Colorado · Trail 2005

Two Elk

Two Elk Trail is a 10.1 miles trail in White River National Forest, Colorado. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The White River National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end39.6005, -106.2698 · Directions ↗
Other end39.5660, -106.4012 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 10 segments.

The trail

Length10.1 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers2005
ForestWhite River National Forest (unit 0215)
StatesColorado
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Two Elk Trail10°20°30°40°50°60°January: 1.98 inches of precipitation, 35.3 inches of snowFebruary: 2.01 inches of precipitation, 35.7 inches of snowMarch: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 28.2 inches of snowApril: 2.41 inches of precipitation, 21.2 inches of snowMay: 2.00 inches of precipitation, 4.8 inches of snowJune: 1.24 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowJuly: 1.77 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.75 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.96 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowOctober: 1.83 inches of precipitation, 8.6 inches of snowNovember: 2.00 inches of precipitation, 25.9 inches of snowDecember: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 28.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 17.5°F averageFebruary: 21.1°F averageMarch: 29.2°F averageApril: 36.6°F averageMay: 45.7°F averageJune: 53.5°F averageJuly: 59.2°F averageAugust: 57.4°F averageSeptember: 50.3°F averageOctober: 39.7°F averageNovember: 26.4°F averageDecember: 17.6°F average0 in10 in20 in30 in40 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Vail, 4 miles from the trail midpoint at 8,304 feet, station USC00058575 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 22 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 189 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 1,600 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed 07/01 to 05/05 (month/day)
Horse and pack stockAllowed 06/30 to 11/22 (month/day)
Mountain bikingAllowed 06/30 to 11/22 (month/day)

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Willow

    25 mi from the trail midpoint · 7,389 acres · 80% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Two Elk Trail?

10.1 miles, the sum of the 10 segments the Forest Service records under this name in White River National Forest.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Two Elk Trail?

hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Two Elk Trail start?

The line begins at 39.6005, -106.2698 and ends at 39.5660, -106.4012. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Two Elk Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Two Elk Trail?

Gore Creek Campground (1.9 mi), Tigiwon Community House (3.1 mi) and Halfmoon Campground (4.7 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Two Elk Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Two Elk Trail?

The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Two Elk Trail?

White River National Forest, Forest Service unit 0215. The trail is in Colorado.

Source: White River National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Two Elk Trail?

1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Willow at 25 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 10 segments named TWO ELK in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0215. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.