Poudre Wilderness Volunteers www.pwv.org US Forest Service Visitor Information 970-295-6700 Oct.17,2020 PublicTrailInformation:Zimmerman(North)Trail(s):northernportionofZimmerman#940Ratings/restrictions: Hikers–MediumStockriders–MediumDogsonhand-heldleashonly

SeecompleteREGULATIONSbelowINFORMATIONOFINTERESTCAUTIONS: NoneTypicallyaccessible: AftersnowmeltinlateJuneWilderness: ComanchePeakOne-WayLength: 5.7miles(fromthetrailheadattheendofCrownPointRoadtoFDR-142)Elevation–Beginning/Peak: 10,590/10,592Gain/Loss/NetGain: 766/1,181/-405Map(s)-TrailsIllustrated: #112PoudreRiver,CameronPassMap(s)-USGS7-½‘Quadrangles: ChambersLake,BostonPeak,Kinikinik

TRAILHEADLOCATION:Pingree Park Area: Drive 26.5 miles west on CO-14from Ted’s Place to the Pingree Park Road (at mm96.1).Cross theCacheLaPoudreRiver,andproceed4.3 miles to Forest Road 139 (Crown Point Road).Turn right and drive 18.8 miles to the end of theCrownPointRoadattheComanchePeakWildernessboundary.No toilets or water for stock at the ZimmermanTrailhead. There is some parking for stock trailers,withapull-through/turn-around.TRAIL: The trail is nearly all in forest and thosesegmentsareeasytofollow.Thetreadismostlybaresoil,gravel,andexposedrock,borderedwithacarpetof grouse whortleberry, which makes it readilyvisible. There is a series of interconnected grassymeadows stretching toward the NE (at N40o39.76’W105o44.09’).Therouteofthetrailthroughthefirstmeadow can be difficult to see, and a GPS may beneeded to stay on the trail in this area. See theDESCRIPTIONbelowforassistanceinnavigatingthispart of the trail. The crossing of Sheep Creek at thenorthendofthemeadowisbroadwithenoughwaterflow, especiallyduring the spring run-off, thatwatershoes or sandals are useful to keep your feet andbootsdry.WATER:WaterisabundantonlyinthevicinityofthejunctionofEastSheepandWestSheepcreeks.

CAMPING:Therearenumerouspossiblecampsitesinthe area surrounding the large meadow near thejunctionofEast SheepCreek andWest SheepCreek,onboththewestandnorthsidesofthemeadow.SEASONAL: CrownPointRoad is not plowedduringwinter,sothetrailheadisinaccessiblethen.TheroadusuallyopensinlateJune.DESCRIPTION: From the trailhead at the end ofCrownPointRoad,staytothenorth(right)andfollowthe Zimmerman Trail (N) as it descends graduallythroughapredominantlylodgepolepineforest.Herethe trail enters a large, beautiful meadowsurrounding the confluence ofWest and East Sheepcreeks. There are several beaver ponds in the area.Look for native cutthroat trout, which have beenintroduced into the Sheep Creek drainage. The trailcrossesSheepCreekatthenorthendofthemeadow.About0.1milefurtheron,thetrailproceedsalongthetopofanoldearthendamforseveralhundredyards,passing by the remains of three old log cabins andthenthedisintegratingremainsofamassive logcribwallfilledwithlargerocksonthenorthsideoftheoldearthendam.Passingtheeastendofthelogandrockcrib,thetrailturns sharply to the north northwest and parallelsSheepCreekforashortdistancebeforeitturnstotheeast northeast and climbs up a hillside. The trail iswider (up to 8 ftwide in places) and rockier in this

