Colorado · Hiking

Difficult Creek

6.5 mi
round trip
1,706 ft
climb
9,832 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Jun–Aug
best months

Is Difficult Creek open right now?

Road closed

CO 82: road closure is listed as closed by CDOT 511 (2 listed).

As of · Source: CDOT 511. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Difficult Creek is a hard hike in the Aspen Ranger District of White River National Forest in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. The route is an out-and-back of about 6.5 miles, with a one-way climb of 1,706 feet from a low point of 8,125 feet to a high of 9,832 feet. The trail is on natural surface, and horses are allowed. Bikes are not. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at a similar elevation show July highs around 73°F with lows near 39°F, while winter highs stay around 31°F. Difficult Group Campground sits just 0.1 mile away, and Weller Campground and the Roaring Fork River are both about 3.2 miles off. Climbers can find Difficult Campground about 2.1 miles away.

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go · Jun–Aug

    Best time to visit Difficult Creek

    Best months: June–August. 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.

    1. Jan

      31° / 3°

      8 wet

    2. Feb

      33° / 3°

      8 wet

    3. Mar

      39° / 9°

      8 wet

    4. Apr

      44° / 18°

      8 wet

    5. May

      55° / 27°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      68° / 34°

      9 wet

    7. Jul

      73° / 39°

      12 wet

    8. Aug

      70° / 38°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      62° / 31°

      8 wet

    10. Oct

      51° / 23°

      6 wet

    11. Nov

      39° / 14°

      7 wet

    12. Dec

      31° / 6°

      7 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sugarloaf Rsvr, CO, 22.9 mi away at 9,738 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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BED

Difficult Group Campground

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North Star Loop Tr.Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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