Sheridan Hill

Calvary 4-Wheelers ran this trail as part of a meandering route through the Yankee Hill network on Saturday, November 12. We went backwards from the written guide, starting on Yankee Hill and ending on Cumberland Gulch. The lower part of the trail in the trees had about 2-3 inches of well-tracked snow. As we got higher there was less snow with only patches of packed snow here and there. The weather was partly cloudy to clear and the views were spectacular with snow-capped peaks all around.

Easy and fun, nothing too crazy here. Very tight in some spots so watch out for other vehicles.

The most beautiful view! Unbelievable sunrise. Wild flowers.

Based on reports from nearby trails, the trail is probably very difficult or impassible due to snow

Per the National Forest Service: FORT COLLINS, Colo (Nov. 9, 2020) – More forest closures are being lifted across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests as all Stage 3 restrictions are rescinded beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10. Closures will remain in place around areas that experienced wildfire in Grand, Boulder and Larimer counties. These fire areas present a public safety threat as burned trees can fall unexpectedly, hot spots are still burning, and new hazards can be hidden under snow.

Due to extreme fire danger the Ntional Forest Service has temporarily closed all National Forest land in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, and Larimer counties. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/arp/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD831612

Ran Sheridan Hill on a misty day. Nice trail. Encountered a little rain, wet rock, running water, black squirrels, very little snow(some), but no other rigs. This trail is kind of the sleeper in this area. We enjoyed it a lot. Ended up at the top with all the Yankee Hill fun areas. You could run around here all day.

Trail is open. There is a good amount of standing water between waypoint 8 and 9. It shouldn't be an issue as long as your vehicle has good ground clearance or a slight lift.

As COVID-19 restrictions slowly start easing, Calvary 4-Wheelers finally got a trip in on June 6, 2020. We headed to the Yankee Hill area. Along for the trip were me in my green Cherokee (finally back on the trail after having major steering issues and sitting most of the winter), Kiyanna in her stock silver Wrangler, Richard and Kirsten in their stock Ford Ranger and Jon in his red Cherokee. After coming up Cumberland Gulch, we turned onto our main objective for the day: Sheridan Hill. The weather was decent, although overcast and somewhat cooler than expected as we made our way around the hill itself. The views along the upper parts of the trail as you traverse the south slope of the hill were incredible. As we made our way down the east side of the hill we entered the thicker part of the forest and branches frequently brushed the sides of our vehicles. Soon we reached the intersection with the Yankee Hill trail, made the jog over to 772.1A and took it up to the big junction at Waypoint 6 where we stopped for lunch. Up to this point the trail had been clear, although there were some snow drifts lingering off the trail in the trees. As we finished lunch, the rain started falling. As we headed up 772.1 we encountered snow drifts on the trail, although they had all been tracked through. There were also several areas of standing and running water on the trail. The snow and the water made things interesting but not impassable. The rain let up for a while and the sun even came out briefly. We encountered one last, large drift about a quarter mile before the end of the trail. It had also been tracked through but apparently by much taller rigs than we were driving. Both Jon and I tried unsuccessfully to bust through it. We tried winching Jon the rest of the way through but were having difficulty and by now it was raining heavily again and there was some hail and lightning. Rather than fight the elements to keep winching, we opted to turn around and go back the way we came.

Beautiful trail. The fall colors are in full effect, and we had an absolute blast running it today. Stock vehicles welcome, just watch tire placement over some of the more rocky sections.

Tip: Shortly after waypoint 3, there is an incredible view of Kingston, James and Bacroft Peaks to the west and the Denver Metro area to the east. We traveled just another mile after this waypoint back into the trees where the snowdrifts were soft and deep. We could have kept going with some work, but decided to not turn the day into a chore.