Four Corners Hikes-Telluride

Dallas Trail at West Dallas Creek Road

2011-09-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

The West Dallas Creek Road provides an access to the Uncompahgre National Forest on the north side of the Mount Sneffels Wilderness area, near Ridgway in southwest Colorado. The access road is a south turn off of Colorado Route 62 about 17 miles east of the junction of Colorado Routes 62 and 145 and 5 or 6 miles west of Ridgway.

It is about 6.2 miles along the West Dallas Creek Road to the Forest Boundary. I parked at the boundary as the road gets rougher and has several large mud holes beyond the boundary. It is about 1 mile of walking to the point where the Dallas Trail crosses the Forest Road 850.

The Dallas Trail runs east and west for about 8 miles, with this access point being at about the center. There is a meadow with a primitive camping area in the vicinity of the Dallas Trail trailheads.

I followed the Dallas Trail west. The first segment climbs through Aspen and Spruce Fir forest. There is a crossing of the West Fork of Dallas Creek just before this trailhead. It took me about 0:25 minutes of walking on Road 850 to actually arrive at the trail. It appears that the Dallas Trail leading east is popular with mountain bikers.

After about 0.5 miles the trail arrives as a meadow area and crosses a small creek. The best views of the nearby mountains are along the ascending trail across the meadow.

The east end of this range of peaks includes Wolcott Mountain at 13,041 feet. The whole ridge appears to be near or above 13,000 feet.

The highest peak in this group is Mears Peak at 13,496 feet. The beginning elevation at the Road 850 trail at the forest boundary is at about 8800 feet and the actual trail head is about 9200 feet. These mountain views are from about 9500 feet.

After the meadow, the trail re-enters forest and continues west for about 1 mile before there is a view point to the north. The knobby mountain is South Baldy at 9829 feet. There are many peaks visible in the distant north. The West Dallas Creek Road is visible in this view.

I turned around at this view point. My total hike was for 3:40 hours for about 7 miles. It was a 75 F degree early September day and I carried and drank 3 liters of water. There were several horse riders and bow elk hunters in the area, and I saw 1 mountain biker.

Lone Cone Trail and Woods Lake Loop

2011-08-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

The Woods Lake area is a Trailhead for the Woods Lake, Wilson Mesa, and Lone Cone Trails. Woods Lake is about 10 miles west of Telluride, Colorado on Highway 145, then 8 miles south on Fall Creek Road. There are several connecting tie trails near the campground and lake area that allow a 5 mile loop hike using the Lone Cone and Woods Lake Trails.

I started on the Woods Lake Trail and after about 10 minutes of walking turned right on the trail called the Woods Lake Tie. This segment climbs somewhat and heads west high above the south side of Woods Lake. The terrain here is thick Spruce and Fir forest. There are some glimpses of the lake but no clear views. I saw two Red Squirrels along this segment, sometimes called Pine Squirrels or Chickarees in Colorado. They scampered very close to me but were too quick for a picture.

There are two small creek crossings before arriving at a log bridge and a clearing in the forest. Across the bridge there is a trail junction with the Lone Cone Tie Trail. A right turn leads back toward the campground area. I turned left and continued on toward the longer loop options. It took me about 0:45 minutes to arrive at this junction.

This segment has some views over a meadow with Dolores Peak, Middle Peak and Dunn Peak visible. In late August many of the wildflowers looked finished for the season but there were several still in bloom.

About 10 minutes and a short distance further there is another trail junction that doesn’t appear on the trailhead map. There is a constructed water management channel with a service road along the side. The official trail continues west along the service road, but a hiker could turn back east and follow the road back to the campground. I continued west along the channel. The wildflowers were best along this watery segment.

I saw a porcupine along the channel segment. It was on the ground rather than in a tree and it didn’t run into the brush but instead turned its tail toward me and held its position, counting on its 15,000 to 30,000 quills as a deterrent. The service road segment ends at a flume and diversion structure. It is confusing at this point, but the trail crosses over some boards that are laying across the flume, and heads uphill following switchbacks.

After 1:30 hours total of hiking I arrived at the junction of the Lone Cone Trail and the Lone Cone Tie. I turned back at this junction and followed the Lone Cone Trail back to the trailhead area. The trail sign says 2 miles from the Woods Lake Trail to here but it felt more like 3 miles.

From the junction, the Lone Cone Trail looked like it was going to continue to climb through Aspen forest without any immediate good mountain views. Lone Cone Peak, the western most of the Colorado peaks over 12,000 feet isn’t visible from this loop route.

The return segment is gradually downhill through mostly Aspen forest with a park like understory. I saw a pair of Gray Jays along here. This return segment took about 0:50 minutes for a total hike of 2:20 hours for about 5 miles. It was a 72 F degree day with clouds starting to form rain showers in the late afternoon. I carried and drank 3 liters of water.

Calico Winter Trail Short Loop

2011-08-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Calico Winter Trail begins at the Calico Trailhead, a short distance south of the Meadows area of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. Eagle Creek Road, Forest Road 471, makes a junction with the Dunton Road, Forest Road 535, and leads south to the trailhead area.

The main Calico Trail leads south and climbs to some spectacular views of the Lizard Head area mountains. The Winter Trail leads southwest and stays relatively level. There is a short loop option that doesn’t seem to appear on all the maps. The starting elevation here is about 10,200 feet.

The first mile of trail follows along a wide meadow area. At one point there is a good view of the Colorado 14ers Mt. Wilson and El Diente to the north across a rich wildflower meadow. The Winter Trail is overshadowed in this immediate area by the Navajo Lake Trail, but wildflower enthusiasts might want to at least visit this first mile of trail.

