Snowmass Trails | AspenTimes.com

The Government Trail was often called the Brush Creek Trail, and is listed as such on many trail maps of the 1970s, but its history goes back even further. The Aspen Democrat-Times of 1910 announced in August that it was opening two new trails, including a section connecting “the old timber road at the Holmstrum Ranch after crossing the Midland Trail” (now Colorado Highway 82) with “the trail at the White Ranch at the head of Owl Creek” (Whites Lake area). This is the trail area from Owl Creek to Tiehack over what is now Buttermilk Mountain. “The trail over the hill is 5,350 feet long and has been laid out for a distance of 3,000 feet, the grade being from 2 1/2 to 3 feet wide. The trail has been cleared of timber and brush to enable pack animals to pass without breaking up their packs.” The trail then extended from Whites Lake to the East Branch of Brush Creek. Today, the 100-year-old trail is part of an intricate trail system connecting Snowmass Village to Aspen and is host to several summer races, including the Golden Leaf Half Marathon and the Power of Four Mountain Bike Race.