AMOUNT OF USE:  Light

DIFFICULTY:  Moderate

USGS TOPO MAPS: Little Cone and Dolores Peak

SUGGESTED USES: Hiking and Equestrian only, motorized and mechanized travel prohibited by wilderness designation.

CONSIDERATIONS:  This trail is in the Lizard Head Wilderness.  It uses old mining roads for tread much of its length.  It is a popular hunting area in the fall.   Several good campsites are available in upper Elk Basin.

TRAIL DESCRIPTION:
From the trailhead and locked gate, the trail follows an old mining road up the east side of Elk Creek Drainage.  It climbs a few switchbacks past several old roads.   Follow the cairns and arrows.  Just after it leaves the woods and begins traversing a large talus slope, it turns off the road.  Follow the trail sign to the right.  It traverses the rest of the talus slope and enters open conifer forest.   There the trail gently switchbacks up through the woods past an old mining cabin to a bench and the wilderness boundary.  Above the trail is a very steep talus drainage interlaced with mining roads.  From there the trail begins a rolling traverse of the upper Elk Creek Drainage.  The trail stays close to timberline, crossing several small gullies and creeks.  Eventually it winds around to a junction with the Woods Lake Trail, under an unnamed peak with an elevation of 13,123.  Woods Lake Trail #406 leads south to Navajo Lake or north to Woods Lake.  Great views of the peaks near Last Dollar Pass, Little Cone, the Dolores Peaks and the La Salles in Utah grace the trail as it makes its traverse.