Parking
Start at Colorado River Trailhead, about 10.2 miles north of Kawuneeche Visitor Center on US 34, on the left.
Overview
About Red Mountain Trail to Grand Ditch
Why go
- Views toward the Never Summer Range
- A distinct Grand Ditch turnaround
Heads up
- Steady climbing with rocky, rooted sections
- High elevation from the trailhead onward
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Rocky Mountain map
Full mapElevation9,032–10,279 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Rocky Mountain alerts
- ClosureOld Fall River Road closed to vehiclesOld Fall River Road is closed to motor vehicles for the season.Official details
- ClosureSun Valley burn-area access remains closedThe area and trail west of Sun Valley Trail remain closed, including the route used for angler access to the Colorado River, because of impacts from the 2020 East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires;…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Your drive to Red Mountain Trail to Grand Ditch, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Colorado River Trailhead: The Walk to Lulu City0:00 / 0:25
“Colorado River Trailhead is ahead, the start of the walk to Lulu City. Allow around four hours for roughly seven and a half miles round trip through forest and river meadows, with a short steep climb near the start.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Timber Lake Trailhead: A Full Hiking Day
- What an Elk Bugle Means
- Farview Curve: Find the Grand Ditch
- Building Trail Ridge Road, Rock by Rock
- 79 audio storiesacross Rocky Mountain’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 136 trails, 88 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Trail guide
Hiking Red Mountain Trail to Grand Ditch
The route and commitmentThis is a 6.
This is a 6.4-mile out-and-back from Colorado River Trailhead, using a connector along Colorado River Trail before climbing Red Mountain Trail to the Grand Ditch Road junction. Allow 4 to 5 hours for the high elevation and steady climb; the route gains about 1,260 feet. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Underfoot and along the wayThe access connector starts near the river before Red Mountain Trail turns uphill.
The access connector starts near the river before Red Mountain Trail turns uphill. It follows forested switchbacks with rocky, rooted and steep sections. The route reaches the Grand Ditch corridor without climbing Red Mountain's summit; views toward the Never Summer Range and small ponds or streams are reported along the way.
The turnaroundTurn around at the Red Mountain Trail and Grand Ditch Road junction.
Turn around at the Red Mountain Trail and Grand Ditch Road junction. The Valley View backcountry campsite is about 0.2 mile south across Grand Ditch; its separate approach is outside this mapped hike and not included in the 6.4-mile total. Some stretches along the Colorado River close for bald eagle protection from November 15 to March 15; check the current closure map before a winter hike.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Rocky Mountain
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
