Rio Grande National Forest · Colorado

S. Zapata

4.8 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 852 · trail class 2 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead South Zapata Trailhead - Trail # 852 Drive there

South Zapata Trailhead - Trail # 852 the Forest Service's write-up

The South Zapata trail is 4.8 miles long. It begins at BLM Road 5415 (the Zapata Falls road) and ends at South Zapata Lake.

Hike one-half mile from the trailhead to Zapata Creek, wade upstream into the narrow cave to view the falls. The 30 foot high waterfall cascades within a narrow chasim. Watch for falling rocks. The water is swift and deep in early summer.

The trail proceeds from the waterfall up South Zapata Creek to South Zapata Lake. The trail is steep in many places.About 2.25 miles up the trail, North Fork South Zapata Creek Trail #868 begins.

The trail is open for the following uses: Horseback riding, hiking, and backpacking.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Rio Grande National Forest

All 227 trails in Rio Grande National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.