The Crown Rec Area

About The Crown Rec Area

The Crown Special Recreation Management Area near Carbondale is managed primarily for mountain biking but has trails open to hikers, equestrians, and motorized use. It has been popular for many years because of a dense trail network in the Prince Creek drainage. The Crown offers spectacular views of Mount Sopris and the Roaring Fork Valley. The Crown is closed from December 1 to April 15, except a mountain bike trail paralleling Prince Creek Road (CTY Rd 5). For more information, please contact the Colorado River Valley Field Office.

How to Get There

From the town of Carbondale take highway 133 south. At Price Creek Road intersection, turn left and drive along Prince Creek approximately 4.2 to the recreation area. There are several pull offs for parking. For non-motorized use the first parking lot with the kiosk. For mechanized please go to the upper parking lot which is about 2 miles from the lower access parking at the kiosk.

Plan Your Visit to The Crown Rec Area

Heading to The Crown Rec Area? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• Make a reservation
• Park map (PDF)
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)