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Is there a trail along Willow Creek from Willowbrook Rd in Silverthorne to the Gore Range Trail? Google Earth shows a parking lot at 717 Willowbrook Rd with 13 parking spaces, 60 feet from the National Forest boundary and 375 feet from where North, Middle, and South Willow Creek conjoin.



This is a mile from the Gore Range Trail. If there's a trail there it would save three miles of hiking from the Royal Red Bird trailhead.

If I remember correctly, day use TH only. We dropped packs and parked down the road rather than start from Mesa Cortina(?). I believe you can park at Bighorn Circle (72 hr limit) 1/2 mi away.

There are a few early forks in the trail to look out for, depending on your destination. A partner described the forks here:
http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=12553

Quick search also shows directions here (haven't checked for consistency):
https://14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=35596

I did some trail work out of Willowbrook last year, yes, it is still day use parking only. ROG sheet from the ranger district:

http://www.dillonrangerdistrict.com/trails/Willow_Creek_TS.pdf