Colorado · Hiking

Bear Creek

Bear CreekPhoto: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
10.9 mi
round trip
2,243 ft
climb
9,975 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Sep
best months

Is Bear Creek open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District. It doesn't name Bear Creek, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Bear Creek is a hard out-and-back hike in the Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District of Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, about 11 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 2,243 feet. The route climbs from a low point of about 7,700 feet to a high of nearly 10,000 feet, and the trailhead is named Bear Creek Trailhead. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surface. It is open year-round, and the trailhead parking is named Bear Creek Trailhead. The most comfortable months for the climb are typically July and August, when typical averages from the nearby Spicer weather station run from highs in the mid-70s to around 77°F with lows in the low 40s. That station sits about 1,600 feet lower than the high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. South Pasture Trail and Ditch Trail are both within about 1.5 miles. Climbers can find Steamboat Springs about 2.5 miles away, and Dry Lake Campground is about 3.4 miles off.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.