Colorado trails · Middle Fork Trail
Middle Fork Trail
A 10.9-mile out-and-back in Colorado, with 3,773 ft of climbing, topping out at 12,173 ft. Reaches Palomino Mountain and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by USFS Pagosa Ranger District.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 51% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.6.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Palomino Mountain (summit)
- Monument Lake (lake)
- Window Lake (lake)
Getting there
Middle Fork Trailhead — parking nearby. 37.51230, -107.14775 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:11 a.m., the sun rises at 6:37 a.m. and sets at 7:39 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:06 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 01 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.9-mile round trip takes roughly 11 h 52 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 6:30 p.m. — 1 h 09 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Matterhorn Trail + Middle Fork Trail + East Fork Trail — 10.0 mi loop, 1,225 ft gain
Nearby trails
- West Fork Trail — 13.1 mi
- Ivy Creek Trail — 14.2 mi
- Fern Creek Trail — 15.7 mi
- Ute Creek Trail — 20.1 mi