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.