Colorado · Hiking · Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness

Capitol Creek

Capitol CreekPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
17.9 mi
round trip
2,260 ft
climb
12,070 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Capitol Creek open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 6 alerts for White River National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · White River National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Capitol Creek is a hard hike in Colorado's Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, part of the Sopris Ranger District of White River National Forest. The trail is an out-and-back that climbs from about 9,000 feet to roughly 12,000 feet, with a total elevation gain of about 2,260 feet over a route of about 17.9 miles. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trailhead is at Capitol Creek Trailhead, which is open year-round. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses, but not bikes. That makes it a viable option for riders on horseback, though the climb is steep and the route is long. The Capitol Creek trail sits close to two other destinations. Avalanche Lake is about 0.8 miles away, and the Capitol Peak Route is about 0.9 miles away. For climbers, the Carbondale Area is about 4.7 miles off, and Marble RV Park and Campground is about 7.9 miles away.

Go with a guide

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Capitol Peak RoutePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Capitol Peak Route

~2 min drive

1.32-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 956 ft gain.

Williams LakePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Williams Lake

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North Fork Crystal RiverPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Hagerman PeakPhoto: The Greater Southwestern Exploration Company from Long Beach, California, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hagerman Peak

~9 min drive

Route to the summit of Hagerman Peak (13,816 ft) from Geneva Lake Trailhead (Lead King Basin).

Capitol Ditch TrailPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Capitol Ditch Trail

~7 min drive

5.43-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's White River National Forest with 298 ft gain.

Hardscrabble LakePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hardscrabble Lake

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Nickelson CreekPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Nickelson Creek

~8 min drive

15.38-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 2,267 ft elevation gain.

Capitol Peak: Approach to 12,100 ftPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Capitol Peak: Approach to 12,100 ft

~9 min drive

Approach to Capitol Peak (14,137 ft) from Capitol Creek, mapped to about 12,100 ft. The summit is about 2,100 ft higher, off the mapped line.

Lower Capital TrailPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lower Capital Trail

~9 min drive

5.28-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 2,394 ft gain/loss.

Maroon-Snowmass Trail 1975Photo: jofwooster, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Maroon-Snowmass Trail 1975

~11 min drive

0.07-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 12 ft of elevation gain.