5 15 09 martin creek trail
Martin Creek Trail is in the northern Sawatch Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness east of Grouse Mountain in Eagle County. Martin Creek Trail is south of Interstate 70, near Minturn, southwest of Vail and southeast of Avon, Colorado. Martin Creek Trail is located at the northeastern edge of Holy Cross Wilderness Area, southeast of Grouse Mountain. Martin Creek Trailhead parking area is located at 7,950 feet. A junction in the trail one mile from the trailhead, at 8,760 feet, permits passage north to meet the Grouse Creek Trail that ends north of Minturn at the base of Meadow Mountain. A few tenths of a mile west of the junction is the marker for the boundary of Holy Cross Wilderness Area, at 9,000 feet. Mount of the Holy Cross may be viewed across the valley of Cross Creek from the log cabin ruins of a homestead three miles and three hours up the trail, at 10,270 feet. The Martin Creek Trail ends after five miles, at an elevation of 10,730 feet. Hiking Colorado: Holy Cross Wilderness, a hiking guide by Kim Fenske, provides a description of Martin Creek Trail.