COLORADO TRAIL #2108-
Length:
6.53 miles (one way)
Trail Use: Moderate
Difficulty:
Moderate
Open To: Hiking, Biking, Horseback
Beginning Elevation:
9,344 ft.
Ending Elevation: 10,438 ft.
Elevation Gain:
+1094 ft.
USGS Map(s): Pando, Leadville North
Access from Vail
:
From I-70, take Exit 171 for Minturn and Hwy. 24. Turn right and continue south on Hwy. 24 for 17 miles to Road #702 (at north end of Camp Hale immediately after crossing a bridge over the railroad tracks), turn left. Follow Road #702 for 1 mile to Road #714 (past bridge crossing
Trail Highlights
:
The trail begins on the right side of Road #714 where it intersects with an old road.
The trail follows the road through the ruins of an old firing range to a bridge crossing the
East
Fork
Eagle
River . Across the river, the trail proceeds through a marshy meadow – look for a cairn, as the trail through the meadow can be hard to locate. Out of the meadow, the trail enters a lodge pole pine stand.
After about a mile, the trail crosses a clearing on the “B” slope, where the 10th Mountain Division practiced skiing while training at the Army Camp Hale. This point also provides a great view of Camp hale.
The trail climbs up to Road #726, following it for one mile before veering left on an old jeep road for 250 feet. The trail will take off to the right and climb into a lodge pole forest before dropping down to Hwy. 24. Cross Hwy 24, go through the gate, and cross the railroad tracks. The trail proceeds through a long narrow strip of uplifted land in the
Mitchell
Creek drainage, crosses the creek and heads across a broad, marshy valley. The trail begins climbing slowly into another lodge pole pine forest then follows an old railroad grade for 2 miles to
Tennessee
Pass.