Route
Go straight for a few steps and come to the Hemingway Memorial.  Wind to your right and around the memorial.  Go downhill and come to a T-junction with a wide path.  Turn left.

Follow the main path with Trail Creek flowing on your right.  At .18 miles, the path splits.  Veer right and cross a bridge over the creek.  Directly after the bridge, turn left and head up a very short, somewhat steep hill.  At .23 miles, turn left at the top of the hill.

As you wind around the hillside, you will see Trail Creek Cabin to your left.  After a short descent, you will come to a junction at .37 miles.  The trail to the left takes you to Corral Creek.

The trail descends until it reaches Sun Valley’s Trail Creek Cabin facility with a junction coming in from your left at about .53 miles.  Trail Creek Cabin is an extremely popular venue for weddings in the spring through fall, so control your dogs as you stay straight and skirt the backside of the property.

After a small hill, come to the proper start of the hike at .75 miles.  The Aspen Loop trail will veer off to the right through the woods, but continue straight.  Just before the mile mark, you will enter a large sun-soaked meadow.  As you enter the meadow, notice the path to your left.  This is where the loop will end and you will re-connect with the trail to head back to the trailhead.

You will come to a series of junctions over the next .6 miles.  Always take the most clearly-defined path.

  • At .9 miles, stay to the right;
  • At the signed junction with Aspen Loop, stay left;
  • At 1.05 mile, stay right;
  • At 1.3 miles, stay right and pass through a small grove of Aspen trees;
  • At the signed multi-junction with Trail Creek Trailhead, etc, stay straight.

The trail rises slightly as you pass a hillside and at 1.75 miles, you will enter a stand of tall, fire-damaged trees.  Quickly arrive at a junction.  The path straight ahead continues into the forest for a number of miles to Corral Creek Road, but is mainly used by mountain bikers.  Instead of following that, turn left and be careful with your footing as you scurry down a rocky hill.

As you descend the short hill, you will hear Trail Creek flowing from down the slope to your right.   As you complete the wide left turn, Bald Mountain will dominate the horizon before you.  The trail continues along the right edge of the top level of the meadow and the beautiful Trail Creek comes into view.  Just after the 2.13 mile mark, there is a four way junction.  If you have a dog, we suggest taking a right turn and heading down the hill towards the creek.  At the bottom of the hill, take a hard left turn before the steel bridge to continue along the path.  At 2.27 miles, there is an excellent watering hole for dogs.

Climb the short hill just before the 2.4-mile mark to re-connect to the original trail. Come to a junction at 2.75 miles and stay right. The loop ends at a junction at about 2.9 miles.  Re-trace your steps back to the trailhead.