Colorado · Hiking

Government

GovernmentPhoto: Nabeel H, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
10.3 mi
round trip
501 ft
climb
9,649 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Is Government 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.

Government is a hard, out-and-back hike of about 10.3 miles in the Aspen Ranger District of Colorado's White River National Forest. The route starts and ends at a parking area named Government, and the trip climbs from a low point of about 9,000 feet to a high of roughly 9,650 feet, with a total elevation gain of 501 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail's natural surface makes it a trail of its own rather than a route across a road or a road shoulder. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Aspen put July highs around 76°F with lows near 48°F, and the station sits well below the trail, so temperatures up high run cooler. The trail is open from about June 21 through May 14, and the parking area is the natural place to start. The Anaerobic Nightmare trail lies about 0.2 miles away, and the Tom Blake Equestrian Trail is about 0.7 miles off. For overnight stays, Silver Bar Campground and Silver Bell Campground are both within about 3.6 miles.

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Government

    Best months: May–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.

    1. Jan

      32° / 10°

      13 wet

    2. Feb

      35° / 13°

      12 wet

    3. Mar

      43° / 20°

      12 wet

    4. Apr

      50° / 27°

      12 wet

    5. May

      60° / 35°

      11 wet

    6. Jun

      71° / 42°

      8 wet

    7. Jul

      76° / 48°

      11 wet

    8. Aug

      73° / 47°

      12 wet

    9. Sep

      67° / 40°

      10 wet

    10. Oct

      55° / 30°

      9 wet

    11. Nov

      42° / 19°

      10 wet

    12. Dec

      32° / 10°

      12 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Aspen 1sw, CO, 4 mi away at 8,175 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Tom BlakePhoto: jedisct1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Tom Blake

~1 min drive

2.48-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 592 ft elevation gain

SummitPhoto: NHV, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Summit

~3 min drive

1.76-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 945 ft elevation gain.

Willoughby MountainPhoto: jedisct1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Willoughby Mountain

~4 min drive

Route to the summit of Willoughby Mountain (13,136 ft) from Village Lot 4.

HIKE

Lower Maroon Creek

~5 min drive

6.04-mile out-and-back trail on Lower Maroon Creek in Colorado's White River National Forest.

Tom Blake Equestrian TrailPhoto: Nabeel H, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Tom Blake Equestrian Trail

~1 min drive

1.4-mile out-and-back equestrian trail in Colorado with 347 ft of elevation gain.

Hawk RidgePhoto: rjones0856, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hawk Ridge

~4 min drive

1.62-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 1,097 ft elevation gain and loss.

Snowmass Mountain: Approach to 12,300 ftPhoto: rjones0856, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Snowmass Mountain: Approach to 12,300 ft

~4 min drive

Approach to Snowmass Mountain (14,099 ft) from Snowmass Creek, mapped to about 12,300 ft. The summit is about 1,800 ft higher, off the mapped line.

Tom Blake TrailPhoto: Nabeel H, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Tom Blake Trail

~2 min drive

Tom Blake Trail is a 0.15-mile lollipop trail in Colorado with 43 feet of elevation gain.

Mountain View TrailPhoto: jedisct1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mountain View Trail

~4 min drive

2.0-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 1,024 ft elevation gain and loss.

HIKE

Buckskin Benchmark

~4 min drive

Route to the summit of Buckskin Benchmark (13,369 ft) from Village Lot 4.

Also worth it near here

RIDE

Anaerobic Nightmare

Next door

ButtermilkPhoto: Werdna, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Buttermilk

~4 min drive

Maroon Creek RoadPhoto: 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)

Maroon Creek Road

~6 min drive