Eldorado National Forest

Recreational Activities: Hiking, Biking, and Horses

Ice House Road Area

NON-MOTORIZED TRAIL INFORMATION

Legend: Symbol Descriptions

Ice House Road Area Trail Descriptions

Gerle Interpretive: From the Gerle Creek Campground fee entrance station walk one-tenth of a mile to the start of the trail on the east side of the entrance road. The trail parallels Gerle Creek going upstream through a mixed conifer forest. Here you can see streamside vegetation, large boulders, and fishing and swimming holes. This trail will be extended in 2002 with a bridge across Gerle Creek and a new section of trail connecting to the Angel Creek Picnic Area on the east side of the reservoir.
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Harvest: This interpretive trail starts at the Gerle Creek Reservoir Picnic Area near the fishing pier and leads you around the western shore of Gerle Creek Reservoir. Signs placed along the trail describe how Native Americans gathered food in this area many centuries ago. You will also see large pine and fir trees and cross a boardwalk over a marsh and a bridge over a small creek.
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Ice House Bike Trail: This non-surfaced (dirt) trail can be accessed from any of the campgrounds on Ice House Reservoir or from the intersection of road 12N06 and Ice House Road (200 yards north of the turnoff to Big Hill Lookout). The trail winds along ridge tops and shaded northern slopes, through dense old growth forest and young tree plantations. There are excellent views of Ice House Reservoir and a few peeks of the Crystal Range through the many trees. The west end of the trail connects to the extensive road system around Big Hill and the east end connects to the road system east of Ice House Reservoir.
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Loon Lake South Shore: Also known as the Rubicon Hiking Trail, the Loon Lake Wilderness Trailhead is located at the Loon Lake Campground off of Ice House Road. This trail follows the south shore of the lake for the first four miles with panoramic views of Loon Lake and the surrounding mountains. The trail then climbs over a small saddle and drops into Rockbound Valley. Beautiful views of Buck Island Lake, Rockbound Reservoir, Rockbound Valley and the peaks of Desolation Wilderness are visible from the trail as it drops into the Rubicon River Drainage. The Desolation Wilderness boundary is about 6.2 miles from the trailhead and a wilderness permit is required beyond that point.
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South Fork: From the Ice House Road take a left at the South Fork Campground turnoff. Go past the campground entrance and continue on this road for two and one-half miles. Turn left on a dirt road and the trailhead is approximately one mile down the road at the 180-degree curve. The trail follows the contours of the mountain for the first 1.2 miles with scenic views of the south fork of the Rubicon Canyon and the Crystal Range to the east. The trail then descends down into the Rubicon River drainage at an average gradient of 30 percent, terminating at the junction of the Rubicon River and the south fork of the Rubicon drainage where beautiful swimming and fishing holes abound. The trail is very steep and dry with a lot of switchbacks. Bring a large quantity of drinking water. The trail is open to hikers, equestrians and mountain biking. No motorized vehicles are allowed.
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Union Valley Bike Trail:This two-lane, paved trail connects all the campgrounds on the east side of Union Valley Reservoir from Jones Fork Campground to Wench Creek Campground. Parking is available at the campgrounds except Lone Rock and Azalea Cove. These two campgrounds offer a special kind of quiet camping experience since access is only by foot, bike or boat. Beautiful views of Union Valley and the surrounding forest are present all along the trail. A trail bridge 109 feet long crosses Big Silver Creek and a 40 foot bridge crosses Tells Creek. Interpretive signs along the trail tell the story of the use and development of water resources in Union Valley.
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USDA Forest Service - Eldorado National Forest
Last Modified: Monday, 24 January 2005 at 20:07:37 EST