• Canon City Ecology Park Trailhead: always clean up after your trailer in this parking lot.  Pack out your poop/hay/shavings. It is used by the city and all trail users. Horse activity is very visible here.  There are no toilets or water at the trailhead.  Park at the Ecology Park trailhead just outside of Canon City.  The parking lot is huge with multiple entry and exit points, gravel, and fits any type of rig. There is no overnight parking allowed. Weekends can have more people but there is still plenty of trailer parking. 

• Remember no trail trimming or maintenance before Apr 15th each year. This is a BLM requirement for nesting birds in this region. 

• Trail Info: Grape creek (the signs also call it Water Gap and it is also called Temple trail on some maps) has 32 water crossings (for a total of 64 there and back!). . Mountain bikes can be present the first half mile but they do not typically go on the actual grape creek trail because of the water crossings. 

• The trail has rocky and mud crossings and the trail can be rocky in the beginning. The middle is flat, typically soft sand and grass. There is plenty of grass to eat along the way.  

• Special Note: if you ride all the way to 'The Temple' on this trail, please remember to NOT cross into the mountain bike path.  It is marked and is NOT for equines.  There is a way you can cross the river and continue on the horse trail without crossing and riding the mt bike path. We have marked this entry and exit with pink suveyors tape.

Trail report May 10, 2025

A  beautiful full day of 7 hours of work.  This is the first year that the trail has maintained itself so well.  We assume this is because last year was the first year we had truly gotten the trail re-opened for general riders and people rode it!  This helps immensely in keeping the path visible and the growth in check. 

Crossing #4 is reopened which took a couple hours. The cottonwoods regrow each year into the opening and prevent anyone really from getting through. It is now nice and wide and easy to see the exit on the other side.  The beaver dam has been gone for a year now and the crossing itself is not too deep but if you have  small pony it can come up their stomach on deep days for sure. The exit point is holding from last years improvements and the deep postholes are still filled with tree stumps.  

Crossing #6 remember there is a fishing hole right inbetween the entry and exit which you can't really see.  Recommend snaking left, in an arch shape, to go around the fishing hole. 

Crossing #13 and #14.  We daylit the section in between. This took several hours. The regrowth from last year had made it unsafe for an average rider to see through and ride without getting caught and even difficult for hikers to navigate.  It was impossible to see the trail.  It is now completely open from crossing to crossing. 

HAZARD Crossing #14 This is still the case from last year. The beavers have complete rerouted the river.   On that day it was 2 full flowing rivers now.   There is also a new deep hole in the middle of the river where the old trail used to cross between the 2 streams.    It looks fine, is about 1 horse wide and shallow until you step in it as you try to use the path. 

We recommend entering the water - turning right  and walking UP the river about 50 feet to the 'V' where the river splits into 2 and you will see the new exit point we created last year on your left after that.   This will avoid that middle, old trail crossing between the 2 streams where the big hole is.  

Crossing #17 is still holding the new crossing we opened up last year. So continue all the way up to the canyon wall and you will see the entry on your left.  It is a little muddy but not bad.  This year good news - the EXIT point on the other side is much much better. It looks like the river has solidified the mud and mess a bit on the other side and filled in the questionable areas.  You will still be wading up water to exit but it is solid and wont be up to your equines knees in mud any more. The trees and growth are also still in check enough to make that a visible path.

Crossing #18. We spent an hour opening up the area before crossing #18.   The crossing itself is still small, and the willows have also grown in a bit.  It is very very  muddy there so some horses may balk. The beavers have created a new dam up river and it is forcing overflow right down the trail and into this exit. So that has degraded the #18 entry quite a bit.  It is still passable for a willing horse and the exit point is also still fine.  Horses may not appreciate that the mud is up to their ankles or knees depending on the day for those first couple steps into the river.   This is a place we will have to consider making better in some way or even moving.    

This was as far as we made it!  So we can't comment on what is up ahead but last year at least, only one more crossing was getting deeper due to beavers.  So who knows, it may still be open all the way to the temple itself. 

Have fun and be safe. 

Trail report May 25, 2024

We were able to open the trail again of all major obstacles all the way to the 'Temple' rock formation.  There is some new beaver dam activity around crossing 19 but the previous 16 problem crossing is now fine.  The beaver dam has been washed out earlier in the year and water levels are now normal. We were able to do 3 work rides this Spring to clear of brush, downed trees, clear back the willows to reopen the trail near the water, and we spent a LOT of time rebuilding and clearing some of the water crossings.  There is always new work to do in this location but this is the first time it is now considered 'maintenance mode' instead of trying to make it passable.  We are so excited to be able to spend timing making it clearer rather than just fighting to find a trail.  

