Colorado · Hiking

Transfer

1.8 mi
loop
312 ft
climb
9,298 ft
high point
Loop
route
May–Sep
best months

Is Transfer open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

The Transfer is a short, easy loop hike in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, within the Yampa Ranger District. The trail is about 1.8 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 312 feet, and it rises from a low point of about 9,038 feet to a high of about 9,298 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is open year-round. The route is a loop, so you can start and end at the Transfer Trailhead. The trail surface is natural, and horses are allowed, which makes it a good option for riders as well as hikers. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Yampa weather station show July highs around 79°F with lows near 46°F, and the station sits roughly 1,400 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. Nearby, the Cyclone hike is about 1.3 miles away and the Baldy hike about 1.9 miles. Vaughan Lake Campground is about 1.5 miles off, and the East Fork Williams Fork offers canoeing about 3.4 miles away.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Transfer

    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° / 7°

      12 wet

    2. Feb

      34° / 9°

      11 wet

    3. Mar

      43° / 17°

      10 wet

    4. Apr

      52° / 24°

      11 wet

    5. May

      62° / 33°

      10 wet

    6. Jun

      74° / 40°

      8 wet

    7. Jul

      79° / 46°

      10 wet

    8. Aug

      77° / 45°

      11 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 37°

      9 wet

    10. Oct

      57° / 27°

      8 wet

    11. Nov

      42° / 17°

      9 wet

    12. Dec

      32° / 8°

      11 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yampa, CO, 17.2 mi away at 7,857 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.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Mandall LakesPhoto: Jim Morefield, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mandall Lakes

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Smith LakePhoto: Jim Morefield, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Smith Lake

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Pagoda Trail

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Baldy

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West Lost Lake

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Lost Lakes

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Cyclone Park

~10 min drive

3.40-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 569 ft of elevation gain.

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East Fork

~8 min drive

29.75-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 5,832 ft gain.