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Maxwell Falls

Friends of Maxwell Falls · Evergreen, CO

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Rules at Maxwell Falls: day use, dogs, fires and camping

Day use only; no camping, fires or shooting. Current conditions

The rules in 30 seconds

  • Day use only. No one in the area between sunset and sunrise.
  • No camping. Not at the trailheads, not along the trail, not in your car.
  • No campfires or charcoal grills. A gas or liquid-fuel stove is OK under the Stage 1 fire restrictions that run through December 31, 2026.
  • No recreational shooting. A permanent Forest Service order bans it here.
  • Dogs on a hand-held leash, and pack out every bag. Never leave one at the trailhead.
  • Park legally. In the lots, or on the road only where it’s allowed, with the car completely past the white edge line.
  • Pack out all trash. There’s no trash service at any trailhead.
  • Stay on the signed trail.

The U.S. Forest Service manages Maxwell Falls and sets these rules. We’re a volunteer guide, not the Forest Service, and the official wording lives on the USFS alert page. We last checked the rules, and the signs posted at the trailheads, on September 28, 2026.

Day use only

Maxwell Falls and the start of nearby Cub Creek Trail fall under a Forest Service occupancy and use order, Order ARP-CCRD-2021-01, first issued in May 2021. The order and its closure map are posted at the trailhead kiosk, and a Forest Service sign at the lower trailhead reads “No camping or campfires. Use in the area prohibited between sunset and sunrise” (posted at the trailhead in September 2026). The order covers the National Forest land around both the upper and lower Maxwell Falls trails and prohibits the following:

Prohibited Regulation
Camping 36 CFR 261.58(e)
Campfires 36 CFR 261.52(a)
Being in the area after sundown or before sunrise 36 CFR 261.58(l)
Parking or leaving a vehicle in violation of posted instructions 36 CFR 261.58(g)

On-duty officers, rescue and firefighting crews, and anyone with written Forest Service permission are exempt.

A white Forest Service sign reading No Camping or Campfires, Use in the area prohibited between sunset and sunrise.
Posted at the lower trailhead, September 2026: no camping or campfires, and no one in the area between sunset and sunrise.

For a normal visit, that means you arrive after sunrise and drive away before sunset. The sunset rule covers the parking lots too, so no cars in or near the lots overnight.

The Forest Service order ARP-CCRD-2021-01 posted behind plastic on a trailhead kiosk.
The Maxwell Falls occupancy and use order (ARP-CCRD-2021-01), still posted at the lower trailhead in September 2026.

Why the order exists

Before 2021, Maxwell Falls was a night spot for camping and parties. The Forest Service kept finding unextinguished campfires in the canyon, right below the homes at the top of the drainage. Campers also used the narrow, “constricted drainage” as a toilet, and the creek showed it. Local fire departments, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and local officials worked with the Forest Service on the order.

Nobody here takes the fire risk lightly. The Forest Service ranks the Evergreen area among the highest-risk firesheds in the Rocky Mountain Region, and Brook Forest Road is the only way out for hundreds of homes.

No camping

You can’t camp anywhere in the Maxwell Falls area, and that includes the trailhead lots. A few camping apps and websites still list the lower lot as an “informal campsite.” They’re out of date. The lot is closed to overnight use under the Forest Service order, and the kiosk carries a “No overnight camping” sign.

Don’t do this. Sleeping in a car, van or RV at a trailhead counts as camping, and it’s illegal here.

A motorhome set up on leveling blocks with its stabilizer jack down in the gravel overflow lot at the lower trailhead.
Don't do this: an RV set up for overnight camping in the lower trailhead overflow lot (May 2022). Maxwell Falls is day use only, and camping here, including in vehicles, is illegal.

If you need somewhere to camp nearby, the Forest Service keeps a list of developed campgrounds in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, and Staunton State Park is close by.

No campfires or charcoal grills; stoves are OK

Campfires are banned at Maxwell Falls all year under the day-use order, and the Forest Service sign at the lower trailhead says so: “No camping or campfires.”

Stage 1 fire restrictions add a second layer. Order 02-10-00-26-05, signed August 31, 2026 and posted at the trailheads, covers the Boulder and Clear Creek Ranger Districts from noon on September 1 through December 31, 2026. It prohibits fires, charcoal and briquettes included, with one exception: “a device solely fueled by liquid or gas that can be turned on and off,” used in an area barren or cleared of all flammable material within three feet of it. So a gas or liquid-fuel camp stove is fine on bare, cleared ground, and a charcoal grill is not.

The roadside sign on Brook Forest Road puts it in pictures: no fires, no charcoal grills, no shooting, “Stoves OK.” The kiosk notice reads “Fire restrictions now in effect: no campfires, no charcoal grills, no target shooting (persons with hunting license exempt).”