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 / Canon City - 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟬/𝟭𝟴/𝟮𝟯) Grape Creek, a renowned trail in southeast Colorado, offers equestrians a picturesque and unique yet challenging riding experience. Situated in the BLM's Royal Gorge region, the trail is accessible to horses, leading riders to the Temple Canyon about 4 miles from Ecology Park Trailhead in Cañon City. According to RMBCH work crews and riders, the trail is fairly easy to follow for at least 12 - 14 crossings if you aren't familiar with the ride and WOW-EEEE the fall colors are perfection! Now defunct, the beaver dam at crossing #4 no longer creates a deep pool to navigate... but it does go straight up a hill instead of along the creek since that old section is filled with dangerous post holes and was only getting worse last year. You'll want to look for some temporary pink flagging near the old "double crossing" (#14) that used to squeeze through a little island, but now rides up the creek a bit before coming out in a new spot. That island is now deep deep mud and unsafe for equines to traverse, so keep your eyes open here. Approximately 2.5 miles into the trail, a recently constructed beaver dam has caused a significant flooding situation for crossing #16, making getting through challenging for inexperienced riders or horses. Access points on both sides of the water are now quite muddy, so use your best judgement in deciding to proceed or not. After that area, our work crews spent a full day opening up several crossings that had become so overgrown that horses had a difficult time knowing where to walk. If you frequently ride Grape Creek, you will know exactly the spot... one year we brought machetes and just hacked away for hours to make it even look remotely like a trail! We expect that after crossing #21, the trail is fairly open and easy to navigate with riders reporting a couple downed trees that may eventually cause problems. Bringing a pair of garden shears or loppers is always recommended, as the willow brush and yarrow have become overgrown and may obstruct the trail in places as you try to reach the Temple. You don't have to commit an entire day to working on the trail, even just taking a few minutes to widen one water entry/exit point, or cutting back some brush that makes the trail invisible to horses, is a huge help to the next users that head out there. Plus, the grass is so delicious, your horses won't have any problem waiting for you! 😋 If you are new to Grape Creek, it is advised to ride with someone who has worked on the trail, as they can guide you to the safest crossing points. You will probably have the trail to yourself other than a couple people in waders looking for great fishing holes. Remember to be safe and enjoy the trail, ensuring it remains a cherished legacy for everyone to experience.

June 24, 2023 - Grape Creek (Temple Trail) Work Ride & Trail Report (Canon City)

The Public Lands Committee sponsored a work ride at Grape Creek  near Canon City.  A full 8 hour day of work!   It was about 90 degrees but the water was nice and cool with plenty of opportunities to get in it and cool off. The beavers have been at it again and really changed up the landscape.  

Many trees were down across the trail.  We cleared a few of the horse stoppers but left the rest for now while we try to get the trail open.   Due to the recent rains, the trail is very overgrown.  This also makes it really beautiful and lush.  The meadows are full of lush grass and easy to let your horse graze while you trim willows.   RMBCH cleared willows in many areas, some of the bigger cholla off the trail so that it would minimize getting stuck in the horse (and hikers) legs, and trimmed back the grass to make water crossings safer.   

Crossing #4 beaver dam is no longer an issue and is much lower/safer for horses to cross.    

NEW HAZARD Crossing #14 The beavers have complete rerouted the river.   On that day it was 2 full flowing rivers now.   There is also a new MASSIVE hole in the middle of the river where the old trail used to cross between the 2 streams.    It looks fine and shallow until you step in it as you try to use the path. 

We recommend entering the water - turning right  and walking UP the river about 50 feet to the 'V' where the river splits into 2. Go around the V to the other side of the V, and then back down that side of the river to your exit point.   This will avoid that middle, old trail crossing between the 2 streams where the big hole is.  

NEW WATER CROSSING Crossing #17 We had to find a way to enter slightly up from the regular crossing - against the cliff rock wall, and we trimmed back some willows to this new safer spot.  Who knows what it will be if the beavers keep at it, but for now we have a new shallow entry place.    

There is still a ton to do. We did not make it past crossing 17.