In summer when all of Spruce Creek Road is open, high-clearance vehicles can drive about 2 miles farther up the road. This shaves the same distance from the hike, as the trail follows the creek in the bottom of the valley below the road. From this upper trailhead, a few different trails diverge. Upper Spruce Creek Trail rejoins with the main Spruce Creek Trail, which bypasses this parking area to the south. The Mayflower Lakes Trail finds a lovely view at the lake, then also joins Spruce Creek Trail just before Continental Falls. In this vicinity are many old mining ruins, which short side trails weave among.

Continental Falls is a a two-tiered waterfall dropping through a cleft in the valley’s bedrock. It is part of the stream that flows out of Mohawk Lakes to feed Spruce Creek. It is 2.6 miles from the Spruce Creek Trailhead, or roughly 0.6 miles from the upper trailhead. The trail continues steeply past Continental Falls for about another ½ mile to Mohawk Lakes, and beyond that to reach higher lakes in the valley. Go as far as you wish and return the way you came.

Sources: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/colorado/spruce-creek-trail-to-mohawk-lake-and-continental-falls https://dayhikesneardenver.com/continental-falls-hike-colorado/ http://fdrd.org/files/2614/0561/2388/MohawkLakeviaSpruceCreek.pdf