A yellow Forest Service fire restrictions sign beside Brook Forest Road with symbols for no fires, no charcoal grills, no shooting, and stoves OK.
The fire restrictions sign on Brook Forest Road near the lower trailhead, September 2026: no fires, no charcoal grills, no shooting, stoves OK.

Stage 1 also limits smoking to an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or a stop in an area at least 3 feet across that’s cleared of anything flammable. Explosives are prohibited, and so is welding or running a torch. Penalties can reach $5,000 for individuals, $10,000 for organizations, and up to six months in jail.

Please don’t smoke on the trail at all. A dropped cigarette in dry pine needles is exactly how this neighborhood’s worst day would start.

No shooting

Recreational and target shooting is prohibited at Maxwell Falls. Signs at the trailheads read “No shooting,” and the kiosk’s fire notice adds “No target shooting (persons with hunting license exempt).” The Forest Service’s Permanent Recreational Shooting Order, Order 02-10-00-25-02, took effect on August 13, 2025 and stays in effect until it’s rescinded. It prohibits “discharging a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun” on the National Forest land in its “Southern Clear Creek, Jefferson, and Park County” area, and the order’s legal description and map cover both Maxwell Falls trailheads, the trail, the Cliff Loop and the Cub Creek trailhead.

That means no firing any firearm, air rifle or gas gun, target practice and plinking included (the regulation is 36 CFR 261.58(m)). Law enforcement on duty and people with a specific Forest Service permit are exempt, as are “persons in possession of a valid State of Colorado hunting license who are hunting in compliance with Colorado law.” So you may still run into licensed hunters in season, and a bright layer on fall hikes is a good idea.

Under the order, a violation is a Class B misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals ($10,000 for organizations), up to six months in jail, or both.

The order closed about 94,900 acres of National Forest that the Forest Service had found unsuitable for shooting, once the new Devils Nose Target Range near Idaho Springs opened (Federal Register notice; CBS Colorado coverage). On a busy family trail next to people’s houses, neighbors were glad to see it.

If you hear shooting nearby, move away from it and report it: call 911 if anyone is in danger, or Jefferson County dispatch (non-emergency) at 303-980-7300.

A yellow notice: Fire Restrictions Now in Effect, No Campfires, No Charcoal Grills, No Target Shooting, persons with hunting license exempt.
Fire restrictions notice at the lower trailhead kiosk, September 2026.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome, on a few conditions.

The Forest Service requires a hand-held leash here, all the time. Maxwell Falls is not an off-leash area, and the leash also keeps your dog out of trouble with deer, moose, other dogs, horses and bikes.

County law says the same. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control sign at the kiosks (posted at the trailhead in September 2026) reads: dogs must be on leash, please clean up after your pet, violators will be prosecuted, maximum fine $1,000. It cites C.R.S. 30-15-101(1)(a)(VII) and County Regulatory Policy Chapter 5.82.

Carry the bag home. There’s no trash service at any trailhead, so a bag left at the trailhead or beside the trail “to pick up later” just sits there. Neighbors and other hikers notice, and abandoned bags are one of the most common complaints in visitor reviews of this trail.

Bring water for your dog, too. There’s none at the trailheads, and the creek isn’t always reachable or safe. In June 2018, Evergreen Fire/Rescue crews carried an exhausted, dehydrated 120-pound Great Pyrenees about a mile back to the Maxwell Falls parking lot on a stretcher.

Keep dogs out of the fast spring creek and off the steep rocks near the falls and the cliffs.

Lost a dog or need to report a problem? Contact Jefferson County Sheriff Animal Control.

Two fluffy dogs on red and blue hand-held leashes walking ahead on a dirt forest trail through aspens.
Two dogs on hand-held leashes, the way the Forest Service requires at Maxwell Falls.
Colorful tied dog-waste bags left in the grass beside the trailhead parking area
There is no poop fairy: bagged dog waste left at a Maxwell Falls trailhead. Photo: Susan Helm.
The brown Forest Service post at the lower trailhead reading Maxwell Falls Trail No. 111, with bags of trash and dog waste dumped at its base.
The trail post at the lower trailhead (April 2017), with trash left behind. There is no trash service at any trailhead: pack it all out.

Parking

The lots fill fast on busy summer days, especially weekends and holidays. By our count, the lower main lot holds fewer than 18 vehicles, the lower overflow lot about 15 to 20, and the upper lot about 15. Trailheads and parking has the details.

In the lots, park as posted. The Forest Service order prohibits parking in violation of posted instructions, and no vehicles may be in or near the lots between sunset and sunrise.

Street-side parking on Brook Forest Road is allowed where it’s sensible, safe and not specifically prohibited. “No Parking” signs mark the stretches where the shoulder is too narrow, so believe them.

When you do park on the road, both tires on the road side have to be completely off the road, past the white painted edge line. Colorado law (C.R.S. 42-4-1202) prohibits parking “upon the paved or improved and main-traveled part of the highway,” and the “roadway” excludes the shoulder (C.R.S. 42-1-102). A violation is a class B traffic infraction.

