Winding Stairs Road
El Paso County, Colorado
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Nearby Towns: Woodland Park, Deckers, Sedalia
Nearby Trails: Rampart Range Road, Ice Cave Creek Road, Mount Herman Road, Hotel Gulch
Season: April through November
Trail Length: 2.69 miles
Elevation: 7,903 to 9,112 feet
Named Obstacles: Trickle, Sluice, Rapids, Spillway

This trail has been permanently closed!

This trail was formerly described as half of the Ice Cave Creek Road trail. The difficult half of Winding Stairs Road was closed in late 2008 while the easier half remains open. For the sake of clarity, the easier half of Winding Stairs Road has been combined with Ice Cave Creek Road to make a loop that starts and ends on Rampart Range Road.

This trail is not as well-known or as well-used as most of the other trails in the Rampart Range Road area. It is also quite a bit more difficult than most of the other trails. If you're looking for a challenge in this area, this trail is a good one.

The first challenge is Trickle, a ditch running down the left side of the road. You can go along the right side of the road to bypass the obstacle, but it's more fun to take on the challenge. If you straddle the ditch you may get a wheelstand or two near the bottom of it, but if you fall in you could have a hard time getting back out. It is the smallest of all of the ditches to come, and it is quite a bit smaller than the huge ditches at the far end.

The trail continues on and there are some very tippy sections that are unavoidable. The trail will be tippier for wider vehicles because you will have to put your tires higher up on the tippier trail.

The Sluice is the first major obstacle, found two miles past the intersection with Ice Cave Creek Road (five miles from the trailhead). You are already traveling downhill, but then you have to drop down into a large ditch over some rocks. You could pick many different lines through here.

The Sluice continues on around a corner and past a tree. The ditch is right next to the tree, and that presents an issue. If you straddle the ditch you may have a hard time getting around or over the root ball of the tree, but if you fall in the ditch you may hit your roof on the tree. A Jeep Wrangler will miss the tree, but it will be close. This area could cause a lot of issues if it's wet.

There is a bypass to the bottom half of the Sluice, but it isn't much easier than the obstacle itself. You would be pretty tippy, and you still have to drop down into the end of the Sluice where you'd be sure to have a tire in the air at least once.

After the Sluice it mellows out for just a bit, then you'll see a large crack that heads downhill. This is the beginning of the end. It is a long, steep hill of deep cracks, tippy sections, and other challenges all the way to the bottom. You will drop 640 feet in a half-mile of challenging trail where it is difficult or impossible to turn around until you get to the end. If you do not have at least one locker and possibly a winch you may have a lot of trouble getting back up this hill.

The dirt on the trail is covered with tiny pebbles, meaning you'll probably slide a bit in some places. If the trail is wet it could be dangerous. Watch out for washed out sections.

One of the switchbacks on the way down is named the Rapids because it's difficult to keep your vehicle where you want it. The switchback cuts down and to the left, going around a large rock. It is slanted down toward the rock, and you may find your rear end sliding down and possibly hitting this rock. The best approach is to stay high on the curve and go fairly quickly. There is also a huge hole at the bottom on the right edge of the trail.

You will notice a sharp right turn very soon after the Rapids that heads down an especially steep hill, with another fork going straight. If you go straight you will go down the Spillway -- the steep hill to the right is the bypass. Even the bypass is difficult on the way up, and the Spillway is difficult in both directions. It is this obstacle that gives this trail its high rating.

The Spillway is a sharp corner that abruptly drops off, with a deep crack running along it. There is a line through it, but if you are off the line by just a bit you will find your rear tire in the air by quite a lot. A good spotter here is essential.

The rest of the trail contains a very long and very steep hill with a huge crack running down it. If you fall in the crack instead of straddling it you could find it difficult to get back out. Lockers will help the most in this section.

All of a sudden you are at the bottom in a flat, open meadow. There is a fading road that you are intersecting, but you are at the end of Winding Stairs Road. Though there are no signs, do not continue to the right. A topo map may show that you can go out by the reservoir or connect to Balanced Rock Road, but these are both fenced off and gated. The other direction simply ends, meaning there is no access in either direction. Return up Winding Stairs Road the way you came in.

Information last updated on July 5th, 2009.

Member Reports

• September 29, 2007: ran by Dane, Don, Matt K., Mike S. and Roger
• September 2, 2006: ran by Bill S., Cheryl, Dane, Jeff L., Mike S. and Monica
• August 26, 2006: ran by Gary, Mike S., Monica and Walt

Driving Directions

From Denver, take I-25 to exit 187 and Happy Canyon Road and Highway 85. Just before the town of Sedalia, turn south on Highway 67. Follow this to the turn for Rampart Range Road on the left. If you get to the town of Moonridge you've gone too far. Take Rampart Range Road 28 miles south to Ice Cave Creek Road. Follow this easy trail to the trailhead for Winding Stairs Road.

Meeting Places

Meet at the Happy Canyon Road exit 187 off of I-25.

Additional Information

• South Platte Ranger District