St. Louis Creek Campground
Campground
Campground · 0.5 mi from the trail
Colorado · Hiking · Near Idaho Springs
Chainsaw
- 5.4 mi
- round trip
- 347 ft
- climb
- 9,184 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Is Chainsaw open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests · USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
Permanent Recreational Shooting Order
Agency alert covering Sulphur Ranger District · Order 02-10-00-25-02 · USFS · Sulphur Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Chainsaw is a moderate hike of about 5.4 miles in the Sulphur Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is an out-and-back with a one-way climb of about 347 feet, from a low point of roughly 8,800 feet to a high of about 9,180 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Fraser weather station, which sits a few hundred feet lower, show July highs around 77°F with lows near 38°F, while winter highs stay around 31°F. The trail is on natural surface and allows horses. Creekside Trail and Creekside Loop both start about 0.1 mile away, and St. Louis Creek Campground is about half a mile off. The Fraser River, about 2.6 miles away, offers canoeing.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after Creekside Eatery
Restaurant
On your way back · 2 mi
If it rainsUser:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHistoric house-museum in Georgetown, Colorado, United States
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: User:Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 4.0 (commons)
More in Idaho Springs- Creekside TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Creekside LoopHiking0.1 mi
- St. Louis Creek CampgroundCamping0.5 mi
Fraser RiverCanoeingPhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.6 mi- Vasquez RoadRock climbing3 mi
Saint Louis CreekCanoeingPhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.3 mi- Idlewild CampgroundCamping4.1 mi
- Hurd Creek CragRock climbing5.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Upper IkoHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- UPPER ELK CREEKHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
ELK CREEK LOOPHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- D-2 TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Blue SkyHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: edcrowle, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Tipperary CreekHiking · ~3 min drive
- Upper Elk Creek TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- ZoomHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- DEAD HORSE LOOPHiking · ~3 min drive
- WTB TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: gregor_y, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Chainsaw
Best months: June–August. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
31° / -1°
11 wet
Feb
34° / 2°
10 wet
Mar
43° / 11°
9 wet
Apr
51° / 20°
8 wet
May
62° / 27°
7 wet
Jun
72° / 33°
6 wet
Jul
77° / 38°
9 wet
Aug
74° / 37°
10 wet
Sep
68° / 29°
8 wet
Oct
56° / 21°
7 wet
Nov
41° / 10°
8 wet
Dec
31° / -1°
10 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Fraser, CO, 2.2 mi away at 8,560 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
