The Colorado Mountain Club - The Best Vail Valley Hikes and Snowshoe Routes: Colorado Mountain Club Pack Guide

THE BEST
Vail Valley
HIKES

THE GORE RANGE GROUP
of
THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB
with
NATHAN FREE

The Colorado Mountain Club Press Golden, Colorado

The Best Vail Valley Hikes
2013 by The Colorado Mountain Club

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

PUBLISHED BY

Erika Arroyo: design, composition, and production
Eduard B. Avis: copy editor
John Gascoyne: series editor
Nathan Free: project manager
Christian Green: publisher

CONTACTING THE PUBLISHER

We would appreciate it if readers would alert us to any errors or outdated information by contacting us at the address above.

WARNING: Although there has been an effort to make the trail descriptions in this book as accurate as possible, some discrepancies may exist between the text and the trails in the field. Hiking in mountainous areasand canyons and deserts as wellis a high-risk activity. This guidebook is not a substitute for your experience and common sense. The users of this guidebook assume full responsibility for their own safety. Weather, terrain conditions, and individual abilities must be considered before undertaking any of the hikes in this guide.

First Edition

ISBN 978-0-9842213-6-3

e-book ISBN 978-1-937052-09-6

I dedicate this book to a wonderful woman who has moved on to that big mountain in the skyJean McGuey.

Jean was one of the founders of our local chapter of the Colorado Mountain Club, the Gore Range Group, and first introduced me to the CMC in 1991. At the time, she was a fellow ski instructor and very passionate about the outdoors. She furthered the mission of the CMC through all types of activities, while promoting education and preservation of our environment.

Always the explorer, and quick to identify flora and fauna along the way, Jean was an avid mountaineer and proud summiter of Colorados Top 100 Peaksall over 13,800 feet. But most important to our local organization, she was a cheerleader for the Club, as we called itan organizer and a motivator for others to participate fully. She was, in every way, a great person.

I realized later on, after Jeans passing, that one of the biggest things that drew me to love and appreciate her was how she espoused so many traits that my mother offered in my childhood, including an incredible drive to accomplish most anythingregardless of how formidableand without panic, all while holding onto a gentle love of nature along the way.

Now, I often feel Jeans presence in the stillness of the quiet outdoors; although she has gone around a corner in the trail and is no longer visible, I know she is still there.

Nathan Free

(See the End of the Trail tribute to Jean in Trail and Timberline, Spring 2005, by Allen Best.)

CONTENTS

THE HIKES

Foreword

Surrounded by forest, high mountain peaks, deep cut valleys, high glacial-cut basins, and the secluded Holy Cross and Eagles Nest wilderness areas, visitors and residents of the Vail Valley are very fortunate to have an exciting array of hikes available to us. As with many popular areas, easily accessible trails can be loved to death. While much of the natural beauty remains on these overused trails, their diminished condition makes them less effective refuges from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

With this line of thought, we are omitting three of the four very popular trails along the East Vail Frontage Road: Booth Creek, Pitkin Lake, Bighorn Creek, and Deluge Lake/Gore Creek. While all four are certainly wonderful hikes, we have elected to include only the Booth Creek Trail. There are many other hidden hiking gems in this area, and we have sought to share some of them with you.

Many members of the Gore Range Group of the Colorado Mountain Club have called this valley home for years and truly appreciate its variety of hikes, from simple walks in the woods to remote adventures in the wild. In this book you will find a moderate hike/snowshoe experience in the Tenmile Range in our eastern-most reaches; a beautiful high-mountain stroll from Vail Pass; several mid-valley adventures into the wilderness areas; and, to the westdown valleytwo of my favorites: a long summit ridge hike with 360 views, and a creek-side stroll where the destination is immaterialits all about the journey.

As you enjoy the exploration and adventure offered by this book, Im sure youll recognize the amazing splendor of Colorados greater Vail Valley area.

Nathan Free
Gore Range Group,
The Colorado Mountain Club

Hikers Kim, Lisa, and their labs relax on the banks of Hunky Dory Lake.

PHOTO BY NATHAN FREE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan Free has spent over 30 years of his life in Coloradoenjoying Mother Nature and the mountains. As a young Boy Scout, he experienced his first 14ers and overnight excursions while gaining a great passion and respect for the outdoors. Over the past 20 years Nate has summited all 54/59 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado and negotiated hundreds of 13ers, passes, creek explorations, and meadows. Plus, he has hiked all of the trails in this book.