The paved trail up Clear Creek Canyon from Golden got longer this month. Jefferson County Parks and Open Space opened the new Huntsman Trailhead in Clear Creek Canyon Park on Nov. 6, along with a new stretch of trail on what the county now calls the Clear Creek Trail. Until recently it was the Peaks to Plains Trail.

What is new at Huntsman

The trailhead itself brings expanded parking, restrooms, a shaded gathering area and wayfinding signs. From there the trail crosses over US Highway 6 into what the county calls a park within a park:

  • 1.5 miles of new trail, 10 feet wide and ADA accessible.
  • Four new bridges.
  • Five new creek access points where visitors can get down to the water.
  • Easier approaches to bouldering and climbing areas along the canyon walls.

How the trail has grown

The county has been building into the canyon one segment at a time. The first stretches in Clear Creek Canyon Park opened in 2016 and 2017, with four miles of 10-foot-wide paved trail along the creek. The 1.75-mile Gateway Segment followed in 2021 at the entrance to the canyon.

Last November, on Nov. 21, 2025, the county opened the CCR Trailhead with parking for 42 cars and another 1.5 miles of accessible trail. That trailhead takes its name from the Colorado Central Railroad, built in the 1870s to haul ore down from the mines at Black Hawk to the smelters in Golden. That segment added five bridges and the county's first trail on a viaduct, built that way to fit the narrow canyon. The Huntsman Trailhead is the next step west.

Why the name changed

The county says the new name, the Clear Creek Trail, reflects how the route follows Clear Creek through several cities, counties and land managers, and gives the future connections one identity. Fifteen agencies work on it together through a voluntary partnership.

The long-range plan is a trail of more than 65 miles from the South Platte River Trail in Denver to the headwaters of Clear Creek at Loveland Pass, crossing four counties and seven cities and climbing more than a mile in elevation.

Before you go

  • Hours: Jefferson County open space properties are open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
  • Getting there: Clear Creek Canyon Park runs west from Golden along US 6. The Gateway Segment starts at the canyon entrance, and the CCR and Huntsman trailheads sit farther up the canyon.
  • Map: The county posts a full Clear Creek Canyon Park map on its Clear Creek Trail page.

Check the county's Clear Creek Trail page for any closures after snow.

Sources