COLORADO TRAIL #2108-

CAMP HALE TO TENNESSEE PASS

 

Length: 6.53 miles (one way)                   
Trail Use: Moderate
Difficulty: Moderate                                    
Open To: Hiking, Biking, Horseback
Beginning Elevation: 9,344 ft.                 
Ending Elevation: 10,438 ft.
Elevation Gain: +1094 ft.                           
USGS Map(s): Pando, Leadville North

 

Access from Vail : From I-70, take Exit 171 for Minturn and Hwy. 24. Turn right and continue south on Hwy. 24 for 17 miles to Road #702 (at north end of Camp Hale immediately after crossing a bridge over the railroad tracks), turn left. Follow Road #702 for 1 mile to Road #714 (past bridge crossing East Fork Eagle River). Turn right onto Road #714 and proceed 2.5 miles to trailhead on left. Look for the 4 x 4 wood post marking the Colorado Trail.

 
Trail Highlights : The trail begins on the right side of Road #714 where it intersects with an old road.   The trail follows the road through the ruins of an old firing range to a bridge crossing the East Fork Eagle River. Across the river, the trail proceeds through a marshy meadow – look for a cairn, as the trail through the meadow can be hard to locate. Out of the meadow, the trail enters a lodge pole pine stand.   After about a mile, the trail crosses a clearing on the “B” slope, where the 10th Mountain Division practiced skiing while training at the Army Camp Hale. This point also provides a great view of Camp hale.   The trail climbs up to Road #726, following it for one mile before veering left on an old jeep road for 250 feet. The trail will take off to the right and climb into a lodge pole forest before dropping down to Hwy. 24. Cross Hwy 24, go through the gate, and cross the railroad tracks. The trail proceeds through a long narrow strip of uplifted land in the Mitchell Creek drainage, crosses the creek and heads across a broad, marshy valley. The trail begins climbing slowly into another lodge pole pine forest then follows an old railroad grade for 2 miles to Tennessee Pass.

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