White River National Forest · Colorado
Mesa Cortina
2.9 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 32 · trail class 3 · typical grade trail_grade · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse
Trailhead Mesa Cortina TH #32/South Willow Falls Drive there
Mesa Cortina TH #32/South Willow Falls the Forest Service's write-up
This trail enters the Eagles Nest Wilderness where it winds through aspen groves and crosses open meadows, providing great views of the Williams Fork Range, Dillon Reservoir and the entire Blue River Valley. The meadows offer opportunities for viewing wildflowers during mid-July. Eventually the trail climbs up a gorge between Buffalo Mountain and Red Peak. South Willow Falls is a cascade that tumbles over the rocks of South Willow Creek.
Restrictions <ul><li>Open to hiking and horseback riding <br /><br />Trail enters the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=81106">Eagles Nest Wilderness Area.</a></li></ul>
This hike on fs.usda.gov
Every trail in White River National Forest
Other trails from the Mesa Cortina TH #32/South Willow Falls
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.
