Main Fork
- 3.5 mi
- round trip
- 167 ft
- climb
- 8,599 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Is Main Fork 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.
Main Fork is a 3.5-mile out-and-back hike in Wyoming's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, within the Parks Ranger District. The trail rises about 170 feet from a low point of 8,419 feet to a high of 8,599 feet, and it is rated moderate. The Forest Service manages the land. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Walden, Colorado, show July highs around 76°F with lows near 38°F, while winter highs stay in the 20s. The trail starts close to the Encampment Trailhead, about 0.4 miles away, and the Ellis Trail and East Fork Trail are each within about a mile and a half. For an overnight stay, Hog Park Campground is about 3.2 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Deer Haven RV Park32 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Aug
Best time to visit Main Fork
Best months: June–August. 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
27° / 2°
8 wet
Feb
30° / 4°
8 wet
Mar
39° / 13°
8 wet
Apr
47° / 20°
9 wet
May
58° / 28°
10 wet
Jun
69° / 34°
9 wet
Jul
76° / 38°
10 wet
Aug
74° / 36°
10 wet
Sep
66° / 29°
8 wet
Oct
53° / 21°
7 wet
Nov
38° / 12°
8 wet
Dec
28° / 3°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Walden, CO, 33.1 mi away at 8,056 ft. The station sits about 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
HIKE
Encampment Trailhead
Next door
0.92-mile out-and-back trail at 8,513 ft elevation in Colorado.
HIKE
East Fork Trail
~2 min drive
15.02-mile out-and-back hike in Wyoming with 1,562 ft gain.
HIKE
Whiskey Creek Trail
~11 min drive
16.2-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 3,251 ft elevation gain and loss.
HIKE
Huston Park Trail
~14 min drive
4.84-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 1,698 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Ellis Trail
~2 min drive
1.48-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 199 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
West Fork
~2 min drive
15.78-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 965 ft gain.
HIKE
Green Mountain Falls
~20 min drive
3.19-mile out-and-back trail in Wyoming with 161 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
ELLIS TRAIL
~3 min drive
1.78-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado with 687 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Beaver Creek
~13 min drive
10.69-mile out-and-back trail in Colorado's Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest with 2,040 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
HAHNS PEAK
~21 min drive
2.64-mile out-and-back hike on Hahns Peak in Colorado with 1,341 ft gain
