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Eagle County is located in central Colorado approximately 100 miles west of Denver. One thousand seven hundred (1700) square miles in size, it is bordered by ranch lands in Routt County to the north, and busy Summit County to the east, where four ski areas (Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin) and a close proximity to Denver keep things hopping. Garfield County, now under heavy influence of oil and gas exploration, lies to the west of Eagle County, and includes the towns of Glenwood Springs (famous for the hot springs pool), Carbondale and Rifle. To the southeast is Lake County, home of the historic mining town of Leadville (elevation 10,000+ feet) and one of the largest molybdenum mines in the world, Climax, which has been shut down since the early 90’s but which may re-open soon. The county’s south western border is shared with Pitkin County, a progressive leader in innovative growth management and land use regulation strategies (good or bad) for many years and home to the historic town and ski area of Aspen.
The location of Eagle County, its scenery, climate and recreational amenities provide an unusually attractive and superior place to live and visit. Land forms vary from spectacular mountains in the north, east and south to more subdued but still beautiful slopes and ridgelines in the west. Elevations range from a low of 6000 feet at Dotsero in the west to a high of 14,003 at the summit of the Mount of the Holy Cross in the Sawatch Range, which is located in the south central portion of the county. The Gore Range parallels the boundary with Summit County to the east, and a third highland area, the Flattops, dominates in the north western corner of the county. The Gores, the Flattops and the Sawatch Range are all located within designated federal wilderness areas, which offer exceptional opportunities for primitive recreation.
The climate in the county is just as variable as its terrain, ranging from high elevation heavy snow alpine to lower elevation desert pinion and juniper. Annual snow amounts can exceed 400 inches in the mountains, while in Dotsero the ground can be free of snow for much of the year.
The Eagle River is the county’s central drainage feature, flowing north from its headwaters near Tennessee pass and then east-west through the middle of the county to its confluence with the Colorado River in Dotsero, approximately 77 miles away. The Colorado River and its tributary, the Piney River, drain the northwest corner of the county, and the Frying Pan River, a tributary to the Roaring Fork, drains much of the land to the south and west.
Gore Creek is a main tributary to the Eagle, and flows past the town of Vail and the Vail Ski Area. Beaver Creek, south of the Town of Avon, is the location of the Beaver Creek Ski Resort. Other Eagle River tributaries of significance in terms of development include Lake Creek (at Edwards), Alkali Creek (at Wolcott), Brush Creek (the location of the Town of Eagle) and Gypsum Creek (which serves the Town of Gypsum).
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