Directions:

From I-70 in Silverthorne, head north on Hwy 9 for 10 miles to the Columbine Landing Trailhead on the west side of Hwy 9.

Hike Description:

The Gore Range is on fire with color come late September / early October and if you are looking for a hidden gem fall color hike, look no further than the Harrigan Creek Trail.  The access is easy, the trail cuts through multiple beautiful aspen groves, and there are options for short hikes and long backpacking trips into the heart of the Gore.  Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

The hike starts at the Columbine Landing trailhead just off of Hwy 9 and immediately the fall colors are popping all around you.  The first half a mile or so cuts across an open meadow at the base of aspen forested hills.  With good views of the Front Range to the east.  When you cut into the hillside, you cut straight into aspen groves.  From here, the hike is a steady climb alternating between being in colorful forest and open meadows with amazing views of colorful forest.  As you climb higher, the views get grander and grander.

At 3.2 miles and 1,300 ft of elevation gain, you reach the junction with the Not Rock Creek Trail.  Continue straight on the Harrigan Creek Trail for ¼ mile and enter the Eagles Nest Wilderness, and arrive at the Gore Range Trail 1/10th of a mile after the wilderness boundary.  Turn right (north) on the Gore Range Trail.  For a short while, the aspens give way to pine forest and the views disappear…until they don’t.  Before long, the forest will break and you’ll find yourself on an open hillside with a meadow below and jagged peaks towering above the forest.  This is a tremendously beautiful view and the stopping point for this description.  From here you go back the way you came.

If you want a longer adventure (probably backpacking at this point) you can continue on the Gore Range Trail eventually hooking up with the Slate Creek Trail.  If this is your destination, it is a worthy one.  Enjoy the view and enjoy the fall colors again on your way back down.  The Gore Range is a treasure in all seasons, but it really shines in the fall.