The Vail Hiker. 50 hiking and back country ski/snowshoe trails in Colorado's Vail Valley with trail directions, maps and photos. 

The Vail Hiker, newly republished in 2010, features trails for hikers & skiers. Watch for an new full-color edition of The Vail Hiker, complete with all new maps and new photos, to be available in summer, 2012.

THE
VAIL HIKER

The Vail Hiker Cover Photo  

"The Vail Hiker is a must resource for hiking in the Gore Range and Holy Cross Wilderness areas." - The Denver Post

The Vail Valley's Bookworm store reports that THE VAIL HIKER is their best-selling summer title.

Explore the Holy Cross and Gore Range Wilderness Areas

50 Trails to Wildlife Havens, Flower Retreats, Ghost Towns and Panoramic High Passes

Winter Trails too! Snowshoe the Vail Valley

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Discover the  Rockies in the Pristine Wilderness Around Vail, Colorado

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Exciting News: THE VAIL HIKER, now published in a revised, updated edition, has increased from forty to fifty trails for hikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers.

    New hikes range from the challenging Commando Run, established during World War II for training skiing soldiers from Camp Hale, to the rewarding Village to Village trail on beautiful Beaver Creek Mountain.

    The brand-new revised and updated version of the popular guidebook, THE VAIL HIKER, is now available! Order today!

Note to Trail Users:

Avoid hiking trails in the lodgepole pine forest on windy days due to possible falling trees. This includes trails in the Gore Range and trails around Minturn, among others. Trees killed by the mountain pine beetle are subject to blow-down. If wind comes up suddenly, retreat to a large open meadow until the gusts subside.

 

 Find great trail ideas in the new edition of THE VAIL HIKER.

Trail of the Season: For description and directions, click here.

High Altitude Hiking Tips: click here

The Trail of the Month

 Mary Ellen Gilliland, author of THE VAIL HIKER AND SKI TOURING GUIDE, offers you Eagle County's best trail based on local conditions. Where to go when the County is crowded, finding the area's best wildflowers or wildlife viewing are issues we take seriously and we want to share them with you.

MEADOW MOUNTAIN

Time:  4-5 hours
Distance:  3.5 miles
Elevation gain:  1,920 feet
High point:  9,760 feet
Rating:  Moderate
Usually open:  June-September
Topo:  USGS Minturn

Hikers, mountain bikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers love Meadow Mountain for its gentle terrain and mellow beauty. Pastoral in summer with its aging ranch structures and wildflowers, Meadow Mountain becomes a winter recreationists' dream. Pick a powder day and get there early to beat the snowmobiles. A shelter at 3.5 miles makes a good destination.

Drive 0.4 miles south from I-70 Dowd Junction exit 171 to the U.S. Forest Service Minturn Ranger Station and park.

The trail begins at the parking lot's south end on a closed road that once served the ski area for lift construction and maintenance.

The route, which is road all the way to the rustic shelter at top, switchbacks in a southwesterly direction up into the sloping ranchlands. Meadow Mountain stands as a symbol of Eagle County's rich ranching history. From here to Eagle, with the Vail valley included, 1800s pioneers homesteaded 160-acre parcels, raising sheep, cattle, hay and at one time, an abundance of crisp mountain lettuce. Never rich but blessed nevertheless, they dined on wild raspberries and fresh cream in summer and game in winter. They sent their children to log schoolhouses, fished the trout streams and explored the wild mountain country on horseback. They stocked firewood and supplies each September and endured the long snowbound winters dreaming of spring.

Rising above the lower ranchlands, the trail begins to offer long views. Hikers can see into the Game Creek drainage to the east and later into Vail's green Game Creek ski bowl above. Reach a fork in the trail and stay straight ahead (right). The left fork leads to a devastated logging area and also intersects the West Grouse Creek Trail (no. 19).

After the fork, the trail moves from aspen into conifers, broken by big open meadows. The trail continues to switchback, opening up views northeast to the Gore Range and its primitive Eagles Nest Wilderness (trails no. 1-7). Ski runs of the Beaver Creek Ski Area appear west as do great views of the Vail Ski Mountain back side. Serenity reigns on these breeze-swept high meadows.

The one-room cabin at 9,760 feet is nicely outfitted with bed, table and chairs. Though hikers share this trail with mountain bikers, its width accommodates both. Nor does this non-motorized vehicle use drive away the deer. Hikers can continue above the line shack for glad-to-be-alive views.

The Vail Hiker guidebook is available at Vail Valley sporting goods, grocery and book stores, plus The Tattered Cover in Denver. You can order on this website. Click here.

 

Hikers will enjoy The Vail Hiker’s alpine lakes, waterfalls ghost towns, panoramic high passes, special hikes for kids and winter ski/snowshoe trails.

 Book features:                 topo maps
   
                                             great photos
   
                                             fold-out overall map
   
                                             companion book to The New 

How to Order 

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