2017 Travels: Camping and hiking near Pagosa Springs and the Rio Grande Reservoir.

In the following posts we’ll tell you about some great hikes, great road bicycling and inexpensive primitive camping in Southwest Colorado.

Our summer travels begin near Pagosa Springs. There are two good primitive National Forest campgrounds in the area that suit our style of camping. They’re great places to camp if you want to visit Pagosa Springs but not be in the middle of this congested and tightly packed community at its summer peak. You can visit the town, catch the excitement and go back to a quiet forest camp.

East Fork San Juan River, San Juan National Forest. We stayed two nights at the East Fork Campground. This is a primitive Forest Service campground north of Pagosa Springs in a dense stand of fir and aspen about a mile off Highway 60 on a good gravel road. There are picnic tables, fire pits, vault toilets and limited cellular data coverage. It’s $20/night, $10 with Senior Pass.

East Fork San Juan River.

From this campground we could hike two trails, Quartz Ridge and Coal Creek, that begin at a trailhead about three miles upriver from the campground at the confluence of the East Fork and Sand Creek. The gravel road continued to be good and we could easily drive to the trailhead from the campground.

Jim on the Quartz Ridge Trail.

Quartz Ridge Trail, South San Juan Wilderness. The trail climbs steeply but once on the ridge became gradual.  Lots of dead fall from the previous winter slowed our progress. The trail meandered across sunny, sloping meadows and through gorgeous green aspen stands before dropping back down to Sand Creek. We stopped for lunch at the 3 mile point then decided to turn back.

Jim hiking through a sunny meadow on the Quartz Ridge Trail.

A view from the Quartz Ridge Trail.

Aspen and California Corn Lily.

Sand Creek from the Quartz Ridge Trail.

Jackie hiking through the Aspens on the Quartz Ridge Trail.

Aspen and Bracken Fern along the Quartz Ridge Trail. 

Jim and a little Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel. The little guy didn't twitch a tail the
entire time we stood there. He thought he was hiding.

A Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel plays hide & seek with Jim.

By one o’clock clouds unfurled over the mountains and the grumblings of a thunderstorm began. Rain misted the peaks but we only got a few drops before we got back to the van.

The overcast gloomed and cooled the afternoon much to the approval of the Hermit Thrush. As we walked down the mountain the forest chimed with their silver fluting tremolo. The six mile hike took us about 4.5 hours but we were leisurely and stopped often for pictures.

East Fork San Juan River, opportunities for fly fishing for native Browns.

On our drive to the trailhead we saw lots of boon dock sites along the East Fork and decided to move our camp closer to the trailhead to hike the Coal Creek Trail the next day. We found a great boon dock site along the river just above the confluence with Sand Creek and stayed two nights. The East Fork and Sand Creek offer great fly fishing for native Brown Trout.

Coal Creek Trail.

The Coal Creek Trail was very steep with an altitude gain of 1500 ft. in three miles. We hiked three miles up the ridge and turned around when we saw afternoon storms percolating on the peaks.

Looking at the Continental Divide from Coal Creek Trail.

Serene Aspen stands on the Coal Creek Trail.

Looking up the East Fork to Elwood Pass, a popular destination for 4-wheel drive vehicles. 

The road is heavily used by 4-wheel drive vehicles and OHV’s to access the high country and drive to Elwood Pass on the Continental Divide. A few miles above the confluence of the East Fork and Sand Creek the road is labeled as 4-wheele drive.

The road to West Fork Campground.

West Fork San Juan River near the West Fork Campground.

West Fork Campground, San Juan National Forest. We moved to West Fork Campground only a few miles away. It’s another primitive Forest Service campground but has a water tap. It’s about 3 miles of good gravel road to get to the campground. The cost is $20/night, $10 with Senior Pass. The campground is a peaceful among tall pines and aspen. There's a good hike to a hot spring on the Rainbow Trail but we didn't take time to do it. We only stayed overnight so we could fill our water tank and head over Wolf Creek Pass for Creede in the upper Rio Grande River basin.

Our camp at Lost Trail Creek. One of our favorites.

Lost Trail Creek Campground, Rio Grande National Forest.  We camped two nights at the Lost Trail Creek Campground, a primitive Forest Service campground that has picnic tables, fire pits, vault toilet, outstanding scenery and no fee. It’s near the Rio Grande River a couple miles above the Rio Grande Reservoir at over 9,000 feet in elevation.

A view from our camp at Lost Trail Creek.

Lost Trail Creek.

Hiking on Lost Trail Creek trail. The first two miles were an OHV trail.
The Rio Grande Reservoir in the distance.

Thirty years ago when we were somewhat younger we staged an 8-day backpack trip beginning at the Lost Trail Creek trailhead. We hiked up to the Continental Divide Trail and followed it around the headwaters of the Rio Grande. We wanted to do a day hike on this same trail again and revisit this beautiful country. The big surprise was that the first two miles of Lost Trail Creek trail had been converted to an OHV trail. Several groups of off-roaders passed us as we hiked.

Volcanic formations along the Lost Trail Creek.

Lookin up West Fork Lost Trail Creek. No OHV's allowed.

West Fork Lost Trail Creek.

Beaver ponds on the West Fork Lost Trail Creek.