Zimmerman (North): 2

section than in flatter sections elsewhere. Thissegmentof thetrail journeysthroughpredominantlylodgepolepine,withspruceandoccasionalclustersofquaking aspen. The trail continues climbing until itreachesthefirstofaseriesofmedium-sizedmeadowswhere the trail disappears into tall grass. From thewest end of the lower meadow (N40°39.76’W105°44.09’), the trail follows the NW edge of themeadowandthenturnstotheeastatthetop(SE)ofthemeadowand re-enters the forest. There arewetandmuddyareasbetweenthenorthendofthelargemeadowsurroundingtheconfluenceoftheEastForkandWestForkofSheepCreekandtheendofthetrailAt the northern trailhead, the road has pull-offs onboth sides, making it possible to park up to sevenvehiclesatthispoint.Thereisasinglesmall(approx.5”x24”)woodensign“ZimmermanTrail”onthewestsideoftheroad.INFORMATIONOFINTEREST:TheJohnZimmermanfamily built the dam around the turn of the 20thcentury, with the intent of creating a reservoir.However, stories suggest that near the time of itscompletion, the western end of the dam wasdestroyed by a dynamite explosion. Despite the fact

thatnumerouspiecesofmachinery,includingseveral“slips” (largemetal buckets approx. 32” x 29” x 10”deep that were presumably used to haul dirt andsmall rocks during dam construction), a plow, andother itemsthatwere leftat thesite (someofwhichare still there), the dam was never repaired orcompleted. There was even an intact forge andbellows inside theblacksmith shopat the site in theearly 1950s (Stanley R. Case. 1995. The Poudre - APhotoHistory,pp.285-287).Over 10 years ago, in an effort to recover nativecutthroattroutsubspecies,ColoradoParks&Wildlife(CPW) “reclaimed” the Sheep Creek basin byeliminating all existing fish and introducing whatwere thought at the time to be genetically puregreenback cutthroat. At the same timeCPWenactedrestrictive catch-and-release fishing regulations toprotecttheintroducedfish.Thecutthroatestablisheda stable population, but were subsequentlydiscovered to be the Colorado River subspecies notthe intended greenback subspecies (from the SouthPlatte drainage). As a result, there may be anotherreclamation and introduction project in the basinsometimeinthefuture.

REGULATIONS:

• CampingandFires-Prohibitedwithin200feetoftrailheadandparkingarea.IntheWilderness:prohibitedwithin200feetofwaterortrail.OutsidetheWildernessboundary:recommendatleast100feetfromwaterandtrail.

• Dogs-Mustbeonhand-heldleashwithhikers;voicecontrolwithstock.• Stock-Toavoidspreadingnoxiousweeds,recommendbeginning72hourspriortotheride,stock

shouldbefedonlypelletsorcertifedweed-freehay.Required:throughoutthetrip,stockmustbefedonlypelletsorcertifedweed-freehay.

• BicyclesandOtherWheeledConveyances-Prohibited.• MotorizedTransport-Prohibited.• MotorizedEquipment-ProhibitedinWilderness.• GroupSize-IntheWilderness:maximum12peopleandstock,combined.OutsidetheWilderness

boundary:asinglegroupofmorethan74peoplemusthaveaUSFSpermit.

GPS Coordinates: datum = WGS84 Lat/Long UTM

Zimmerman Trailhead (at end of Crown Point Road) N40°36.59’ W105°45.43’ 435946mE 4495721mN Wilderness regs sign on birdhouse placard near trailhead N40°36.55’ W105°45.41’ 435974mE 4495647mN

Wilderness boundary south of meadow surrounding confluence of the East Fork and West Fork of Sheep Creek

N40°38.68’ W105°45.18’ 436332mE 4499585mN

Trail crossing of Sheep Creek below meadow N40°39.31’ W105°44.90’ 436736mE 4500747mN

Remains of 3 old cabins N40°39.32’ W105°44.72’ 436990mE 4500763mN

Wooden trail sign N40°39.71’ W105°44.32’ 437560mE 4501480mN

End of trail at Black Hollow Road (FDR-142) N40°39.60’ W105°43.46’ 438770mE 4501267mN

(Seenextpageformapoftrail.)

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