Difficult Creek Trail - 6.0 Miles Round-Trip

The Difficult Creek Trail runs 3 miles above and along Difficult Creek in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. This moderately strenuous trail begins at Difficult Creek Campground just outside Aspen, crosses the Roaring Fork River and joins Difficult Creek through diverse montane forests.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

The trail is maintained for 3 miles with unmaintained segments that intuitively follow the creek deep into the backcountry. The maintained portion is subjectively unspectacular, but provides a good workout with the opportunity to explore a lightly traveled drainage in the Collegiate Peaks:

The trail begins on a level path through diverse scrub and aspen to a long bridge over the Roaring Fork River (.18 miles) and Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Boundary, where it briefly meets Difficult Creek (.48 miles : 8,230').

It follows it for a short time before rising away in a predominantly coniferous forest touched by beetlekill and deadfall (1.0 miles : 8,525'). Grades steepen to a small stream crossing (1.7 miles : 8,970'), past which the trail bends west across a rocky hillside with partial views of peaks over Independence Pass (2.0 miles : 9,170').

It meets back up with Difficult Creek (2.5 miles : 9,375') and turns south beside it with many easy access points. The trail gradually levels in a mixed forest just east of the creek and to an unmarked point where maintenance officially ends (3.0 miles : 9,517'). The Forest Service suggests there are old cabin remains in the area, though none were observed on this report.

The trail gradually fades past this anticlimactic point, but travel intuitively follows the creek with nominal elevation gain into wide, level sections up the valley. Nicely spaced trees provide good viewing lanes for wildlife with manageable clutter for off-trail exploration.