Yankee Hill
Maps:
USGS 7.5' Map:	Central City and Empire
Statistics:	Difficulty: Number: Miles: Altitude: Obstacles: Time: Easy 4 FR 175 8.0 8,900 to 11,300 ft. Steep Hill - 1 2-3 hours
County:	Gilpin and Clear Creek
Adopted by:
Managed by:	Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest, Clear Creek Ranger District	101 Chicago Creek Road, P.O. Box 3307 Idaho Springs, CO 80452	303-567-3000
Summary:	Yankee Hill is part of an old stage route connecting Central City with Alice and Georgetown.
Attractions:	View from the top of Yankee Hill. History.
Seasonal Closure:	Natural - closed by heavy snows.
Best Time:	June - Access from Alice early. July - Best time. August - Best time. September - Best time. October - Early snows may close the road.
Trail Heads Accessed:
Camping:	There are dispersed sites all along the Yankee Hill road. Be aware of private property in the area.
Base Camp:	This would be a good area to base camp with the large network of 4WD roads to explore in the area.
Fall Colors:	Average. There are some aspen stands.
Navigation:	East end start (this way has lots of confusing side roads after getting through Central City). From Black Hawk, CO head southwest on Gregory Street. Gregory Street turns slightly left and becomes Lawrence Street. Continue for 0.5 miles to Eureka Street. Continue 0.5 miles and turn right to stay on Eureka Street. Continue 0.3 miles to CR 3/Upper Apex Road. At 0.4 miles turn left onto CR 1-N/King Flats Road. Go 1.6 miles to a bend in King Flats Road and continue straight onto Bald Mountain Road. Follow Bald Mountain road for 1.9 miles to an intersection. Take the right to head north on CR25/Pisgah Lake Road. This is the Yankee Hill road. West end start. On I-70 just past Idaho Springs take Exit 238. Turn right onto CR 275/Fall River Road. After 6.6 miles turn right to stay on Fall River Road. Go 0.5 miles and turn left to stay on Fall River Road. Continue for 1.4 miles and turn right onto Mine Road. Turn left to stay on Mine Road. Continue 0.4 miles and take the slight right turn onto Jeep Road. Follow Jeep Road 0.5 miles to an intersection, turn right and continue up hill. This is the start of Yankee Hill Road.
History:	Yankee Hill was named during the Civil War by Northern sympathizers and the town that developed on the hill became known as Yankee. Yankee started out as a tent city when surface ore was discovered in the area. The town developed on the hill side, mainly a collection of cabins, and didn't have a main street. Yankee got a post office in 1893 that remained open until 1910. The North Star Mine was the largest employer A concentration mill was built here in 1905 to process the ore from the Gold Anchor Mine. The ore was shipped down Fall River Canyon to Idaho Springs. Unfortunatly the ore was not that rich on Yankee Hill, nor that extensive, so mining never developed to any large extent here. Yankee became an important stage stop on the route from Central City to Georgetown, the shortest route at the time. Two stage lines ran through Yankee, the Yankee Hill Stage and Mail Route was run by John West and provided service six days a week from Idaho Springs to Yankee. A second stage ran from Central City, through Yankee and on to Georgetown. Yankee got electricity in 1902 followed by a phone line in 1903. In the 1940s the Gold Anchor Mill, with its trestle and some ore cars, was still standing. Today the mill and even the cabins built along the side of Yankee Hill, making up the town, are no longer there.
	Jessen, Kenneth. Ghost Towns Colorado Style, Vol. 2, Central Region Loveland, Colorado: J.V. Publications, 1999. Print. Eberhart, Perry. Guide to Colorado Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, 4th Ed. Athens, Ohio: Swallow Press, 1974. Print.
Description:
Yankee Hill Is an easy 4WD road with a moderately challenging hill climb to the top of Yankee Hill. From Alice, Colorado is the quickest access to the top of Yankee Hill. Once you start on the 4WD road it is a short distance to the large clearing on the southern flanks of Yankee Hill. There are quite a few old mine tailing in the area. After climbing to the top of Yankee Hill you must return the main road back the way you came. Paula K descending Yankee Hill photo by: Kristina Climbing Yankee Hill photo by: Kristina View to the west part way up Yankee Hill photo by: Rachel Large intersection at the base of Yankee Hill photo by: Rachel Heading southeast from Yankee Hill the 4WD road gets better maintained. Just past the Miners Gulch connection the road will become a two lane graded gravel road as it continues on into Central City.
Data updated - August 12, 2021      4WD Road driven - July 9, 2011      Copyright 4X4Explore.com - 2000-2021