Maxwell Falls

Maxwell Falls Lower Trailhead
3.4
15 Reviews
Maxwell Falls
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Details

Distance
3.95 miles
Elevation Gain
928 ft
Route Type
Loop

Features

Groups
Waterfall
Dog Friendly
Family Friendly
Easy Parking
Wildlife
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About this place

Added by Ryan Mckinney

Getting to Maxwell Falls is a 4-mile loop with about 644 feet of elevation change. This is an awesome waterfall hike located less than an hour from Denver and is an easy to moderate family-friendly hike.

Located just outside of Evergreen, this beginner hike is a great escape from the city for a few hours. There are three different options to hike to the falls: Maxwell Falls Lower Trail (4 miles), Upper Maxwell Falls Trail (1.1 miles), and Maxwell Falls Bluffs Cliffside Trail Loop (5 miles). On this hike, I started from the Maxwell Falls Lower Trailhead. I arrived at 8:00 am and the parking lot was half full, so I would recommend getting an early start.

There are two creek crossings on this trail. At the first crossing, the trail is not clearly marked. You will come across a large downed tree over the creek; this is where you cross the creek. Turn right and make your way up the switchbacks. The rest of the trail is pretty well-marked. Maxwell Falls is best in Spring and early Summer.

This is an easy-to-moderate hike that is great for the whole family. Don't forget to bring your pup! I saw lots of happy dogs on this trail.

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Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and be sure to follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly.
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Maggie D
2/27/2023
Over crowded over hyped
This is a pretty place, but the crowds can get annoying. The trail from the Upper Maxwell Falls parking is much shorter and usually ...
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Jill Rozynski
9/10/2018
Underwhelming
So underwhelming. I kept waiting for the scenery to become beautiful, never happened. Just a creek through the woods on a really crowded trail.
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Julianna Desiato
7/23/2018
Boo
This trail kind of sucked. Very crowded and the falls weren't as exciting as they'd seem. Dog poop everywhere. Not sure why this trail ...
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Nancy Williams.
7/16/2018
Overcrowded and Over rated
This trail is crowded with people, dogs off leash and bags of dog poop. It is packed on weekends and weekdays it is crowded, ...
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Jeri S.
8/20/2017
Nice Day Hike
This hike is close to Denver so it makes for a great day hike. Being a beginner hiker there were spots that were challenging ...
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Mel. W.
8/20/2017
Maxwell Falls
Well maintained trail. Dog friendly. Limited parking. Crowded.
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Kaitlyn Janak
6/29/2017
First Colorado Hike
This hike was perfect for a first timer. The elevation gave me no issues and the scenery was wonderful!
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Zoe R.
4/16/2017
Great Spring Hike
Did this hike last year (2016) mid-May, and again this year in early April. The main trail leads to the top of a canyon ...
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Sadie Good
11/27/2016
Beautiful
I did this hike with a few friends over the summer and it was amazing. We hit the trail at about 6:30 and were ...
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AJ Speck
7/18/2016
Great Short Scenic Hike
We had a few hours to kill and decided on a shorter hike around the outmost edge of Maxwell Falls trail. I 100% recommend ...
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srinu panthangi
4/25/2016
awesome
did this hike on 04/23/2016.. it was wonderful than what i expected .. there is lot of snow through out the trail and the ...
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Haley Baker
4/24/2016
Winter Hike
We did this hike on April 23, 2016 (a week after a huge snowstorm) and it was wonderful! We definitely needed our Yaktrax but ...
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Bridget Taylor
Club
2/25/2016
Nice & close to Denver
This was fun, despite that I actually missed the REAL falls. There was a stopping point where it seemed the falls would have been ...
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Samuel Clark
6/25/2015
Trail is usually busy. The Upper Maxwell Falls parking is closer to the falls. You can keep right and follow signs down toward the ...
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Caitlin Graboski
10/23/2014
I just did this hike two weekends ago (10/12/14) and it was lovely! If parking is full at the Lower Trailhead lot, there's more ...
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