View Full Version : Lefthand canyon still open?
I searched around a bit but didn't see anything recent, is Lefthand Canyon still an option for shooting? Anyone been there or heard anything recently?
Last I heard they closed down because of noise complaint and the litter.
I drove up there a week ago and the "closed to shooting" sign looked very permanent.
82ndShooter
01-25-2013, 15:20
One of my coworkers went up there last weekend shooting. He said there were several other groups of folks up there shooting as well.
One of my coworkers went up there last weekend shooting. He said there were several other groups of folks up there shooting as well.
We must be thinking of different spots then. I'm referring to that ravine at about mile marker 4 that used to resemble Beirut, about 200 yards past the offroad vehicle access road.
82ndShooter
01-25-2013, 19:50
Thay is the exact place. I told him how to get there.
Thay is the exact place. I told him how to get there.
very odd - when I was there about nine days ago, the sign they had up explicitly forbidding shooting looked like it was built to last an eternity. -and there wasn't any evidence of recent shooting there at all. It was never a 'good' place to shoot, but it was close.
Walker2970
01-26-2013, 17:16
looks like its back open
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/arp/recreation
ipleadda2nd
02-05-2013, 17:35
I read your link. Is there a catch or some other document that supersedes it? Otherwise I'm headed out there this weekend.
USMC88-93
02-05-2013, 17:39
Jump ahead in video to 11:30 and watch til end this is where I shoot in lefthand. I was up there a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPXqrRccVcY
Might make a trip this weekend then!
Jump ahead in video to 11:30 and watch til end this is where I shoot in lefthand. I was up there a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPXqrRccVcY
Well that clears things up, I mistakenly thought we were talking about the place that is another few hundred yards up the main highway (same side of the road, further up).
USAFGopherMike
02-05-2013, 20:21
T-give, 10mm-man, and I took the jeeps up there last week and there were plenty of people shooting in different places, but none at the place right by the entrance that is littered with clays.
I think the issue is that the lower area where people used to shoot is closed and has been for a while but there is another area further up the trail..
ipleadda2nd
02-06-2013, 09:08
Well that clears things up, I mistakenly thought we were talking about the place that is another few hundred yards up the main highway (same side of the road, further up).
I believe that was the area that was permanently closed several years ago, due to a bullet hitting a Ranger's vehicle that came from over the hill. I remember reading about it in the Denver Post. I never shot at that location, but many times where the video shows.
I actually went to Lefthad the first time I shot a gun. And it was one of my first times in the mountains. There were shotgun shells everywhere. So much junk. It made me think of some crappy village in China where garbage gets dumped. It was a spiritual experience and I've been hooked ever since.
Don't ever change Lefty, you're perfect the way you are!
I went up this past Saturday with some friends. Things were good early in the day since it was warm and there weren't too many people. Later in the day it got cold but nothing unbearable. What did make me want to GTFO was the people that started showing up. List of jackassery that ensued:
- Woman walks down range when the line is still hot and people are actively shooting.
- Two guys next to us do the same shortly after. They said they called a ceasefire to change targets but nobody heard them.
- The last straw was when I saw a guy with a bullpup of some sort point the muzzle at his girlfriends head.
- Same dude flags me and my buddy on the way to the car as he bends over with the bullpup slung over his shoulder.
I'll be in level IV plates next time I go up there.
Just FYI a number of folks have had their tow trucks and other vehicles broken into or items (lightbar) taken right off their trucks.
I went up there with a few friends last weekend for the first time. The bottom section was packed so we went up to the top range. Had a great time until we heard bullets zip through the trees twice (got the sound of one on video). Sad that so many people don't know the first thing about safety, they make us all look bad. Not sure ill ever go back.
ipleadda2nd
04-02-2013, 08:46
Went up to Left Hand last weekend. There were people shooting, but not as many as usual. About the same amount of offroaders as normal.
Here's me with my AK that I built.
25151
Here's the main shooting area. Trashed as normal. The picture doesn't do it justice. It looks worse in person.
25153
BTW, I pack out what I pack in.
I am planning on checking Left Hand out, but I'm a bit worried about the stories I've heard. Up to this point, I have only shot at indoor ranges. If I get there early, will I miss most of the jackassery? Are there any other good options in the boulder county area? Everything relatively close is a private club.
ipleadda2nd
04-05-2013, 12:58
I am planning on checking Left Hand out, but I'm a bit worried about the stories I've heard. Up to this point, I have only shot at indoor ranges. If I get there early, will I miss most of the jackassery? Are there any other good options in the boulder county area? Everything relatively close is a private club.
