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Winiger Ridge offers a network of trails and jeep roads just west of Gross Reservoir. There are streams that flow in the spring, a slender waterfall (see separate article on Forsythe Canyon), open pineland, and access to the reservoir at several points. Denver Water asks that we not swim, wade, dive, or otherwise touch their water, but we are welcome to walk, stroll, picnic, and enjoy the views.
I drove to the trailhead on Lazy Z Road one day in early May and walked down into Winiger Gulch along forest road 97. This jeep road wound among scattered pines and paralleled the small creek but high on a south-facing slope. There are several un-mapped trails, both to the left and right, that beg for exploration. A little over a mile in, trail 349 branches to the right and probably goes to another E-W trail along the next creek over, but I did not check it out.
I continued east on 97 and came to Gross Reservoir after 2.75 miles. The water was pretty low at this time of year, but it was pretty and strangely quiet—no boats roaring, no people splashing and screaming—just calm and sparkle.
I returned a short distance up the trail. Here, the unnamed creek to the south of Winiger Gulch empties into Winiger Gulch Creek, and my trail map showed a trail paralleling that creek, but I couldn't find it at this point, it's eastern end. One day, I might approach on trail 349 and find it from the west.
I continued west to one of the trails that branched north off of 97. This one was 1.8 miles from the trailhead, and it had a trail sign nearby that said "97 Dead End." I climbed up onto Winiger Ridge, past a turnaround for jeeps, and intersected with FR 359. At the next height, to the east, a double track headed south and climbed a hill that gave good views of the reservoir to the east and the snowy backrange to the west.
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On an unnamed hill on Winiger Ridge, looking north.
From the hill top, a view west of Longs Peak.
From a point east on Winiger Ridge, looking west.
Gross Reservoir and the dam.
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