is chinamans gulch acessable?i read somewhere on the web about a gate that prevented access to the trail.i am looking to do a little wheelin this sat.a shake down cruise on a sas ect.thx..bru

Welcome to the forum!

Based on what I've read on the web the last few weeks, Old Chinaman's Gulch is accessible and open now. It doesn't sound like there's any snow there now.

In case you need directions, the route for Chinaman's that I'm most familiar with is described best at this link:
http://www.4x4now.com/trcocm.htm
I recommend following those directions and their map. If you have a GPS, you're set. Doing the loop counter-clockwise is "normal".

It seems that there will always be some confusion about Old Chinaman's Gulch in general just because there's a surprisingly large amount of conflicting info about how to get to it with the various "back roads". The map that's at this link: http://www.4x4trails.net/trail_chinamansgulch.html
shows the main "back door" and AFAIK is less commonly used. I'm not sure if those roads are open, but I'd assume they are.

What adds to the confusion now is that there's a brand new extreme trail called "Carnage Canyon" that starts at the same spot at the west entrance to Old Chinaman's Gulch. But they are just in the process of opening that trail to the public within the next few weeks. Based on the discussion at www.colorado4x4.org, it is currently still closed and they're trying to ensure people stay off of it for just a little longer. What's even more confusing is what people know as the "old" Carnage Canyon at Lefthand Canyon is technically newer than the decades-old "new Carnage Canyon" at Chinaman's Gulch, which has never been a true 4x4 trail until now.

[edit]OK, from other forums it sounds like that other Carnage Canyon or Carnage Gulch just opened on Memorial Day.

<small>[ June 07, 2003, 02:43 AM: Message edited by: Jeff the marmot ]</small>

There is a barbed wire unlocked gate/fence type thing that stays closed unless someone is passing through. Its right across from the prison farm on the dirt road who's number I'm forgetting at the moment.

Open the gate, drive through, close it behind you. There is a short narrow straight path with barbed wire on each side and another closed but unlocked barbed wire gate at the end. At that point you are on the trail.

An intersection is up there a ways, right there takes you to lots of big fun rocks but also a dead end. Left at that intersection takes you around to another intersection where there is a chain across a trail to the left. That's private property. Right takes you to the waterfall (Whale Rock).