White River National Forest · Colorado

Lake Fork

2.6 mi of trail, end to end · Lake Fork #2172: 6 mi loop in the Service's write-up · native material surface · trail No. 2172 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 24-36 inches wide · hiking, horse

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 39.3019, -107.5675 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

Lake Fork #2172 6 mi loop · the Forest Service's write-up

No fee

Lake Fork Trail is 2.3 miles long. It begins at an intersection with Cayton Gulch Trail #2162 and ends at Little Muddy Road (Forest Road 842). The trail forms part of 6-mile loop opportunity with the Cayton Gulch and Little Muddy Trails (described below).

To access the Lake Fork Trail, begin at the Cayton Trailhead . Follow the Cayton Gulch trail south for a short distance to the green cattle gate; the Lake Fork Trail takes off to the right just past this gate. From here, follow the trail along the hillside as it alternates between scrub oak and dark timber. Be sure to enjoy the impressive views back toward the Ranger Station as you make your way northwest. At 0.9 miles the trail will make a left turn and will continue following the contour of the ridge for the next mile. Along this stretch, the trail will cross through dense brush and navigation may be difficult in certain places.

At 2.1 miles from Cayton Gulch, the path will reach an intersection with the Muddy Creek Trail #2172.1A. Take a right turn to continue following the Lake Fork Trail, which will end at the Forest Road in 0.15 miles. To continue the loop , proceed straight ahead onto Trail #2172.1A. Follow this trail for 0.4 miles to East Fork Trail #2172.1M. From this intersection, take the left fork on Trail #2172.1M, follow it for 0.9 miles, and then turn left onto the Cayton Gulch Trail. Proceed north on the Cayton Gulch Trail to complete the loop.

Lake Fork Trail is within the habitats of bear, mountain lion, and elk. The trail is likewise located on rangeland, and visitors may come into contact with cattle. Please take precautions, and do not approach wildlife or livestock that you encounter on the trail.

Lake Fork Trail is open to horseback riders and hikers. A .pdf trail map is located here .

This hike on fs.usda.gov

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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.