Colorado · Hiking

Upper Hunter Valley

Upper Hunter ValleyPhoto: tommypjr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
3.9 mi
round trip
175 ft
climb
8,948 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Is Upper Hunter Valley 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.

Upper Hunter Valley is a moderate hike in the Aspen Ranger District of White River National Forest in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is about 3.9 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 175 feet, and it makes an out-and-back route from a low point of about 8,770 feet to a high of about 8,948 feet. 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, while winter highs stay around freezing. The trail is on natural surface and allows both horses and bikes. Grand Turk is a hike just 0.1 mile away, and the Hummingbird trail for mountain biking is about 0.4 mile off. Paddlers can head to Woody Creek, about 2.9 miles away, and Difficult Group Campground is about 4.7 miles away.

Go with a guide

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Upper Hunter Valley

    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, 3.4 mi away at 8,175 ft. The station sits about 800 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

Hummingbird trailPhoto: tommypjr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hummingbird trail

Next door

4.36-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado with 1,918 ft elevation gain and loss.

Hunter Creek OverlookPhoto: tommypjr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hunter Creek Overlook

Next door

1.54-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 248 ft gain and 9,674 ft max elevation.

HIKE

Warren Lakes Trail

~3 min drive

9.30-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado with 1,502 ft gain.

Sunnyside PlungePhoto: tommypjr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sunnyside Plunge

Next door

3.21-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 1,182 ft gain.

Smuggler LoopPhoto: Lorie Shaull, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Smuggler Loop

~2 min drive

0.7-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 256 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Tinpot

~2 min drive

4.84-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado on the White River National Forest.

Hunter ValleyPhoto: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hunter Valley

~2 min drive

2.82-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 299 ft gain.

HIKE

SMUGGLERS CUTOFF

~2 min drive

5.28-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 1,114 ft elevation gain.

Secret Jedi TrailPhoto: tommypjr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Secret Jedi Trail

~2 min drive

1.62-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 235 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Sunnyside

~4 min drive

8.01-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's White River National Forest with 1,360 ft gain.

Also worth it near here

Grand TurkPhoto: RCHop, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Grand Turk

Next door

East Of Aspen TrailPhoto: 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)

East Of Aspen Trail

~4 min drive

SEE

Benedict Huts: Fritz

~4 min drive

PADDLE

Woody Creek

~5 min drive