Special to the Herald Times
MEEKER | Two seldom-used trails in the Blanco Ranger District recently received some much-needed maintenance and are now available for people looking for some solitude.
The Cliff Lakes Trail #1831 and the Yellow Horse Trail #2288 were recently maintained in partnership with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Colorado Mountain Club.
“These crews increased our capacity to maintain trails across the district this season, which provided much needed resources for these lightly traveled and often unmaintained trails,” said Curtis Keetch, Blanco District Ranger.
Both trails are open to foot and horseback travel.
The Cliff Lakes Trail is 18 miles north of New Castle, Colorado. It starts a few miles off the Buford New Castle Road (FSR 245) along Forest Service Road 601, which leads to the Meadow Lake area. This trail travels 2.6 miles and approximately 1,500 feet downhill to the Spring Cave Trail #1834. It provides an option for a one-way, downhill hike to Spring Cave for those able to coordinate a shuttle pick up at the South Fork Campground.
The Yellow Horse Trail is about 20 miles east of Meeker, Colo. It starts approximately 1.5 miles up the Ute Creek Trail and travels approximately 4 miles through a rolling landscape of meadows and mature forest. The trail connects with the West Marvine Trail #1888, which leads 2 miles to the Marvine Campground area. By connecting the portions of these three trails, visitors can travel from the Ute Creek area to the Marvine area in approximately 7.5 miles one way.
“These two trails are in the best condition they have been in years, and this a great time to find solitude in the forest in these areas,” Keetch said.
Contact the Blanco Ranger District at 970-878-4039 for more information. For more information about these and other trails on the White River National Forest, log on to https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/whiteriver/recreation/hiking.
