Salt Lick Trail - hiking in Summit County Colorado

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Salt Lick Trail

Length: Approx. 4 miles (add a mile if you continue on to Lily Pad Lake)
Highlights: Mountain views thick aspen and pine forest
Difficulty Rating: Beginner
Elevation Gain: Approx. 650 ft.
Below: A beautiful fall view

Directions: Exit I-70 at Silverthorne (exit 205) and take route 9 north to the Wildernest Road (across from Wendy's) turn left onto Wildernest and continue for .9 miles and turn left on to a dirt road that is located on a sharp curve just as you pass the Wildernest Center (Conoco station). Park here and follow the road to the trailhead.

Description: Follow the trail for about 15 minutes until you see a log bridge on your left that crosses Salt Lick

Creek. Cross the bridge and continue up the path past beaver ponds and open meadows and a sign that marks the entrance to the Eagles Nest Wilderness area. If you miss the first bridge, there is another a couple dozen yards ahead - you can cross here.

Below: The colors of early autumn in contrast to the crystal blue sky

Be sure to cross Salt Lick Creek however, because if you continue up the road on the right of the creek you will eventually enter a subdivision of condos where you may pass your time attending open houses rather than enjoying an exhilarating hike. Once you cross into the Eagles Nest Wilderness area the ascent becomes a bit more steep as you pass through a thick pine and aspen forest to the junction of the Lily Pad Lake trail. Lily Pad lake is about a half mile from this point so if you continue on you will add about one mile to your hike. (see Lily Pad for more info)
	The cool days of autumn are best for enjoying the spectacular aspen and scenery of this trail. A golden carpet of Aspen leaves covered the trail during our recent fall outing here.

Above: An SCE explorer is surrounded by thick groves of aspen.

Above: Keep you eye out and pay attention to posted signs!

Locals report occasional Moose sightings here so stay alert and keep that camera within reach!

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Above: Fall is the perfect time to catch the colors of the aspen leaves.

	beginner		intermediate	advanced
	Black Powder Pass		Mohawk Lake	Quandary Peak 14,265'
	Lily Pad		Chihuahua Gulch	Lincoln & Bross 14,291' / 14,177'
	St. John's		Mt. Royal	Bierstadt Peak 14,060'
	Mayflower Gulch		Wheeler Lakes	Willow & Salmon Lakes
	Loveland Pass		Radical Hill Trail	Upper Crystal Lake
	Salt Lick Trail		McCullough Gulch	Gray's & Torrey's 14,278' / 14,267'
	Mesa Cortina Trail		Mt. Sniktau	Mt. Democrat 14,152'
	St. Mary's Glacier		North Ten Mile Trail	Mt. Victoria
	Sally Barber Mine		Willow Falls	Mt. Elbert 14,433'
	Oro Grande Trail		Eaglesmere Lakes	Buffalo Mountain 12,777'
	Meadow Creek-Salt Lick		Mosquito Pass	Eccles Pass
	Shrine Mountain Trail		Webster Pass	Mt. Huron 14,003'
	Ptarmigan Trail		Ptarmigan via Wilder Gulch
	Peaks Tr. Barton Gulch		Wheeler Lake - Park County
	Hoosier Pass Loop		Lenawee Trail
	Spruce Creek Loop	NEW!	Nightmare on Baldy Mine
NEW!	Tenderfoot Mountain Trail

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Note: The Summit County Explorer website is for entertainment purposes only. SCE will not be held liable for the any accidents or injuries resulting from the activities listed on this site. Trail conditions change daily and we assume no responsibility for the safety of any individual during any of these activities. Please consult actual trail guides and maps before attempting any of the activities mentioned here.