Maryann Gaug - Best Easy Day Hikes Vail

www.cmc.org/groups/groups_gorerange.aspx

Colorados main hiking/climbing club is the Colorado Mountain Club. The state offices are located in Golden. The Gore Range Group serves members in Eagle and Summit Counties.

710 10th St. #210, Golden 80401; (303) 384-3729; www.coloradotrail.org

CTF works in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and other agencies to maintain the Colorado Trail with volunteer work crews and educational materials.

Town of Breckenridge Open Space and Trails

PO Box 168, Breckenridge 80424; (970) 547-2251; www.townofbreckenridge.com

This group helps the Town of Breckenridge build and maintain trails in Breckenridge.

PO Box 1648, Silverthorne 80498-1648; (970) 262-3449; www.fdrd.org

FDRD helps the USDA Forest Service on various forest-related projects on national forest lands in Summit County. This group focuses on trail maintenance and construction, conservation education, removing invasive weeds, and wild-land fire mitigation.

PO Box 4504, Frisco 80443-4504; www.fenw.org; or contact the Dillon Ranger District at (970) 468-5400 for the current contact

FENW helps the USDA Forest Service maintain trails and preserve wilderness values in the Eagles Nest, Holy Cross, and Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness Areas in Summit and Eagle Counties. Volunteer opportunities include trail projects, the Wilderness Volunteer program, invasive weed treatment, and fund-raising.

600 S. Marion Pkwy., Denver 80209; (303) 715-1010; www.voc.org

VOC is a nonprofit organization that sponsors work projects throughout Colorado, partnering with various land management agencies.

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, facilities come under new management, etc.

We would appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address:

GPP
Reader Response/Editorial Department
PO Box 480
Guilford, CT 06437

Or you may e-mail us at:

editorial@GlobePequot.com

Thanks for your input, and happy trails!

2013 Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to The Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.

FalconGuides is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and Outfit Your Mind is a trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Maps created by Alena Joy Pearce and Melissa Baker Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Project Editor: David Legere

Layout Artist: Justin Marciano

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-0-7627-8171-3

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Many thanks to all of my contacts in the USDA Forest Service, Town of Dillon, Town of Breckenridge, Town of Vail, and Town of Avon for working with me on which trails would be most appropriate for this book. Despite the big brother image federal and public employees often have, these people love the backcountry and were eager to answer questions, review the chapters, and provide feedback. Thanks to Carol Hunter of Partners for Access to the Woods for the historical background of Julias Deck and to Jaci Spuhler of Eagle County Library for researching several of my questions.

Because I typically hike the trails by myself, thanks to my good friend Keith Brown, who anxiously awaited my phone calls that I was safe and not lost in the woods.

A special thanks to my mom and my dad, both dead, for encouraging me to do what I want to do and strive for peace and happiness.

Last but not least, thanks to you readers and fellow hikers for buying Best Easy Day Hikes Vail. I hope you find it useful and interesting, and may you enjoy many hours hiking the trails described between these covers.

Maryann Gaug is an avid hiker and a Master of Leave No Trace as well as a freelance writer and photographer. Her FalconGuides include Hiking Colorado, Best Hikes Near Denver and Boulder, and Hiking Colorado's Summit County Area. A native of Denver, Maryann now lives in Summit County in Silverthorne. For more information check out www.facebook.com/HikingColoradoGuides and www.falcon.com/author/maryann-gaug.

If you think of world-class skiing and a swank resort for the rich and famous when you hear the word Vail, the hikes in this book will show you another side to this beautiful section of Colorado. Your first hint is to stand in the middle of Vail Village and look northeast to the craggy 13,000-foot peaks that tower over the Gore Valley. I always imagine myself in Switzerland.

Trails around Vail and neighboring Summit County provide opportunities ranging from a stroll on a paved recreation path to steep ascents accessing waterfalls and lakes to moderate trails wandering through fields of red, white, blue, yellow, and purple wildflowers. The west side of the Gore Range tends to be lusher because storms hit the mountains and drop much of their moisture. Not all the mountains are as steep and craggy as those in the Gore Range. To the west of Vail Pass, the terrain rolls and rises gently to ridges.

The best months for hiking are mid-June through the end of September, but snow may still cover the higher trails until early July. In mid-to late July, make sure to take time to smell the flowers, for they bloom profusely in the high meadows and along many of the trails. If youre hanging out in the fall (late September), amble along the paths lined with golden aspens. The Vail area boasts vast patches of these deciduous trees. While hiking, feel free to stop, eat lunch, and turn around at any time. The most important thing: Enjoy the beauty of your surroundings at an unhurried pace and a comfortable distance.

As you hike around the beautiful Vail region, capture part of natures spirit and hold it close to your own. Leave a piece of your spirit as well, so that no matter where you travel or live, the peace and beauty of this wild country will remain with you forever.