White River National Forest · Colorado
Bowman's Shortcut
4.0 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 2133 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike
Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.5635, -106.2686 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins
Bowman's Shortcut TH #1851 the Forest Service's write-up
The Bowman's Shortcut trail begins at Lime Creek Road #728 near Vail Pass and ends at Two Elk Trail #2005: The trail starts level then climbs gently up to views of the Gore Range and Ten Mile Range. Emerge from woods to a large open meadow where the faint trail is followed to the intersection with the Two Elk Trail. Take time to enjoy the views here before returning.
This hike on fs.usda.gov
Every trail in White River National Forest
About this trail's facts
The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.
