Hiking in the Gore Range

The Gores are steep, loose, and rarely climbed. What the range offers hikers is its lakes and lower ridges. From the Silverthorne side, Lily Pad Lake is a gentle 3-mile round trip from the Ryan Gulch trailhead in Wildernest, good for kids and for the first day at altitude. Buffalo Mountain, the rounded peak that dominates the view from Silverthorne, is the range's one popular summit hike: about 6 miles round trip and 2,900 feet of gain, with the upper half on steep talus.

From the Vail side, the trailheads along Gore Creek reach into the same wilderness: Gore Lake, Pitkin Lake, and the Booth and Deluge drainages, listed on this site under White River National Forest. The Piney River trailhead above Vail reaches Upper Piney River Falls.

Eagles Nest Wilderness rules apply everywhere here: dogs on leash, groups of 15 or fewer, no mechanized travel, and no campfires within a quarter mile of a lake, within 100 feet of a stream or trail, or above treeline. The wilderness boundary starts within a mile of most trailheads.

The lower trails around Silverthorne open in May; the lakes above 11,000 feet are snow-covered into late June and best from July through early October. Afternoon thunderstorms are routine in July and August. Parking at the Wildernest trailheads is on residential streets and tight on weekends; the Summit Stage bus stops nearby. Silverthorne, Frisco, and Vail all have full services, and dispersed camping is available along Highway 9 north of Silverthorne toward Green Mountain Reservoir.