Hike Along a Historic Wooden Flume on this Colorado Trail

From former forts and the remains of gold mines to log cabins and cliff dwellings, pieces of Colorado's historical past still exist around the state. Sometimes these sites are obvious and easy to spot. Other times, you have to search a little deeper to find them.

For example, a significant point of interest sits at over 7,880 feet in Jefferson County's Clear Creek Canyon - out of sight except for those willing to take a little hike to reach it.

The Welch Ditch wooden flume is a restored part of the Peaks to Plains Trail. This trail allows visitors to hike along a part of Colorado's history.

A flume is a channel or chute designed to convey water downhill by gravity. During Colorado's gold rush, mining companies constructed flumes to transport large amounts of water to their camps or dig sites.

RELATED: Hike to An Abandoned Uranium Mine in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

The Welch Ditch flume is significant to Jefferson County's history because it helped establish Golden and Lakewood by supplying water from a dam to irrigate the agricultural lands. The wooden flume was completed in July 1885 by Charles C. Welch. It traversed steep and rocky terrain where concrete ditch construction could not. The original lumber was from local sources but was eventually replaced with Douglas Fir from the northwest. The wood has also now been treated with creosote for preservation and waterproofing purposes.

The Welch Ditch flume was considered an engineering marvel, delivering 16 million gallons of water per day to surrounding communities. In addition to irrigating crops, this water was used to nourish livestock and thirsty people.

The Welch Ditch Trail is a short, easy route that begins at the Tunnel 1 parking area and follows along the scenic Clear Creek. There are multiple ways to reach the flume, but it's best accessed at the Gateway Trailhead in Clear Creek Canyon Park on US Highway 6 in Golden.

Related: Hike to the Site of a Once-Planned Summer White House in Colorado

The trail includes a pedestrian-only suspension bridge over Clear Creek. The man-made structure honors the area’s mining history with materials and treatments like stained concrete and railings designed to help the trail blend in with the canyon.

Check out another hike to a historic Colorado site below.