Located in El Dorado Canyon State Park, Rattlesnake Gulch is one of the best hikes in the area. El Dorado as a whole doesn’t have too many trails for hikers (it’s more of a climbing destination), but what it does have is stellar.
The park has some gorgeous canyons that run alongside of the Boulder Canyon creek and with views of Boulder and the continental divide. It really is quite a special place to explore.
This post is to help you with planning and hiking the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail. Information on difficulty, landmarks, and tips to make the most of your time.

About the Hike
Distance: 3.6 miles | Type: Out & Back | Avg. Time: 1.5 hours | Difficulty: Moderate | Dog Friendly: Yes, leashed
Rattlesnake Gulch is a 3.6 mile hike that is mostly and Out & Back however, it does have a loop portion of the hike as well that you can traverse. The hike takes you up from the El Dorado Springs Road up the canyon along several switchbacks. The hike peaks at about 7,000 feet about sea level with an elevation gain about 975 feet.
The hike has some of the best views of the canyon with great overlooks of the area of El Dorado Canyon and the surrounding area. Highlights of the hike include the ruins of the Crag Hotel as well as the end overlook for the Continental Divide.
The first 1.2 miles roughly is a hike out to the hotel ruins. The trail becomes another 1 – 1.2 mile loop then returns along the same trail back to the trailhead.

Rattlesnake Gulch Trailhead & Parking
Trailhead: Trailhead Location
The Rattlesnake Gulch Trailhead and Parking are located along the El Dorado Springs Drive. The trailhead is about 1/3 of a mile away from the Visitor Center.
Parking at the trailhead is possible, but very limited. There are only a few parking spots available at the actual trailhead. If it’s full we recommend parking at the visitor center and walking down.
Rattlesnake Gulch shares the same trailhead as the Fowler Trail. About 1/10th of a mile into the trail you’ll turn right for the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail.

Best Time to Do the Hike
The El Dorado Canyon State Park is open year-round in Colorado. There are activities that are available to do year-round.
Rattlesnake Gulch is generally best hiked in the late spring to early summer and fall. This is generally when there is the best weather for hiking. If you can time it after the last frost and prior to schools being out, or fall after labor day, you’ll generally have good weather with fewer hikers.
Summers temperatures can be considerably hot within the park. Also, summers tend to be the busier season with schools being out. During weekends, you’ll need to make a timed-entry reservation to drive your car into the park. You’ll see more tourists, but overall its not as bad as some other nearby hikes.
During the summer, be sure to bring water as well as good sun blocking clothing and sunscreen. The trail has several areas with minimal shade so you’ll want to be prepared. Thankfully the hike has better shade than some of the other hikes within the park.
Winters and off-season can be a great time to hike the trails. Snow is possible on the trails but generally doesn’t stick around as it will at higher elevations in Colorado. It is recommended to pack winter hiking equipment. Attachable spikes to shoes/boots will help with navigating icy/snowy trails.
The Rattlesnake Gulch Hike

Hiking the trail begins at the trailhead along El Dorado Springs Road. The trailhead has a small parking lot along with several vault toilets. This is the only good place to really use the toilet as the trail follows along a cliff edge for much of the hike so it’s difficult to find areas off trail.

At 0.1 miles into the hike you’ll come to a fork. Going straight, you’ll continue on the Fowler trail. This part of the fowler trail is wheelchair accessible (however the trail continues for several miles to Boulder). Turn right to continue uphill along the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail.

After another 1/3 of a mile you’ll reach an intersection with a bridge. Turn right to continue on the bridge for the rattlesnake trail.

If you go straight you’ll run into an interesting structure though. It’s a large metal tube running from the mountains with a heavy door. It appears to be a ore tunnel of some sort. I’m trying to find more info about it.

From here the hike continues up along the edge of the canyon. This is one of the loveliest views of the area. You can look up and see areas that they clearly put in structures to limit landslides from above. If you look closely at the cliffs around the area you can usually see rock climbers.

The trail continues up the cliff area with some railings and overall a well marked and maintained trail. This trail is rated as moderate but it is definitely on the easier end of moderate from other trails.

After about 0.7 miles from the bridge (about 1.1 miles total) you’ll reach the ruins of the Crag Hotel. The hotel was in service from 1908 – 1912. The hotel was a popular relaxation area for those from Denver. There was a railroad that would take you from the city here and back for $1! Sadly the hotel burned down and all that’s left is ruins.

The ruins itself are not substantial. You can see several stone blocks remaining but most of the ruins have been cleared out. From reading information there were quite a few artifacts from early Denver found here.

From here you have two ways to go. The trail turns into a loop here. The loop is about 1 mile in total and takes you a few hundred feet higher in elevation. The trail also has a bit more shade here as well. There is access to the old train tracks. However, you are not supposed to access these tracks and I believe it is also private property.

During certain seasons, parts of this loop will be closed. You’ll see a closure blocking the trail if that is the case during your visit. This generally occurs from Mid-May to Mid-July to protect areas for Golden Eagle breeding.
However, if activity is not seen or if they leave the area early there is a chance they may reduce closure times. I recommend checking the El Dorado Canyon Website or with the Visitor Center for more information.

Regardless of whether you hike straight to the overlook or along the loop, the highlight in terms of view is the Continental Divide Overlook. While from here you are certainly not close to the continental divide, it appears you can see it from this overlook. Which is really cool!
There are several benches here that make a great spot to have lunch or just relax for a few. Even on a busy weekend I’ve found that its too hard to find spots to relax up here. Afterwards, you will head back towards the Crags Hotel and then down the same path to return to the trailhead.
Tips & FAQs
- Valid Colorado State Park Pass is required for visiting El Dorado Canyon State Park. You can buy them either online or in person at the park. There are day and season-passes available. Online reservations require an account which also weirdly requires you to input identification like a License or Passport.
- Weekends and Holidays during the Summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), timed-entry reservations are required to drive-in and park in El Dorado Canyon.
- You can bypass getting a timed-reservation if you take the free El Dorado Shuttle. From my experience it runs pretty frequently (about every 20 minutes) and is definitely a great option.
- Bring Water and Sunscreen. While there is some shade, there are plenty of areas with low tree coverage. It can get hot and sunny here.
- There are seasonal closures on the trail. from Late May to early-mid Summer there are often trail closures for Golden Eagle nesting. Do not attempt to bypass any closures (you could get yourself in legal trouble). Generally though, the closures doesn’t affect you visiting the main attractions of the hike.

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Hotelier Syl says
I just read your blog post about the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail in Eldorado Canyon and it looks like an amazing hike! I love the way you described the views from the top of the canyon, and I can’t wait to check it out for myself. Thanks for sharing!