Elliot Ridge Trail is in the northern Gore Range

Gore Range

The Gore Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado in the United States. The range runs for approximately 60 miles northwest-to-southeast, through western Grand and Summit counties, and eastern Routt and Eagle counties...

, part of the Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

 in the US state of Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness

Eagles Nest Wilderness

The Eagles Nest Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Gore Range near Vail, Copper Mountain, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Heeney, in Summit and Eagle Counties Colorado. Eagles Nest Wilderness falls within the jurisdiction of Dillon Ranger District and Holy Cross Ranger District, White...

, Summit County

Summit County, Colorado

Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,538 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Breckenridge...

. Elliot Ridge Trail is north of Interstate 70

Interstate 70

Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...

, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne

Silverthorne, Colorado

The Town of Silverthorne is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous town in Summit County, Colorado. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,610.-Geography:...

 and near Heeney

Heeney, Colorado

Heeney is a census-designated place in northern Summit County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 76.It is situated on the hillside along the west side of Green Mountain Reservoir, in the valley of the Blue River, between Kremmling and Silverthorne. It is accessible...

.
The Gore Range peaks provide a sharp line of delineation between Summit and Eagle Counties. The Elliot Ridge Trail slices the spine of the Gore Range and offers expansive views east to the Ptarmigan Wilderness, Summit County

Summit County, Colorado

Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,538 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Breckenridge...

, and southwest to the Holy Cross Wilderness

Holy Cross Wilderness

The Holy Cross Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and White River national forests near Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Vail, Colorado. The wilderness with of trails was established in 1980. The wilderness was named after its highest peak, Mount of the...

, Eagle County. Elliot Ridge Trail begins at Blue Lake, thirty-nine miles north of Silverthorne. Spring Creek Ranch Road, in Grand County

Grand County, Colorado

Grand County is the 21st largest of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 12,442 at U.S. Census 2000...

, enters the White River National Forest

White River National Forest

White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through it. It also contains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, largely considered the birthplace of the U.S...

 west of Highway 9. From the highway, Elliot Ridge Trail is nearly thirteen miles up undulating gravel roads.

From the Blue Lake trailhead at the north end of Elliot Ridge to the jagged ridge of Meridian Peak, the Elliot Ridge Trail crosses eight miles of rolling tundra

Tundra

In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...

. Elliot Ridge Trail meets Mirror Lake Trail

Mirror Lake Trail

Mirror Lake Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Mirror Lake Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne and near Heeney. The trail extends west...

 at the base of Meridian Peak. Mirror Lake Trail

Mirror Lake Trail

Mirror Lake Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Mirror Lake Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne and near Heeney. The trail extends west...

 descends to the Gore Range Trail

Gore Range Trail

Gore Range Trail is in the Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Buffalo Mountain Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, in Silverthorne...

 and connects with Tipperary Lake Trail

Tipperary Lake Trail

Tipperary Lake Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Tipperary Lake Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne and near Heeney...

, Eaglesmere Lakes Trail

Eaglesmere Lakes Trail

Eaglesmere Lakes Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County...

, and Surprise Lake Trail

Surprise Lake Trail

Surprise Lake Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness, Summit County. Surprise Lake Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne and near Heeney...

 near Cataract Lake Loop Trail

Cataract Lake Loop Trail

Cataract Lake Loop Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness in Summit County. Cataract Lake Loop Trail is north of Interstate 70, west of Highway 9, north of Silverthorne and near Heeney.Cataract Lake...

. Wildlife in the area includes pika

Pika

The pika is a small mammal, with short limbs, rounded ears, and short tail. The name pika is used for any member of the Ochotonidae, a family within the order of lagomorphs, which also includes the Leporidae . One genus, Ochotona, is recognised within the family, and it includes 30 species...

, cougar, mule deer

Mule Deer

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...

, elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

, marmot

Marmot

The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...

, coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

, ptarmigan, and gray jay

Gray Jay

The Gray Jay , also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack, is a member of the crow and jay family found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona...

. Wildflowers that bloom in the area include moss campion (Silene acaulis), alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris

Myosotis alpestris

Myosotis alpestris or Alpine Forget-me-not is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Myosotis.The Alpine Forget-me-not is the county flower of Westmorland in the United Kingdom and the state flower of Alaska....

), sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum

Polemonium viscosum

Polemonium viscosum is a flowering plant in the genus Polemonium native to western North America from southern British Columbia east to Montana and south to Arizona and New Mexico, where it grows at high altitudes on dry, rocky sites.It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing 10-30 cm tall,...

), mountain gentian (Gentiana), and paintbrush (Castilleja

Castilleja

Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Siberia...

). Starting at 11,170 feet in elevation, Elliot Ridge Trail ascends to 12,630 feet at the summit of Meridian Peak. Greatest Hikes in Central Colorado: Summit and Eagle Counties, a hiking guide by Kim Fenske, provides a description of Elliot Ridge Trail.