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The Gores – the jagged and forbidding chain of peaks that dominate the view of the front side of Vail Mountain – are marked by the pristine wilderness that begins from trails that literally start along the bustle of Interstate 70. The Gore Creek Trail begins on the east side of Vail-all thoughts of highways will quickly fall behind as you enter the Eagles Nest Wilderness and climb up into a scenic valley. Pass a historic grave marker for the Swedish brothers who tried to homestead and died here in 1913 and 1919. From the grave marker, hikers can either take a short but steep side trip to Gore Lake, a majestic pool ringed by perilous-looking peaks. Hikers can also follow the trail as it climbs above timberline to Red Buffalo Pass, where it ends at a junction with the Gore Range Trail after 7.9 miles. There was once a plan to build Interstate 70 right over this pass. Lovers of wilderness can thank their stars it didn’t happen.

My first experience of the mighty Gores was in the summer of 2011, when we set out to camp at Gore Lake as part of a three-day trip. The trail from the grave marker to the lake is steep. Brutally so. And it requires many rock-hops across the creek, which made the insect repellant fall from my pack. We didn’t notice it until we had set up camp at the lake and the mosquitos were swarming. Luckily, another group was leaving and they gave us their half-full bottle. We thanked them profusely. Then on the way back down the next day, there it was: my bug spray, floating in an eddy in the creek. At our next campsite that night, we met a father-son trio who had forgotten theirs and were being eaten alive. We gave them the bottle we’d been given. I like to think they paid it forward as well.

Pro Tips

Recommended season(s): Mid-summer to early fall.

–R. Scott Rappold