Washington Gulch
Maps:
USGS 7.5' Map:	Oh-be-Joyful
Statistics:	Difficulty: Number: Miles: Altitude: Obstacles: Time: Easy 2 FR811 5.03 9,400 to 10,994 ft. NA 1 hour
County:	Gunnison
Adopted by:
Managed by:	Gunnison National Forest, Gunnison Ranger District	216 N Colorado, Gunnison, CO 81230	970-641-0471
Summary:	Washington Gulch road is a connecting 4WD road between Crested Butte and the Paridice Divide 4WD road.
Attractions:	Scenery, Mining, Trailhead
Seasonal Closure:	Natural - Closed by heavy snows.
Best Time:	June - Early, may still be drifted shut July - Best late in the month August - Best September - Best October - May have early snow
Trail Heads Accessed:	Washington Gulch, FT403 - Hiking
Camping:	There are dispersed campsites closer to Crested Butte along the road.
Base Camp:	This would be a good area to base camp and explore Poverty Gulch, Slate River, Gunsight Pass, Paradise Divide, and Schofield Pass.
Fall Colors:	Average - There are few aspen higher up. Down near Crested Butte there are more small groves of aspen.
Navigation:	From Crested Butte, CO. head north on 6th Street toward Maroon Ave. Go 0.2 miles. Continue onto Gothic Road and go 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Washington Gulch Road and go 2.4 miles past the private properties. Washington Gulch road will now cross 1.5 miles of county property before entering the National Forest.
History:	In 1861, at the head of Washington Gulch, a small town of Minersville was started near the creek. Gold was the ore that attracted these placer miners. After the gold panned out the town was abandonded. In the 1880s M.J. Gray and Joseph McCay discovered silver in Washington Gulch not far from the old Minersville town. They started a town below their mine called Elkton. It was owned by the Elk Mountain Consolidated Mining Company. The town got a post office in 1881, which was closed the following year. There were boarding houses, cabins and a store, but no saloons or gambling houses. The Painter Boy was one of the main mines of Elkton. When the demonitization of silver happened in 1893, the mines closed and Elkton was abandonded. Fire destroyed most of the buildings in Elkton. Today a few old cabins that remained are now summer homes.
	Jessen, Kenneth Ghost Towns, Colorado Style, Vol 2 Central Region Loveland, Colorado: J.V. Publications, 1999. Print.
Description:
Just past the housing development along Meridian Lake you will cross into the city of Crested Butte property where there is a small parking area. The road will become graded gravel as it follows Washington Gulch. After about a mile and a half, in a grove of pine trees, you will cross a fence line and be on National Forest land. Just past the fence you will come to an intersection with a road on the left, FR811.1A, which goes a short distance to a dispersed campsite. Staying to the right you will immediately come to another intersection. The right turn is a short spur road, FR811.3A1, which passes a few dispersed campsites before ending at a large talus slope on the side of Gothic Mountain. At this intersection is a large pull off area and an information kiosk showing the designated campsites. Kiosk photo by: Adam M The left will continue up Washington Gulch passing the first group of designated campsites. Following the main road you will pass a few more spur roads that go to designated campsites as you pass through small open areas in the pines. Open area past the Kiosk photo by: Adam M After a mile you will come to a driveway on the left to private property. The road will continue to climb up throug another open area. Open area above private property photo by: Adam M Staying to the right you will come to a sweeping curve that has a road to the right going to some private homes. This location is the site of the old town of Elkton. Heading toward Elkton photo by: Adam M The road will continue south and then head back north passing another home. Past this last home you will come to a very sharp hairpin turn. Above this turn is the Painter Boy Mine. Painter Boy Mine, 2024 photo by: Adam M Painter Boy Mine, 1999 photo by: Adam M Looking back down the valley from above the Painter Boy Mine photo by: Adam M At the next curve in the road you will pass a dispersed campsite on the left. Continue a short distance and you will come to a parking area for the Washington Gulch Trail, FT403. Past this parking area the road will become narrower as it heads across the side of Mount Baldy throught the forest crossing one small stream and ties in with the Paradise Divide road.
Data updated - January 4, 2025     4WD Road driven - September 2, 2024     Copyright 4X4Explore.com - 2000-2025