This post describes the Maryland Mountain Quartz Valley Open Space Park in Black Hawk Colorado. This park provides easy access to some of the Gilpin Gold Tram right-of-way.
If you want links to all of my Gilpin Gold Tram hikes go here. These posts describe hikes near Central City Colorado and hikes near Blackhawk Colorado.
Black Hawk City Colorado – Things To Do
From the town’s website…
Maryland Mountain Quartz Valley Open Space Park is an outdoor day-use recreation park for walking, hiking, running, mountain biking, picnicking, and wildlife observation. The trail system weaves around and through Maryland Mountain, Chase Gulch, Quartz Valley, and the historic narrow gauge Gilpin Tramway. Hikers and bikers will enjoy vistas and panoramic views of Black Hawk, Central City, and the northern rural regions of Gilpin County. The park also includes interesting historical sites, such as the Bonanza Mill, the Belden & Tennal Stamp Mill, the Robert Emmet Mine, and the Queen of the West Mine, to name a few.
Maryland Mountain Project Timeline
This section is from the COMBA website…
- 2014 – An initial master plan for trails and amenities was created by Mary Hart Designs; updates followed in 2019 and 2020. The plan provided opportunities to enjoy a variety of singletrack experiences and tour the historic cultural sites from the Colorado gold rush era.
- 2020 – Phase one construction began, tackling the tramway conversion and construction of the Hidden Treasure Trailhead on Hwy. 119.
- Summer 2020 – Construction of the Maryland Mountain singletrack trail system by Black Diamond Designs and High Country Conservation, supported by volunteers from COMBA and Boulder Mountainbike Alliance.
Summer 2021 – The awesome new MTB trail Hard Money opened to start the summer, while the smooth flowing Fast Money was added later in the year. Both are bike-only directional descending trails.
- June 2022 – Construction of the bike-only, downhill-only, advanced/expert trail began with the help of Jagged Axe Trail Designs. This effort will be supported by volunteers from COMBA and Boulder Mountainbike Alliance. Major funding supplied by Orbea and Team Evergreen Cycling. Powder Keg is expected to open in August 2022.
Hiking The Gilpin Gold Tram Right Of Way
Here is the park map. You can download it from here…
The official trailhead is on Route 119 just north of Blackhawk. There’s a nice parking lot and a bridge gives you access to the trails by crossing over 119.
Black Hawk Hidden Treasure Trail Head
This is a view from the parking lot of the bridge that provides access to the park and the Gilpin Gold Tram right of way. We are looking south on Rt 119 as it heads toward Black Hawk.
This is the park map posted in the parking lot. The link to download the map is earlier in this post.
Of course there are rules.
The park is proving very popular with mountain bikers so expect the parking lot to be busy on weekends during nice weather. I prefer going on a weekday, so the trails are less busy. The Gilpin Gold Tram right of way is considered “easy” hiking so the bikers will be on the more difficult (and fun) trails. You have to be ready and give them the right of way! Dogs are allowed but have to be leashed.
And Finally…
Thanks for visiting my site and traveling along with us on the Gilpin Gold Tram right of way using the Millsite Trail. For more information on modeling the Gilpin check out these posts.
