Travels of The Mercury: 2017 Travels, Creede, Inspiration Point, Bicycling Spring Creek Pass in Colorado

Our camp site at the Marshall Park FS CG west of Creede along the Rio Grande River.

Marshall Park FS CG, Rio Grande National Forest. This is the closest Forest Service campground to Creede. We stayed here two nights so we could hike the Inspiration Point Trail. The campground is primitive with vault toilets and no water. It has a nice location on the banks of the Rio Grande with accessible fishing. The cost is $18/night, $9 with Senior Pass. Creede is about a ten minute drive.

Walking the streets of Creede.

Creede. Creede is one of our favorite Colorado mountain towns. About 600 people, more or less, reside here year around. In the summer it bustles with visitors. A diversity of shops, galleries, pubs, cafes and restaurants present tantalizing and inviting store fronts in the colorful historic buildings that line the main street. We enjoy the energy that strolling the streets of this picturesque town with other visitors brings. Talk to the residents and you'll find they love living here, are welcoming and friendly. We love Creede.

Downtown Creede with its well cared for historic buildings and inviting shops and eateries.

San Juan Sports has been here forever. We always stop in when we come here and find something we need.
A collection of boots and shoes dangle from their sign.

Inspiration Point Trail, Rio Grande National Forest. This trail leaves right from Creede and will give you some incredible views of the town and mountains that encircle the Rio Grande basin. The trail is 3.5 miles one way, steep and difficult at times with lots of rocky scree slopes to cross and a 2,300 ft. altitude gain from Creede. It took us 3 hrs. 47 minutes. We had to hustle a little as we hiked back to Creede in a thunderstorm stopping along the way to put on rain gear. The trailhead sign and an article in the Creede Visitor Guide said the distance was only 2 miles one way so we had expected to be back to town before the afternoon rains. Later we found a chart in the visitor guide that gave the correct mileage of 3.5 to the point.

Looking down on Creede as we begin hiking up the trail to Inspiration Point.

From higher up the trail we look down on Creede tucked into its sheltering bowl in the upper Rio Grande basin.
The San Juan Mountains are in the background.

Inspiration Point has a dramatic view of the Rio Grande basin, East Willow Creek, mountain peaks and old mines high on the scree slopes of East Willow.

Looking up East Willow Creek from the trail to Inspiration Point above Creede.

Looking across East Willow Creek to the historic mines as we hike up the trail to Inspiration Point.

Looking down at Creede from Inspiration Point and a lunch break.

Things to pack with you when day-hiking the Colorado mountains in summer: Rain pants and jacket, at least 2 qtrs. of water plus a water filter or chemical treatment, plenty of snacks, med kit, sun and bug screen. People often underestimate the amount of water needed. Altitude and intense sun can dehydrate you more quickly than you expect. Wear a broad-brim hat.

Jim listens to a description on his headset of one of the mining dioramas
in the Underground Mining Museum in Creede.

Creede Underground Mining Museum. The museum was really a surprise, educational and fun. A gift shop and community center are located in rooms blasted out of solid rock. The Mining Museum is in a U-shaped tunnel with stations along the way showing the various jobs and techniques used in the early mining days when Creede was founded. Take a guided tour or go on your own. The cost for individual admission is $6 per person and head phones and a thumb-sized recorder are provided. The narrator is excellent with a twist of humor.

Ore bucket at one of the dioramas in the Underground Mining Museum.

Mining equipment diorama.

A diorama showing hazardous conditions in the mines.

Silver Thread Campground, Rio Grande National Forest. We move back up the valley to the Silver Thread Campground on Highway 149 about half way between Creede and Lake City. It’s a pleasing campground with 10 sites in a stand of aspen and spruce. The campground is primitive with vault toilets and piped water. The cost is $17/night, $8.50 with Senior Pass.

Our campsite among the aspen at Silver Thread Campground.

Aspens at Silver Thread Campground.

South Clear Creek Falls. A short two tenth of a mile trail goes from Silver Thread Campground to the beautiful South Clear Creek Falls. There are a few parking spaces at the campground for non-campers to park and visit the falls.

South Clear Creek Falls at Silver Thread Campground.

We camped at Silver Thread so we could bicycle to Spring Creek Pass on Hwy 149. The campground is at 9700 ft. and the pass is at 10,898 for an altitude gain of 1,198 in 10 miles. The ride wasn’t long but the country was beautiful as the road curved up a broad, open valley with beaver lodges and ponds. Pull offs with Forest Service educational panels on geology and wildlife along the way offer places to stop for scenic views and photos. The ascent isn’t steep, traffic is light and the road has shoulders we can pull onto when vehicles pass. Spring Creek Pass is on the Continental Divide and there is a rest area and trailhead parking for hikers. The ride back down the pass to our camp was really fun and fast.