Eagle Ranger District

Copyright: Zander Higbie - Interactive Outdoors, Inc. East Brush Creek at Yeoman Park

Attractions - Some of the recreation attractions on the southern portion of the district include Holy Cross Wilderness, Yeoman Park, Fulford Cave, Sylvan Lake State Park, LEDE Reservoir and the Eagle-Thomasville scenic drive. In the northern portion of the district, some of the many attractions include Deep Creek Canyon, Glenwood Canyon, Deep Lake/Heart Lake, Sweetwater Lake, Hanging Lake, Coffee Pot Road and the Flat Tops Wilderness.

Recreation - The Eagle Ranger District offers 82 trails that range from 200 yards to 13 miles in length. These trails offer a variety of opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and in the winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. While most of these are backcountry trails, the Glenwood Canyon Trail is a paved recreation path ideal for biking, in-line skating or walking through scenic Glenwood Canyon.

Eight developed campgrounds are located on the district, offering 100 campsites. These campgrounds offer varying levels of services. Backcountry and dispersed camping opportunities also exist on the Eagle District. Be sure to follow the backcountry and dispersed camping regulations and 'Leave No Trace' principles to ensure the next forest visitor an equal experience.

Popular winter recreation activities include cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The Tenth Mountain Hut System cuts across the southern end of the district and provides a hut-to-hut trail system for backcountry skiing. Great snowmobiling exists in many of the non-wilderness portions of the district.

Climate - Elevations range from 6,000 feet in Glenwood Canyon to 13,670 feet on Mount Jackson. Vegetation includes piñon and juniper forests and sagebrush meadows at lower elevations; aspen and lodgepole pine at intermediate elevations; Engelmann spruce/subalpine fir forests above about 10,000 feet and alpine tundra at the highest elevations.

In the valley bottoms, around the towns of Eagle and Gypsum, summer high temperatures extend into the mid 80s, with cool evenings that can often dip into the 30s. Winter lows occasionally dip to minus 35 degrees, though daytime temperatures are often in the 20s to 30s. The relative humidity is quite low throughout the year.

Most of the district and its recreation facilities lie at higher elevations where significantly lower temperatures and more precipitation can be expected. Afternoon summer thunderstorms are common. Snow is possible at any time of year in the highest elevations. The high elevation roads and trails are often not clear of snow until mid-July.

Location - The Eagle Ranger District lies mostly in western Eagle County with the District Office in the town of Eagle. It includes the forest areas surrounding the town of Edwards, in the East, to Glenwood Canyon, in the West. It is divided into two portions, south and north, by Interstate 70.

The southern portion of the district lies just south of the Eagle River and includes the Lake Creek, Brush Creek and Gypsum Creek drainages. The northern portion of the district takes in the southeast end of the Flat Tops and the Flat Tops Wilderness, as well as Glenwood Canyon. The major drainages on the north end of the district include Derby Creek, Sweetwater Creek, Deep Creek and Grizzly Creek.