Frisco to Vail Thru Hike
Updated: Nov 14, 2022
Hike stats:
Distance: 13.6 miles one way
Elevation Gain: 3500 feet
Date Hiked: early October 2020
Location: Frisco and Vail, Colorado. Eagle’s Nest Wilderness within the White River National Forest
Colorado in the fall is one of a kind, and if this hike doesn't convince you, well, it might be time for a visit to the eye doctor. I had a three day weekend come up in early October and jumped at the opportunity to get high...in altitude, of course. Now that I live in Fort Worth, the most elevation gain I ever see these days are the stairs in the hospital where I work. After spending the night at the lovely Peak One Campground in Frisco (FYI - the areas around the Colorado ski towns are not super friendly to dispersed campers), I headed a few minutes down the road to the Meadow Creek Trailhead for the start of a thru hike from the mountain towns of Frisco to Vail. Be prepared for a bazillion photos; I couldn't help myself.
The very beginning of the hike was awash with the gold of the aspens in their full fall glory. Aspen trees have this unique phenomenon called “quaking,” which is the term used to describe the way their leaves flutter with the wind. You can see an example here:
A short climb through the small aspen grove took me to an opening in the trees with a nice view of the Dillon Reservoir, next to which I had camped the night before.
The next section of the hike was...well, let’s just say there was a fair amount of cursing. I had read a review online that said that this 2-3 mile section had a “gradual” elevation gain. Gradual my ass. I don’t know if it was the higher elevation or my legs just being tired from hiking Quandary Peak the day before, but that “gradual incline” felt like it would never end. Would’ve been a nice forest walk otherwise.
After what felt like hours, I finally broke free from the tree line and began hiking across a series of meadows, dotted with a few small ponds. I kept my eyes peeled for the moose that are said to frequent the area, but no luck.
Walking across the meadows, I could see the Eccles Pass that I would have to climb and where I had planned to enjoy lunch. The last of the meadows was visually stunning. Behind me were amazing views of the nearby mountains and the Meadow Creek Valley; that with the trail running through the yellowed grass in the foreground made the scene look like a painting you'd find at your grandma's house.
The climb to Eccles Pass is short but the high elevation made it seem steeper than it really was. The huffing and puffing was made worth it though by the 360 degree views that appeared after cresting the top of the pass. Off to the north (left-ish for those who are directionally-challenged) I could see my next destination: Red Buffalo Pass with the looming Red Peak in the background.
To get there, I descended down from Eccles Pass and began to make my way through another large alpine meadow, this one with even more mountain views than the last. Several tarns (alpine ponds) dotted the landscape, two of which the trail runs right next to.
The trail does fade for a bit after the second large pond, but keep left, go up the small hill, and you’ll eventually reconnect with the trail up to the pass. Don’t get confused by the other trails that connect from the east (right). I found it helpful to have a GPS-based map downloaded on my phone to ensure that I was on track. The climb up to Red Buffalo Pass is short but brutal. The wind was absolutely wild up here but so were the views!
After reaching the pass, the trail fades again. Head west (left) and look for small cairns that mark the way to the Gore Creek Trail. This next section of the trail is probably the most treacherous as it is incredibly steep. I was regretting not having brought my trekking poles here, but I did enjoy seeing the red plants that intermittently carpeted the ground.
After the steep descent, the trail flattens out and mostly stays flat or goes down the rest of the way to the Gore Creek Trailhead near Vail. After crossing the Gore Creek (low at this point in the year), I hiked through intermittent bouts of forest and meadow as the trees from the mountains began to encroach the floor.
About 1.5-2 miles from the pass, I suddenly had a feeling that I was being watched. I turned my head to the left to look into the woods and nearly screamed in both surprise and delight at the sight of two moose! A mother and baby happily munching away, clearly not bothered by my intrusion into their serene existence.
After about ten minutes of observing these incredible creatures, I continued on my way. The rest of the hike was a fairly straight forward walk through the woods. A mile or so after passing the Gore Lake Trail split, I entered a grove of aspens. The sun was already starting to get low on the horizon; that with the golden leaves casted an otherworldly golden glow that simply could not be properly captured on a camera. This beauty was only enhanced by the nearby Gore Creek, where I took a moment to enjoy my surroundings and rest my shaky legs.
The trailhead appeared not too long after this lovely trek through the aspens. While grateful for the chance to finally rest my poor legs after a brutal hike, I was sad to leave that little slice of heaven, with all its beauty and solitude and quiet, behind.
I was quickly snapped back to reality after two of my Ubers cancelled on me because it was “too far from the town to drive.” I had looked this up beforehand and knew it was only about ten minutes away. As a former Lyft driver, I understood, but found this to be incredibly frustrating nonetheless (they lost out on a generous tip for going slightly out of the way, just sayin’). Thankfully, a really cool mother-daughter duo who had gotten back to the trailhead right after me overheard me talking to the Uber driver and offered me a ride back to my car. If you’re reading this by chance, thank you so much! A downside to hiking solo is that it can be difficult to set up shuttles on one-way hikes, but the upside is that by being alone, I get to meet and hear the stories of so many incredible people. The hiking community truly is amazing.
If that wasn't enough photos for you, scroll through for some more:
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