Cheesman Canyon - South Platte River

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

Inside Pike and San Isabel National Forests
2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.
Boundary data

What's missing

No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Gold Medal water

River

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Cheesman Canyon - South Platte River

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Fishing rules here

Brook Trout
Daily limit: 4
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Many small mountain streams have an 8-fish bonus limit — confirm at the source link.
Brown Trout
Daily limit: 4
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Counts toward 4-trout aggregate.
Cutthroat Trout
Daily limit: 4
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Greenback / Rio Grande / Colorado River cutthroat populations have additional water-specific restrictions — confirm at the source link.
Kokanee
Daily limit: 10
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Daily limit drops to 5 on some reservoirs during snagging season — confirm at source link.
Lake Trout
Daily limit: 8
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Lake trout do NOT count toward the 4-trout aggregate.
Largemouth Bass
Daily limit: 5 · Min size: 15"
Curated from CPW statewide bag. Confirm water-specific exceptions at source link.

License needed

Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Resident annual: $36
Non-resident annual: $100
Day pass: $16

Pricing retrieved May 12, 2026

Learn more at the agency Buy license

About this water

Cheesman Canyon is one of Colorado's most celebrated Gold Medal fly fishing destinations on the South Platte River, featuring a rugged canyon setting with large wild brown and rainbow trout. The canyon requires a steep hike in, rewarding skilled anglers with technical dry fly and nymph fishing in crystal-clear water. Fish are highly selective and the catch-and-release regulations have produced trophy-sized trout.