Big Ridge #1820

Big Ridge Trail #1820 is 9.6 miles long, from Rio Blanco County Road 12 to Mirror Lake Trail #1821 [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=40799]. It provides access to the Wild Cow Park Trail #2244 [https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=41103]. Sable Lake and excellent fishing can be found about 8 miles from the trailhead. The trail enters the Flat Tops Wilderness [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recarea/?recid=81112] about 1.5 miles past Sable Lake where the trail starts to drop into the Mirror Creek drainage.  The trail starts from the Marvine Road and climbs Big Ridge. Once onto the ridge, the view to the southeast reveals the Marvine drainages, Rat Mountain, and the Little Marvine Peaks. Three miles from the road you drop into a saddle with Red Springs on your right about 100 yards below the trail. In addition to the aspen and sagebrush parks you've been traveling through, scattered lodgepole pine may be seen along the trail to the north. One and one-half miles beyond Red Springs, you enter a stand of lodgepole from which the Wild Cow Park Trail branches to the south. Once past this stand of pine you enter the grassy meadows of Big Park for about two miles. Sable Point is the dominant land mass in front of you as you cross Big Park. Once again you enter the forested area which has changed from aspen and lodgepole pine to Englemann spruce and alpine fir. Nine miles from the start of the trail, you arrive at Sable Lake. From Sable Lake, the Mirror Lake trail is 3 miles to the east. Print a trail description and map [http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5186547.pdf] (.pdf)