Meadow Mountain, Whiskey Creek and Everkrisp Loop
This strenuous route between Minturn and EagleVail climbs long, non-technical doubletrack past the Half Nelson and Full Nelson trails to Whiskey Creek, on land that was a lettuce farm into the 1920s and became public in 1979. The VVMTA rerouted parts of the old road into shaded, sustainable singletrack in 2021, topping out at the historic Line Shack cabin 5.3 miles and about 2,000 feet up. The Whiskey Creek descent, once closed because of private property, bombs through dense forest and open meadows over rock and root, reopened thanks to the VVMTA-built Everkrisp Trail. At the Everkrisp intersection, go left two miles into EagleVail or right two miles through aspens back to the Forest Service lot.
10.3 mi
2,000 ft gain
1 hr 45 min
Advanced
Highlights
- Historic Line Shack cabin
- Reopened Whiskey Creek descent
- Grouse Creek wilderness access for hikers
- Lower Meadow Mountain is a winter touring favorite
Trailhead & parking
U.S. Forest Service station, Highway 6 and 24
Park at the Forest Service station on Highway 6 and 24 just off the Minturn I-70 exit, or at Vail Brewing Co. a couple of miles down Highway 6.
Directions- Season & conditions
- Whiskey Creek closed Nov. 23 through June 20; best midsummer to late fall.
- About this data
- Distance, elevation, time, difficulty, season, parking and description are from the article. Coordinates approximate the USFS Minturn station.