Description

Spruce Creek Trail is easy to hike and easy to get to from Breckenridge.

From this one trailhead on Spruce Creek Road many destinations are possible.

You can explore a waterfall, alpine lakes, old mine sites, or summit a surrounding peak.

The shortest and most popular excursions are to Mayflower Lakes and Continental Falls.

Both can be seen in an out and back of about 5 miles.

The trailhead is typically accessible in winter as well, making it good for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. 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/Mohawk_Lake_via_Spruce_Creek.pdf