North Tenmile Creek

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers

A hundred feet of off-camber and eroded steep trail early on, but then the trail surface mellows considerably. It's rocky and wet at the trail terminus.

The trailhead is conveniently close to downtown Frisco at the end of Main Street, west of I70.

The North Tenmile Creek path starts off briefly as pavement before ducking right onto a signposted dirt trail in the shadows of Wichita Mountain. The initial open landscape dotted with stunted aspens soon becomes more dense pine forest. Dont become discouraged by a couple of steep, loose rock sections early on. The majority of the trail is smooth packed dirt with easy footing (except for the wetter, very last bit of trail).

The cheerful North Tenmile Creek provides the soundtrack for this trail and there are several places where you can stop to rest and dip your feet. Kids will enjoy scrambling on the huge boulders scattered along the length of this trail. At the wilderness boundary, the trail narrows and becomes more rooty and rocky with numerous side streams to cross.

Being in a valley, this trail does not provide sweeping vistas, but the views up and down-valley improve towards the end of the trail. Otherwise, be content with the flowery meadows and shady, lush wooded sections. For most people, the trail ends at a T intersection with the Gore Range Trail. Beyond the "T" intersection a braided path starts through marshy swamp to the headwaters of the North Tenmile Creek, but this is a wet proposition, even in the driest months.