Colorado · Hiking

Meadow Creek

8.8 mi
round trip
2,347 ft
climb
11,488 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Is Meadow 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.

Meadow Creek is a hard hike in the Dillon Ranger District of Colorado's White River National Forest, about 8.8 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 2,347 feet. The trail is an out-and-back, starting and ending at the Meadow Creek Trailhead, which is open year-round. The route rises from a low point of about 9,137 feet to a high of about 11,488 feet. Horses are allowed, and the trail surface is natural. Bikes are not. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Climax weather station, at a similar elevation, show July highs around 67°F with lows near 40°F and no snow days. Winter is cold and snowy, with highs in the upper 20s and about 15 snow days a month from December through February. Nearby, the Lily Pad Trail for cross-country skiing and the Superior Mine mountain biking area sit within a quarter mile. Climbers can head to Frisco Boulders, about 1.2 miles away, and Heaton Bay Campground is about 2.2 miles off.

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Meadow Creek

    No month here meets our mild-weather rule. 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

      27° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    2. Feb

      29° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    3. Mar

      35° / 8°

      14 wet · 14 snow

    4. Apr

      40° / 15°

      13 wet · 13 snow

    5. May

      49° / 25°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    6. Jun

      61° / 34°

      8 wet · 2 snow

    7. Jul

      67° / 40°

      13 wet

    8. Aug

      64° / 39°

      15 wet

    9. Sep

      58° / 32°

      11 wet · 2 snow

    10. Oct

      47° / 21°

      9 wet · 7 snow

    11. Nov

      35° / 11°

      12 wet · 12 snow

    12. Dec

      27° / 3°

      15 wet · 15 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Climax, CO, 15.9 mi away at 11,344 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Superior Mine TrailPhoto: QKC, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Superior Mine Trail

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Frisco-Keystone Bike PathPhoto: Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Frisco-Keystone Bike Path

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4.53-mile out-and-back bike path from Frisco to Keystone, Colorado.

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Peaks Trail

~3 min drive

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Lily Pad Lake Shoreline Spur TrailPhoto: QKC, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lily Pad Lake Shoreline Spur Trail

~1 min drive

0.24-mile out-and-back trail along Lily Pad Lake shoreline in Colorado.

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Lily Pad Trail

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4.62-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's White River National Forest with 458 ft gain

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Peak One

~3 min drive

3.98-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 2,223 ft gain.

Trail near Bills Ranch LakePhoto: D BREW, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Trail near Bills Ranch Lake

~2 min drive

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Mount Royal Trail

~2 min drive

3.45-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's White River National Forest with 1,382 ft gain.

Buffalo Ridge Ponds To Upper Salt LickPhoto: iagoarchangel, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Buffalo Ridge Ponds To Upper Salt Lick

~2 min drive

0.97-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado with 229 feet of elevation gain.

BR-Ponds To Lily Pad Lake TrailPhoto: Luis in Denver, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

BR-Ponds To Lily Pad Lake Trail

~2 min drive

0.37-mile out-and-back trail with 71 ft gain in Colorado.