EXPLORE
Fall in Love with Clear Creek County
Welcome to Real Colorado
A Place to Ignite Your Imagination
Protect the Land and Leave no Trace
Discover Shops, Restaurants, and Cozy Accommodations
We Hope You’ll Stay a Little Longer . . .
A Path Forward
When you shop, dine, play, or stay the night in Clear Creek County you support our local business owners and help preserve the lands you love!
From simple daytrips to week-long vacations we hope you feel welcome, ignite your imagination, leave no trace, and discover more!
Show you Care
Protect the lands you love and follow these seven Care for Colorado + Leave No Trace principles:
Be Prepared
Adventure can present the unpredictable. Always be prepared!
Traveling from the Front Range to Clear Creek County offers a gain in altitude at the lowest point of 2,200 feet and up to a gain of 8,900 feet in elevation! The weather will fluctuate.
Flip flops and open-toed shoes not recommended. Sweatshirts, light jackets, and sunscreen highly recommended!
Our rural mountain towns offer breathtaking vistas but challenged wi-fi and cell phone signals so be sure to bring a map and plan ahead.
Poop Etiquette
Pick up Your Pet’s Waste, and Pack it Out
If it was just a handful of pets pooping in our parks and trails it might not be a big deal, but over 63 million households in the US have dogs which means millions of dogs are visiting, and pooping in, our shared spaces each year. That is why we encourage you to pack out your pet’s waste.
Pet waste holds a variety of parasites, bacteria, and other diseases, and is considered an environmental pollutant and health hazard. Unlike the waste of wild animals where you are recreating, pet waste will most likely consist of things that are not a natural part of the ecosystem, since the most common ingredients found in dog food will not be naturally occurring in the environment around you. Even if your pet is eating an all natural diet of native flora and fauna, feces can be a primary method of disease transmission, and can get into our waterways during rain events.
Don’t want to carry the bag? Make your dog do it! Check out this video on clever ways to have your dog pack out its waste, so that you never forget it again!
Pack out the Poop
Check out this great article by MTN Town Magazine showcasing several creative ways to pack out the poop!
Trail Contributions
Please note all donations must include both dollars and cents in the donation amount field (example: 30.00) and there is a two percent and 75 cent fee applied every transaction. Credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks are welcome.
Your generous contributions will be used for projects to enrich recreation in Clear Creek County such as:
• Funding Mountain Bike Trails
• Funding a Fat Bike Program
• Funding Open Space Parks
• Funding a Nordic Ski Program
• The Silver Creek Fund
• The Floyd Hill Fund
• The Clear Creek County Greenway
• Funding Incentives for the Hardworking Trails Team
Clear Creek County is the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. Located just west of Denver along Interstate 70, Clear Creek has 396 square miles of public lands to explore, as well as four mountain peaks above 14,000 feet. Clear Creek is comprised of charming mountains towns Idaho Springs, Downieville, Lawson, Empire, Georgetown, and Silver Plume, which are all along the I-70 corridor. Learn more about Clear Creek County here.