In two miles we intersected the trail for West Fork Lost Trail Creek. This trail is designated for hiking, mountain bikes and trail bikes only. We saw no one else and had a wonderful hike up the canyon. Clouds accumulate during the day leading to afternoon showers so always take rain gear. We got a light shower and small hail at noon but it only lasted about 15 minutes. You never can tell.

Wildflowers along West Fork Lost Trail Creek.

Wildflower season in the Rockies.

Perfect tiny mushrooms growing on a stump.

Ute Creek Trailhead, Rio Grande National Forest. We moved our camp a mile down river to the Ute Creek Trailhead. There isn't a campground but at-large camping is allowed. There's a vault toilet, no camping fee and great fishing access. We found a nice spot with a view of the Rio Grande River and the mountains all around. Lincoln's Sparrows are singing in the willows along the river. We only see them at home in the winter. This is the first time we've heard their beautiful summer song. We really liked this boon dock site.

Our boon dock camp at the Ute Creek Trailhead next to the Rio Grande.

We hiked 10.5 miles on the Ute Creek Trail in the Wiminuche Wilderness. This was our exit trail on the 8-day backpack we began at Lost Trail Creek 30 years ago. It was mid-September then and it started to snow as we hiked down the mountain.

We have to wade the Rio Grande to get to the Ute Creek Trailhead.

To get to the trail we have to wade the Rio Grande River. This is the last wild stretch of the Rio before it flows into the reservoir. It's only knee deep but the water's fast and trekking poles help. We wore our kayak shoes to cross the river and hide them after putting our boots on.

Ute Creek Trailhead in the Weminuche Wilderness, Rio Grand National Forest.

The trail passes through fir and aspens.

Ute Creek.

Jim on the Ute Creek Trail.

The trail contours for several miles around the upper end of the reservoir then ascends gradually up the canyon. It’s an easy and beautiful hike through aspen and spruce. In about 3.5 miles we descends to Ute Creek. The canyon broadens and beaver dams and lodges fill the valley floor.

A handsome bull Moose at the beaver ponds.

We were thrilled to see two Moose at the beaver ponds. Moose were introduced into the area in the early 1990's.

"Who goes there?" We get the attention of a young Moose.

The young Moose turns shy and disappears into the willow.

This is a wonderful hike and not too strenuous. At about 4.5 miles the trail begins to climb to a Granite Lake. We turned around at the 5-mile point as thunder rumbled and rain began to fall on the peaks.

The Rio Grand River at 30-Mile Campground below the Rio Grand Reservoir dam.

30-mile Campground at Rio Grande Reservoir in the Rio Grande National Forest. We spent three nights here. The campground is just below the Rio Grande Reservoir dam. It has water at taps and the cleanest, homiest vault toilets we’ve ever seen. The cost is $18/night, $9 with Senior Pass. The Rio Grande flows past the campground and has fishing access. I forgot to take a photo of our camp but there are many nice campsite in trees or in clearings.

Two trails, the Weminuche Pass Trail and the Squaw Creek Trail, begin from here. We hiked both these trails in the 1980’s on another backpacking trip on the CDT. Weninuche Pass was our entry and Squaw Creek was our exit.

The Weminuche Wilderness boundary is about a half mile from the campground on the Weminuche Pass trail.

Weminuche Pass Trail. On the first day at 30-Mile Campground we hiked to Weminuche Pass, about a 10.5 mile round trip.

A foot bridge crosses Weminuche Creek on the Weminuche Pass trail.

Looking up Weminuche Creek from the bridge.

The trail contours along the reservoir for about two miles to a picturesque foot bridge crossing Weminuche Creek where it tumbles down the gorge. After the bridge the trail climbs steeply to get above the gorge to a broad valley. 

Looking up the valley to Weminuche Pass. 

The hiking is easy on the gradual ascent to the pass. It meanders through spruce and aspen stands above the slopping valley floor so there is plenty of shade interspersed with grassy slopes. It’s about six miles to the pass which is a great day hike destination but we turned around about a half mile short of our goal due to a late start.

Jackie on the Squaw Creek Trail.

Squaw Creek Trail. On our 2^nd day we hiked up Squaw Creek. The trail begins with a climb to the top of a gorge. After crossing the creek on a foot bridge it climbs above the creek and follows high on the slope through spruce and aspen. In about two miles the canyon opens into a high valley where the trail becomes more gradual. Fly fishermen hike up to this valley hoping for native brown and brook trout.

A falls on Squaw Creek.

Looking up Squaw Creek to the Continental Divide.

The trail through the valley is open and sun exposure at an elevation of over 9,000 ft. can be dehydrating and exhausting. Be sure to have sun screen and plenty of extra water or bring a water filter or treatment to get water from the creek or numerous springs along the trail.

It’s seven miles from the campground to the foot bridge at the upper end of the valley where the trail ascends to Squaw Lake and the CDT. It’s a nice day hike destination for hikers with an early start. If you’re not used to the altitude it can be a bridge too far.

The upper portion of Squaw Creek is in open country with little shade. The sun can be very intense without cloud cover.

We turned around at 5.5 miles when we got to a point that we could see the peaks along the Continental Divide. The country brought back memories of our backpack trip when we hiked those same peaks in deep snow in early June.

We moved our camp to Marshall Campground near Creede, spent some time in town, visited the Underground Mining Museum and hiked to Inspiration Point. We also visited South and North Clear Creek Falls and rode our bikes to Spring Creek Pass. More about those places in our next blog.

Until then,
Jackie