Colorado · Hiking · Near Red Feather Lakes

Lower Dadd Gulch

Lower Dadd GulchPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
7.0 mi
round trip
1,257 ft
climb
8,471 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 1 h ago

Is Lower Dadd Gulch open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Canyon Lakes Ranger District.

As of · Source: USFS · Canyon Lakes Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Lower Dadd Gulch is a 7-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's Canyon Lakes Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The trail climbs from about 7,028 feet to about 8,471 feet, a total gain of 1,257 feet, and is rated moderate. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced and open year-round. The most comfortable stretch runs from June through September. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at 7,700 feet show July highs around 78°F and lows near 47°F, with September cooling to about 69°F by day. That station sits roughly 770 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. Bikes and horses are both allowed. The Lower Dadd Gulch Trailhead is the parking point. Within a few miles are the Grandpa's Bridge and Riverside Zone climbing areas, the Mineral Springs Trail and the Kelly Flats Campground.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Glen Echo

    Campground

    Campground · 2.1 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Dining Hall

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 3 mi
  • If it rains

    Homestead Museum

    Museum

    Museum · 9.2 mi from Red Feather Lakes

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Red Feather Lakes

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Lower Dadd Gulch

    Best months: May–September. 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.

    1. Jan

      36° / 15°

      5 wet

    2. Feb

      36° / 15°

      5 wet

    3. Mar

      44° / 20°

      6 wet

    4. Apr

      49° / 25°

      8 wet

    5. May

      59° / 32°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      72° / 40°

      8 wet

    7. Jul

      78° / 47°

      9 wet

    8. Aug

      76° / 46°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      69° / 38°

      8 wet

    10. Oct

      56° / 29°

      6 wet

    11. Nov

      44° / 21°

      5 wet

    12. Dec

      36° / 15°

      5 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Rustic 9wsw, CO, 8.8 mi away at 7,700 ft. The station sits about 800 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.