Colorado · Trail 138

John Kirkpatrick

John Kirkpatrick Trail is a 0.3-mile trail in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Colorado. The Forest Service rates it trail class 4, highly developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end40.2045° N, 105.8407° W · Directions ↗
Other end40.2070° N, 105.8415° W · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length0.3 miles, all of it evaluated accessible
Trail class4, highly developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade5-8 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityAt least one segment meets Forest Service accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers138
ForestArapaho and Roosevelt National Forests (unit 0210)
StatesColorado
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near John Kirkpatrick Trail10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 0.87 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.84 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.69 inches of precipitationApril: 1.20 inches of precipitationMay: 1.62 inches of precipitationJune: 1.18 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.62 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.68 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.46 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.05 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.72 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.82 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 14.1°F averageFebruary: 17.5°F averageMarch: 26.6°F averageApril: 35.7°F averageMay: 45.4°F averageJune: 54.1°F averageJuly: 59.4°F averageAugust: 57.8°F averageSeptember: 51.3°F averageOctober: 40.9°F averageNovember: 28.7°F averageDecember: 17.9°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Grand Lake 6 SSW, 2 miles from the trail midpoint at 8,288 feet, station USC00053500 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 14 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed 06/01 to 11/15 (month/day)
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

Shadow Mountain Dam Trailhead
No season published
Trailhead provides access to trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. Pets and bicycles are prohibited on National Park trails. Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) are highly recommended for all boaters and required for children 12 years and under.
under 0.1 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Trails nearby

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Front Country Broadcast Rx

    18 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Salt Cabin Broadcast Rx

    35 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Magic Feather Broadcast Rx

    40 mi from the trail midpoint

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Guidebooks for Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Hiking Colorado's Western Slope
    Bill Haggerty, 2025
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Dog Hikes Colorado
    Emma Walker, 2019
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Colorado Springs
    Stewart M. Green, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best wildflower hikes Colorado
    Chris Kassar, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best hikes Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness
    Kent Dannen, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

The Forest Service records 0.3 miles under this name in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, the sum of 1 segment. All of it is evaluated as accessible.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking are allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the John Kirkpatrick Trail start?

The line begins at 40.2045° N, 105.8407° W and ends at 40.2070° N, 105.8415° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Shadow Mountain Dam Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the John Kirkpatrick Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

Green Ridge (0.2 mi), Cutthroat Bay Group (2 mi) and Stillwater (Colorado) (3.1 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 4 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

Trail class 4, which the Forest Service describes as highly developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

The typical grade is 5-8 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the John Kirkpatrick Trail accessible?

The Forest Service has evaluated 0.3 miles of this trail as meeting its accessibility guidelines. The surface is native material.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, Forest Service unit 0210. The trail is in Colorado.

Source: Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests official page

Is there a fire near the John Kirkpatrick Trail?

The interagency feed shows 3 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Front Country Broadcast Rx at 18 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named John Kirkpatrick in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0210. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.