Just south of Idaho Springs, off Soda Creek Rd?
A couple years ago I was futzing around out in Arapahoe NF, and I stumbled upon what appeared to be an informal shooting area. I haven't been back since, but if I remember correctly it was at the very end of Soda Creek Rd., maybe ten minutes south of Idaho Springs. The road does a loop at the end, and on the southwest side of the loop is a dirt forest service road that continues southbound into the woods (appeared to be a 4x4 trail). Go down this dirt trail for maybe 200-300 yards, and on the west side of the trail, marked by a wooden fence, there was a makeshift shooting area. It was actually a pretty decent spot, with a natural uphill berm and a large clearing that made it perfect for rifle shooting up to ~150 yards or so.
This place actually had one of those Forest Service "closed for shooting" notices erected, exactly like the one now seen at the north site. However, the legal notice stated a specific expiration date for the shooting closure, and that expiration date had passed about a month earlier. So, from the way I read it, the shooting closure was no longer enforceable.
Anyway, I went ahead and blasted away peacefully for a couple of hours. In that whole time, the only other humans I saw were some guys going Jeep'n down the service trail. Aside from some seriously deep weeds in need of trimming, the spot was great for shooting.
I noticed this spot is not listed in the "places to shoot" thread, nor have I ever heard anyone else ever talk about it. Does anyone know anything about this spot? And does anyone have an update on the shooting closure that was posted there? (Again, this was probably 2-3 years ago that I found it)
