Three Mile Creek Trail (Mt. Evans Wilderness)

Distance: 13.2 miles to intersection with Rosalie Trail
Rating (for the section I hiked): moderate

One of my favorite discoveries this summer was The Complete Guide To Colorado’s Wilderness Areas by John Fielder and Mark Pearson. It wasn’t until I got my hands on this book that I realized just how many designated wilderness areas exist in Colorado’s high country. There are actually 42 wilderness areas across the state, encompassing millions of acres of land (the book also includes national parks and monuments in its list). This is just another reason to love this state. The fact that there is so much preserved land to explore that I had never heard of got me very excited. So, I decided to start a several week “Wilderness Area Tour” which involved me visiting as many of these regions as possible. Most of the areas that I made it to were within a few miles of the Denver area, making them great places for day hikes.

The first stop on my new-found hiking mission was the Mt. Evans Wilderness. Mt. Evans itself is one of the most recognizable mountains along the Front Range. Along with Pikes Peak to the south and Longs Peak to the north, Mt. Evans is one of the three 14ers that can be seen from the Denver area. 74,000 acres of land surrounding this imposing peak have been designated as wilderness. Along with two easily accessed 14ers (Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt), there are nearly 70 miles of trails. The area can be reached either by I-70 to the north or US 285 to the south. The scenic byway Guanella Pass Road (CR 62) connects I-70 to US 285 and provides access to the entire western side of the wilderness.

The hike I chose was along the Three Mile Creek Trail in the southwest corner of the wilderness area, a few miles north of Grant along US 285. As the name implies, the trail runs along Three Mile Creek for about three or four miles as it climbs to the northeast. Eventually, the trail dead-ends at the intersection with the Rosalie Trail, six miles from the trailhead. From the small parking area just off of Guanella Pass Road, the trail climbs briefly before leveling off at the first of several creek crossings. Initially, the trail spends most of its time in the dense, mossy forest that lines the creek. While in the forest, the route passes through a shallow and narrow canyon. Eventually, the trail emerges from the forest into a small meadow area with great views to the east. Ignore the numerous unofficial trails in this area and continue on to the northeast. The trail re-enters the forest and hugs the creek through another canyon area with jagged rocks to the north. Once again, the trail emerges from the forest and enters a much larger series of meadows. From here, the trail begins a series of steep switchbacks on its climb to the intersection with the Rosalie Trail. The area just before the switchbacks is a common turn-around point, and it is where I decided to stop.

There are a lot of other nice hikes in the Mt. Evans Wilderness. One of my personal favorites is the difficult hike to the Chicago Lakes. This trail leaves from the Echo Lake Lodge near the intersection of HWY 103 and 5 (which heads up to the summit of Mt. Evans). The trail eventually leads to the idyllic lakes which are situated in a cirque below Mt. Evans and its surrounding peaks. Mt. Bierstadt, one of the easiest and most accessible 14ers, is also within the borders of this wilderness area (see my Mt. Bierstadt entry).

It wasn’t until this hike that mosquitoes presented a problem. I left my bug spray in the car, a decision that would come back to bite me (bad pun intended). The marshy areas along the creek are fertile breeding grounds for the little blood suckers and they pretty much wait around for unsuspecting food to wonder in. It was bad enough in several places that I even contemplated turning around a few times. The moral of this story: don’t forget the bug spray!

Directions: From the Denver area, take US 285 west for about 40 miles to the small town of Grant. Turn right onto CR 62 (Guanella Pass Road) and continue north for 2.8 miles. The trailhead is on the right. Be aware that this stretch of CR 62 is a rough dirt road. While most cars should have no problem, a 4-wheel drive vehicle might not be a bad idea.

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