Bockman Road

Bockman Road is the working spine of State Forest State Park — a roughly 6.4-mile dirt road that climbs northwest off the park's main access area near CO-14 and threads deep into the high country west of Cameron Pass. It isn't a trail so much as the thread that ties the park's trails together: follow it and you'll pass the turnoffs for Ruby Jewel, Kelly Lake, and the American Lakes / Michigan Ditch country, each spurring off into its own basin. COTREX lists it as a native-surface road open to just about everything — hikers, horses, bikes, motorcycles, and ATVs — so treat it as a shared route and expect to meet the occasional vehicle grinding by in low gear.

Walked on its own, Bockman Road makes a mellow, big-sky outing through lodgepole and open park meadows, with the Never Summer and Medicine Bow peaks stacking up on the horizon. Its real value, though, is as a connector: it lets you link two trailheads into a longer loop, walk in to a trail start when the upper road is snowed under, or simply stretch the legs on an easy grade. This is State Forest State Park land, so everyone aboard needs a valid Colorado parks pass, and it's worth checking current road and gate conditions with the park office before you count on driving the whole thing — the upper stretches hold snow late and open on the park's schedule, not the calendar's.

Trail Facts

Getting There

Inside State Forest State Park, off CO-14 near Gould, west of Cameron Pass. Enter the park (a valid Colorado parks pass is required for every vehicle), then pick up Bockman Road as it heads northwest from the main access area toward the Ruby Jewel and Kelly Lake trailheads. Confirm the road, gates, and seasonal closures with the park office, and locate the exact junctions on the map before you go.

Know Before You Go

• It's a connector, not a summit. Bockman Road's job is to link State Forest State Park's trailheads — Ruby Jewel, Kelly Lake, and the American Lakes / Michigan Ditch area — so use it to stitch a longer route or walk in when the upper road is closed.
• Shared, multi-use road. COTREX shows it open to hikers, horses, bikes, motorcycles, and ATVs — it's a road, so expect vehicles and step aside on blind corners.
• Park pass required. This is State Forest State Park land; every vehicle needs a valid Colorado parks pass.
• Check current conditions. The upper road holds snow late and opens on the park's schedule — confirm gates, road status, and seasonal closures with the park office before you go.