Jefferson County rules apply on top of that: no parking that obstructs a travel lane or driveway, within 5 feet of a driveway, 15 feet of a hydrant, or 30 feet of a stop or yield sign, or anywhere signed “No Parking.”

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office enforces all of this and does write tickets on busy, contentious days (visitors report tickets on crowded weekends). And stay off the Brook Forest Inn’s land. It’s closed, and it’s private property.

Parking is free, with no pass, permit or reservation. (One hiking club’s website says you need a Forest Service parking permit. We couldn’t find any Forest Service source for that, and both the Forest Service and the state trail database list the trailheads as free.)

Trailheads and parking

Bikes, horses and motor vehicles

Mountain bikes are allowed on the Maxwell Falls Trail (#39; older listings say #111), the Cliff Loop (#39.1) and Cub Creek Trail (#40). These trails are steep and technical, and on weekends they’re full of hikers. Ride on weekdays if you can, slow down for blind corners, and yield to everyone.

Cub Creek Trail is open (the Forest Service’s trail page lists no closures as of its August 27, 2026 update). The “Cub Creek Trail No. 40” post at its trailhead (September 2026) shows it open to hikers, horses and bicycles, with “No e-bikes” and no motor vehicles. Bikes have to stop at the Mount Evans Wilderness boundary; a wilderness information board stands at the trailhead. Past the boundary, bikes aren’t allowed at all and you need a free self-issued wilderness permit.

A brown trail post reading Cub Creek Trail No. 40 with a No E-Bikes sign and symbols for hikers, horses and bicycles, no motor vehicles.
The Cub Creek Trail No. 40 post, September 2026: hikers, horses and bicycles; no e-bikes or motor vehicles.

Horses are allowed on #39, #39.1 and #40. The lots are small, though, and there’s no trailer parking set aside. Motorized vehicles aren’t allowed on any of the trails.

Bikes yield to hikers and horses, and hikers yield to horses. When a horse comes toward you, step to the downhill side and say something in a calm voice so it knows you’re a person.

Trash and human waste

There is no trash service at any trailhead. Signs at the lower, upper and Cub Creek trailheads all read “No garbage service. Please pack it out!” No cans, no dumpsters, no pickup. Whatever you bring goes home with you, food scraps and wet wipes and dog bags included. A bag set down by the kiosk is still litter.

There are no restrooms either. Stop in Evergreen or Conifer before you drive up. If you have to go on the trail, get at least 200 feet from the creek and the trail, and pack out the toilet paper.

Stay on the trail

Social trails braid through the canyon, especially around the falls and on the Cliff Loop. They wash out, kill the plants along their edges, spread weeds, and lead people onto steep, loose ground. Stick to the signed trail, and walk straight through muddy spots instead of widening them.

Be a good neighbor

Maxwell Falls sits in a residential canyon. People live right next to the trailheads, and Brook Forest Road is their only road out.

  • Keep noise down at the trailheads, especially early in the morning.
  • Don’t block driveways, mailboxes or the road, even for a minute.
  • Stay off private land next to the trailheads and the road.
  • Drive slowly. Kids, dogs, wildlife and cyclists all use this road.

Before you go, check current conditions and pick your route.

Official sources and who to contact

Are dogs allowed at Maxwell Falls?

Yes, on a hand-held leash, per the Forest Service. Jefferson County's leash law applies too, with fines up to $1,000. Pack out all dog waste. There's no trash service at any trailhead, and neighbors really don't like finding bags left behind.

Can you camp at Maxwell Falls?

No. Camping is prohibited in the Maxwell Falls area, including the trailhead lots, under Forest Service Order ARP-CCRD-2021-01.

Can I have a campfire or use a camp stove?

No campfires, ever, and no charcoal grills under the Stage 1 fire restrictions that run through December 31, 2026. A gas or liquid-fuel stove you can turn on and off is allowed on ground cleared of anything flammable for three feet around. Fire rules.

What are the hours at Maxwell Falls?

Sunrise to sunset. No one may be in the area after sundown or before sunrise.

Is target shooting allowed at Maxwell Falls?

No. Forest Service Order 02-10-00-25-02 has prohibited discharging a firearm, air rifle or gas gun here since August 13, 2025, until rescinded. Licensed hunters hunting legally are exempt. Details.

Can I park on Brook Forest Road?

Where it's safe and not signed "No Parking," yes, but only with the car completely off the road, both road-side tires past the white edge line. The Sheriff does ticket on busy days. Parking rules.

Can I ride a mountain bike or a horse at Maxwell Falls?

Yes, both are allowed on #39, #39.1 and Cub Creek Trail. Motorized vehicles are not, and the Cub Creek post says "No e-bikes" too.

Can I swim in Maxwell Creek?

We found no rule against wading, but the water is cold and fast in spring and the rocks are slick. Most people stay on the bank. See Safety.

Sources