Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest
St. Vrain Mountain Trail #915

St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead to (one way):

• Rock Creek Trail: 3.9 miles
• Buchanan Pass Trail: 6.5 miles
• Middle St. Vrain Trailhead: 7.2 miles
Elevations:

• St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead: 8,900'
• Camp Dick: 8,600'
• St. Vrain Mountain: 12,162'

Season of Most Use: June through October (open year round)

Usage: Heavy

Rating: More to Mst Difficult

USGS Maps: Allenspark Quad

Trailhead Location: The St. Vrain Mountain Trail can be accessed from two trailheads: St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead and the Middle St. Vrain Trailhead.

To reach St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead, take County Road 107 (Ski Road) southward out of Allenspark from Highway 7 for about 1.5 miles. Near here, National Forest System Road (NFSR) 116.1 heads up the hill to the right for a half-mile to the St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead. Continuing west along NFSR 116 another 3.3 miles, part of it 4WD only, leads to the Rock Creek Trainhead.

To reach Middle St. Vrain Trailhead, turn west off of Highway 72 at mile-marker 50, onto paved NFSR 114 (Middle St. Vrain Road). You can park at the Middle St. Vrain Trailhead at the west end of Camp Dick Campground, or in a 4WD with high clearance, drive 3.6 miles past Camp Dick to the Middle St. Vrain Trailhead, at the creek/footbridge. Hike across the bridge and continue west on the Buchanan Pass Trail 0.7 miles until you reach the junction with the St. Vrain Mountain Trail at the Indian Peaks Wilderness boundary.

From the St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail starts off on an old jeep trail, but soon heads up to the right. It cuts over to the creek about a mile from the trailhead, a third of a mile inside the Indian Peaks Wilderness boundary. It follows the creek for another half-mile, then takes a long switchback to the right (north). It is easy to lose the trail here when there's snow on the ground. Then it cuts back to the left, crosses the valley and continues across the south side of the valley before switching back and dropping back into the drainage. After a few more switchbacks, the St. Vrain Mountain Trail comes out above treeline and passes to the south of Meadow Mountain. Briefly the trail cuts into Rocky Mountain National Park as it circles the west side of a small unnamed peak, then gains the east ridge of St. Vrain Mountain. At about 3.9 miles it intersects the unsigned Rock Creek Trail near the St. Vrain Mountain Trail's highest point, a good place to break from the trail if you want to summit St. Vrain Mountain by a short and sweet bushwhack up the ridge. This junction is marked by a rock cairn, and is south of the head of the Rock Creek drainage. The trail continues down the south side of St. Vrain Mountain to the Buchanan Pass Trail #910.

The trail up from Rock Creek starts at the end of the Rock Creek Road. The first half mile of the Rock Creek Road past the junction with NFSR 116.1 (which leads to the St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead) to the old ski area is 2-wheel drive. From there it gets steeper and rougher and requires a 4WD with some high clearance. The old road continues a quarter mile beyond the Rock Creek Trailhead where the road is barricaded to motorized vehicles. The unsigned trail turns off to the left (west) near the end and immediately enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness. The Rock Creek Trail is a social trail which may become difficult to find higher up, leading to a bushwhack up the valley. From the Rock Creek Trailhead to the St. Vrain Mountain Trail is 1.2 miles. The Rock Creek Trail can make a return loop with a hike up St. Vrain Mountain from the St. Vrain Mountain Trailhead, but that includes 3.8 miles of road walking. If you lose the Rock Creek Trail on the way down, circle to the south side of the Rock Creek valley to pick up the road near the crest of the ridge.

Backcountry camping in the Indian Peaks Wilderness is by permit only. Permits are required for camping along this trail from June 1 to September 15. Contact the Boulder Ranger District (303-541-2500) for information.