Booth Lake Trail, White River National Forest

Booth Lake Trail begins at Booth Falls Road in East Vail, CO and ends at Booth Lake. The trail climbs up the Booth Creek valley through mostly aspen groves before passing the 60-foot Booth Falls. Beyond the falls the trail winds through conifer forests and meadows filled with wildflowers. Above 10,000 feet the trees thin and the terrain changes offering views of the Gore Range. The last 1/4 mile to Booth Lake is steep and rocky. This hike occurred on Saturday, September 28, 2013 from 8:00am to about 9:30am. Our plan was to see what the overnight fresh snow presented in the aspen forest.

Usually in this space I will provide trail details and statistics. Since we only hiked about a mile on this trail, I will instead link to a printable U.S. Forest Service recreation quicksheet for Booth Creek Trail:

It was not our intention to hike all the way to Booth Lake, or even to Booth Creek Falls for that matter. We were merely out for an early morning hike to enjoy a fresh overnight snow fall in the lush aspen and spruce forest along the trail. I hope you will enjoy the photographs below as much as my brother and I enjoyed being there.

Trail Traffic: We encountered several other hikers who had the same idea we did.

How to Get There: Travel east from Vail on I-70 to Exit 180, East Vail. Exit and turn left, pass under the interstate, and turn left onto the North Frontage Road. Proceed about 1 mile to Booth Falls Road, turn right and continue to the parking area at the end of the road.

 

 

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

 

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