17 mi of trail, end to end · about 3,600 ft of climbing · 6,646 ft–8,638 ft · native material surface · trail No. 20E04 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse
TrailheadsHighland Creek Trailhead (at Highland Lakes) 8,635 ft Drive there · Silver Valley Trailhead 7,373 ft Drive there
Highland Creek Trailhead (at Highland Lakes) the Forest Service's write-up
This trail follows Highland Creek canyon down to Hiram Meadow and can be used to hike all the way to the northeast end of Spicer Reservoir; it continues to Rock Lake, Duck Lake, and ends at the Silver Valley Trailhead at the east end of Lake Alpine. It also connects with trails to Elephant Rock Lake and Union Reservoir.
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.
