Trail Creek
- 6.6 mi
- round trip
- 844 ft
- climb
- 9,756 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Trail Creek open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.
Access Impact: Big Creek Lakes Dam Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Trail & Access Impact: Stillwater Reservoir Project
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Snowy Range - 2026 Active Vegetation Operations
Agency alert covering Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest · USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Trail Creek is a hard hike in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, within the Parks Ranger District. The route is an out-and-back of about 6.6 miles, with a total elevation gain of 844 feet from the low point at 8,861 feet to the high point at 9,756 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced and open to horses. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Spicer weather station, which sits about 1,370 feet lower, show July highs around 77°F with lows near 42°F. That station's figures are only a guide, since temperatures on the trail run cooler. The Manzanares Cutoff Trail lies about a mile away, and the West Fork Encampment River offers canoeing within 3 miles. Climbers can head to Mica Basin, about 7 miles off, and Seedhouse Campground is roughly 9 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Deer Haven RV Park38 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Manzanares Cutoff TrailHiking1 mi
- MANZANARES CUTOFFHiking2 mi
- West Fork Encampment RiverCanoeing2.9 mi
- Encampment RiverCanoeing4 mi
- Mica BasinRock climbing7.2 mi
- Shield of the TitansRock climbing8.4 mi
- Seedhouse Guard StationCamping8.9 mi
Seedhouse CampgroundCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain9.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Mica BasinHiking · ~15 min drivePhoto: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- GilpinHiking · ~15 min drivePhoto: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Manzanares Cutoff TrailHiking · ~2 min drive
- Whiskey Creek TrailHiking · ~17 min drive
- ManzanaresHiking · ~4 min drive
- Wyoming TrailHiking · ~16 min drivePhoto: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- MANZANARES CUTOFFHiking · ~3 min drive
- Main ForkHiking · ~11 min drive
Gold Creek LakeHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: brewbooks, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Manzanares Connector TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
Best time to visit Trail Creek
Best months: June–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.
Jan
28° / 7°
8 wet
Feb
31° / 9°
8 wet
Mar
40° / 15°
8 wet
Apr
49° / 23°
9 wet
May
59° / 30°
10 wet
Jun
71° / 36°
8 wet
Jul
77° / 42°
9 wet
Aug
76° / 40°
11 wet
Sep
68° / 34°
8 wet
Oct
55° / 25°
7 wet
Nov
39° / 16°
8 wet
Dec
29° / 9°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Spicer, CO, 34.7 mi away at 8,385 ft. The station sits about 1,400 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.
