Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · Colorado

Coulson Gulch

1.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 916 · trail class 2 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead Coulson Gulch Trailhead Drive there

Coulson Gulch Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Coulson Gulch Trailhead provides access to Coulson Gulch Trail.

View an area map here.

Coulson Gulch Trail (#916)

Length: Coulson Gulch Trailhead (TH) to: Higgins Park - 2 miles. It is not recommended to continue on the remainder of this trail network, including North Sheep Mountain, due to flood damage.

Elevation: 7,700 feet at Coulson Gulch TH; 8,400 feet at high point on Johnny Park Road.

Trail Description: Coulson Gulch Trail drops south at a moderate grade, crossing back and forth across a mostly dry streambed. At the open meadow area of Higgins Park, it joins the Button Rock Road (a turn to the east leads into City of Longmont's Button Rock Preserve and Ralph Price Reservoir).

Coulson Gulch Trail follows the old road one mile south to the North Saint Vrain Creek. The old road connects to the Button Rock Trail near Higgins Park. The trail and bridge further south was severly damaged in the flood of 2013.

Latlong: 40.250042; -105.411

View a trail map here.

Restrictions <ul><li>Motorized vehicles prohibited.</li><li>Unless seasonal restrictions are in effect, campfires must be attended at all times and cold to the touch with the bare hand before being abandoned.</li><li>Collection of dead and down wood is allowed; do not break branches from standing trees for firewood.</li><li>Practice <a href="http://lnt.org/why/7-principles/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhsvkoYej7AIVjYTICh2FQgqwEAAYASABEgK3nvD_BwE">Leave No Trace principles.</a></li></ul>Fishing and hunting are allowed in accordance with regulations established by Colorado Parks &amp; Wildlife.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests

All 460 trails in Arapaho and Roosevelt National ForestsFind 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.