Pitkin
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Pitkin open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for White River National Forest.
FSR 286, Radical Hill, is closed due to washouts and unsafe conditions
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Limited parking at Snowmass Creek Trailhead
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Grizzly Creek Trail Closure
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · Order 2026-02 · USFS · White River National Forest
Ruedi Marina Day Use area Dump Station is CLOSED
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
Asbestos safety closure - Camp Hale
Agency alert covering White River National Forest · USFS · White River National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · White River National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Pitkin is a fishing lake in Colorado's White River National Forest, within the Holy Cross Ranger District, about 2.7 miles from Vail. The Forest Service manages the land, and the lake is a short outing from town, with trails and climbing and paddling all within a couple of miles. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Vail put July highs around 77°F with lows near 42°F, and June and September run in the low to mid 60s. Fishing here is a straightforward stop, and the surrounding area offers plenty to pair with it. The Grand Traverse and North Traverse hikes start just 0.2 miles away, and Gore Creek, about a mile off, offers canoeing. Booth Creek Boulders is a climbing area roughly 1.2 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Cutthroat Anglers12 mi away
- Rancho Del Rio24 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Grand TraverseHikingPhoto: toastal_OLD, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.2 mi
North TraverseHikingPhoto: Scott McLeod, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.2 mi
Gore CreekCanoeingPhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)1 mi- Booth Creek BouldersRock climbingPhoto: toastal_OLD, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)1.2 mi
- Easter Egg BoulderRock climbing1.3 mi
Gore Creek CampgroundCampingPhoto: KimonBerlin — CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)1.9 mi- Upper PineyLake fishing2.7 mi
- Piney Designated Dispersed SiteCamping8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Deluge LakeLake fishing · ~3 min drive
- Dillon ReservoirLake fishing · ~23 min drive
- Lost LakeRiver fishing · ~14 min drive
- Blue RiverRiver fishing · ~21 min drive
- Upper PineyLake fishing · ~5 min drive
- Beaver Creek Ski ResortRiver fishing · ~20 min drive
- Booth LakeLake fishing · ~7 min drive
- Fall CreekRiver fishing · ~21 min drive
- Upper Boulder LakeLake fishing · ~8 min drive
- Beaver LakeRiver fishing · ~21 min drive
Also worth it near here
- North TraverseHiking · Next doorPhoto: Scott McLeod, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Gore CreekCanoeing · ~2 min drivePhoto: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Booth Creek BouldersRock climbing · ~2 min drivePhoto: toastal_OLD, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Gore Creek CampgroundCamping · ~3 min drivePhoto: KimonBerlin — CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit Pitkin
Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
29° / 7°
12 wet
Feb
33° / 9°
11 wet
Mar
42° / 17°
10 wet
Apr
49° / 24°
9 wet
May
60° / 31°
9 wet
Jun
71° / 36°
8 wet
Jul
77° / 42°
10 wet
Aug
74° / 41°
11 wet
Sep
67° / 34°
9 wet
Oct
54° / 25°
7 wet
Nov
38° / 15°
9 wet
Dec
28° / 7°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Vail, CO, 2.7 mi away at 8,304 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