I shot up there about 10 times in the last 5 years. I've been there early and later in the day. I've been there at sun rise on a weekday to only find one other person collecting brass, not shooting. So it's busy. I assume you wouldn't run into anyone, or just a few, early in the morning during a weekday.
It's liberating to not have a range officer breathing down my neck treating me like an idiot. Yes, I know it makes sense to have that at a range. I just don't like it. Shooting in the mountains is a whole new experience. You can open carry a handgun on your side and strap a rifle around your neck. That's what makes shooting fun for me.
As far as I know, no one has been shot there. If that's accurate it must not be too bad.
The only reason why I go to Lefty is because it's the only place I know in the mountains to shoot. It has back drops, pretty close to home, and enough activity to get help if I needed it. The only other place I know of is in Gilpin county, but it was overtaken by a gold claim.
The wife and I tried out Left Hand today, and we lived to tell about it. We didn't see anything questionable today. It is sad how much trash people leave behind. It was nice getting outside to shoot.
We went over to Left Hand canyon today and wasn't sure if the fire ban was in effect there or not.
I got there pretty early and just as we started to walk up, the Boulder County sheriff's came by and informed us the area was closed off until the current fire restrictions changed. So just a heads up to anyone wanting to go. One thing I did find out is my two wheel drive Toyota truck can do pretty well off road :D
ipleadda2nd
07-01-2013, 09:23
I was there a weekend or two ago. There wasn't as many people as normal. I checked the Boulder County Sheriff's web site and it said there is a fire ban, but nothing about shooting guns specifically.
Here's part of it:
The amended fire ban prohibits:
All other outdoor burning, slash fires, use of any kind of fireworks, model rockets, and all other outdoor spark or flame producing activities.
I'm sure it's debatable whether the above statement includes shooting.
http://www.bouldercounty.org/safety/fire/pages/firebans.aspx
http://www.bouldercounty.org/apps/newsroom/templates/bc12.aspx?articleid=3643&zoneid=2
Anyone know if we can still shoot here?
Just called the forest service. There is a shooting restriction at Lefthand.
Just called the forest service. There is a shooting restriction at Lefthand. Dang it, thanks.
I made the trip out there yesterday, and there are fire ban signs all over the place. People were still out there shooting though.[facepalm] I snapped this pic. At first I was mad, but then I realized that they were right, that place is trashed and it was shooters that did it. I wish that there was a way to get a sheriff's officer out there more often to ticket the ass hats that are trashing the place. I take trash out with me every time that I am up there and it does not even make a dent.
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu288/harthand/20130707_201244_zpsb523feed.jpg (http://s656.photobucket.com/user/harthand/media/20130707_201244_zpsb523feed.jpg.html)
Was that sign recently put up?
ipleadda2nd
07-09-2013, 15:48
Was that sign recently put up?
There are a few signs like that. They just mean there's no shooting in the area of the sign. The popular shooting spot does not have one. There is information at the entrance where not to shoot.
I saw that sign a few weeks ago, i was going to write "Do you want the trash just here or everywhere?" next to it but decided not to. I am not a fan of shooting at Lefthand but sometimes that is the most central location when going shooting with friends. The fact of the matter is Lefthand contains the idiots to just one location and that is a good thing. When i was up there last there were three college or high school aged kids that brought up a TV to shoot, i intercepted them and told them that it was illegal to shoot the TV and it and would carry a hefty fine and maybe even jail time. They turned around and instead of going to their car they went up the trail, saw them a half hour latter walking back down without the TV.
There is going to be a public hearing on the 27th IIRR, i have no doubt Lefthand is going to be closed down. They have prefaced it with they are looking into expanding a public range but i think we all know what ever they do it will not be free and it will hurt us one way or another.
That sign has been there for a few years. I think one of the local shooting clubs put the sign up. The shooting gallery used to be across the trail/road.
Can't say I disagree with the writing on the sign.
I have shot there twice and been on 4-5 clean-ups and one off-road "be nice" greeter.
I assume its back open since fire ban is lifted?
brass-meister
07-28-2013, 23:21
Yep, all the closure signs have been removed.
Post Toastie
08-09-2013, 13:01
Yep, all the closure signs have been removed.
This is good to hear!
Never shot at the main shooting area on Lefthand, I'd always go a few more miles up the road above Jamestown to a secondary spot. Okay area, rarely crowded. Anyone care to guess how long it'll be before I can make that drive again?
Never shot at the main shooting area on Lefthand, I'd always go a few more miles up the road above Jamestown to a secondary spot. Okay area, rarely crowded. Anyone care to guess how long it'll be before I can make that drive again?
2014
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.