lots on the way back around 11-12
March 27, 2021March 21, 2021March 20, 2021Slushy and slippery on the way down!
March 20, 2021Really spectacular hike last week for it being right at the beginning of some snow. Got a bit of fresh powder on the trees and trail and was much quieter in the park than normal. Overall, a moderate and pleasant hike. Not overly strenuous but enjoyable throughout. Highly recommend once you meet up with Walker Ranch Loop to go on the trail for just a bit (half mile maybe?) hang the left and hang at the river for a while. Probably the best part of the hike! Crampons helped at a few points.
March 10, 2021No ice or snow. Was a little hesitant to hike alone with the various mountain lion warnings which I’ll take into consideration next time. Trail had shaded parts to it.
March 7, 2021March 7, 2021March 6, 2021No ice at all. Great hike. Well trafficked and easy to follow
March 6, 2021Great trail with some good views of the area, the first part is fairly steep and will test you, but after that its pretty easy. Go as far as you want until you get the views, then head back. As of this writing the trail is mostly ice free, but their are a few spots where I did use my spikes, especially when going downhill. Take yours and judge for yourself.
March 6, 2021March 6, 2021March 6, 2021Great hike. Beautiful views.
March 3, 2021a couple sketchy patches of ice but doable without traction.