The trail continues across more meadow and the Lizard Head formation comes into view. At this oversized rock cairn there is an easy crossing of Morrison Creek.

After the creek crossing, the creek drops into a rocky canyon and the trail enters deep spruce forest with only one spot where there is a view, toward Dolores Peak.

After about 2 miles of hiking, there is a trail junction with a sign saying that Eagle Creek Road is 0.25 miles away. I chose to follow this short cut back to the road where it is 1.75 miles back to the trailhead. The trail junction with the forest road is well marked with a sign so a hike of the more distant loop could start along the road.

The Winter Trail continues on through the forest and there are several loop options possible in this area using the Calico Trail and Fall Creek Trail and the Eagle Peak forest road. My total hike took 1:40 hours for about 4 miles. It was about 65 F degrees in early August while I hiked and I carried 2 liters of water.

Kilpacker Wildflowers

2011-08-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Near the turnoff to the Kilpacker Trail, there is a particularly lush August wildflower meadow. This area is along Forest Road 535 on the south edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. On the maps this area is identified as “The Meadows.”

Besides the Kilpacker Trail, the other hiking trails near the Meadows include the Navajo Lake Trail, the Groundhog Stock Trail, and the Calico and Winter Trails. This area can be approached from the south along the West Fork Dolores Road that is 12 miles north of the town of Dolores, or from the Dunton Road that connects with Highway 145 south of the Lizard Head Pass area.

Two of the Colorado 14ers visible from the Meadows area, Mt. Wilson at 14,246 feet to the right and the tooth shaped El Diente at 14,159 feet to the left. The white Yarrows and yellow Asters are lush here along with purplish Daisies (all Composits). The elevation here is about 10,200 feet.

The blue Monkshoods (Buttercup) seemed particularly tall and thick here. Most of the Evergreen forest appeared to be Engelmann spruce, not many Aspens visible here.

The bright red Indian Paintbrush (Snapdragon) adds a lot of color. In this vicinity there are also yellpw Shrubby Cinquefoils (Rose) and a few pink Elephant Heads (Snapdragon).

This Prairie Smoke in the Rose Family is one that I haven’t noticed before. I noticed these both here and along part of the nearby Winter Trail.

Lizard Head Pass July Wildflowers

2011-07-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Lizard Head Pass, along Highway 145, south of Telluride, in southwest Colorado, is a popular area and has hiking trail heads leading in several directions. In summer, the moist meadow areas are rich in wildflowers. It is possible to hike between Lizard Head Pass and the Cross Mountain Trail Head area and view the wildflowers along with the several mountain peaks that are visible.

I started my hike on the east side of Highway 145 near the East Fork Trail Head, and started walking north through the grassy meadow. There isn’t a trail on the east side, but the walking is mostly easy. From where I started, there are good views west toward the Lizard Head, Cross Mountain and Black Face. The yellow rose blooms of the Shrubby Cinquefoil stand out all along the meadow area. There are also purpleish Daisies and Buttercups here.

One of the most eye catching of flowers in this area is the Elephant Head in the Snapdragon Family. These are in the moist spots and there are broad patches of them along the way.

False Hellebore often grows in dense patches but not all of them bloom. The Navajo Lake Trail on the west side of the Lizard Head Wilderness has large fields of these.

Monkshood is a tall blue flower in the Buttercup Family. At first glance it might be confused with Larkspurs. Cross Mountain is in the distance. The popular Cross Mountain Trail provides a good view on the way to the base of the Lizard Head.

Red patches of Indian Paintbrush are common and visible from a distance. I think there are many species of these in the genus Castelleja of the Snapdragon Family.

There is a creek crossing about half way to Lizard Head Pass and the Yellow Mountain group visible from the pass come into view. The north half of the east side has broad patches of Elephant Heads mixed with white Bistorts in the Buckwheat Family.

Also mixed in with the Elephant Heads are a few Rose Crowns from the Stonecrop Family. I didn’t see very many of these.

I think these are Bluebells in the Mertensia genus of the Borage Family. These are in the area close to the Lizard Head Pass interpretive area, close to where I saw the Rose Crowns.

The return hike on the west side of Highway 145 can follow a rough road that appears to be a buried power line route. The walking is easier and there are good views of the moist meadow area on the east side. Many of the same flowers are visible but more along the several creeks that flow across the trail. My total hike took about 2:30 hours for about 4 miles. The swcoloradowildflowers.com web site is an excellent source for identifying regional wildflowers.

Animas Forks toward Engineer Pass-Alpine Loop

2011-07-20T14:32:00.001-07:00

The south end of the Engineer Pass segment of the Alpine Loop begins at the Animas Forks Ghost Town, about 12 miles north of Silverton on County Road 2 in southwest Colorado.

The Engineer Pass Road is one of several options for hikers after arriving at the historic Animas Forks site. I began hiking at the base of the ghost town and climbed toward the nearby junction with the Cinnamon Pass Road.

This road climbs steadily but not very steeply and in mid July there are lush wildflowers on the tundra slopes. The starting elevation at Animas Forks is 11,300 feet.

As the climbing progresses north, there are good views of the overall Animas Forks site, including the Frisco Mill located a short distance up the California Gulch Road.

There are a few signs of mining activity along here. The ore in this area was about 5% valuable metals and the left over tailings piles are common.

After about 1:10 hours of hiking there is a small mountain lake. There is a small old structure near the lake.

I turned around after 1:20 hours and about 2.8 miles at the junction where the Engineer Pass Road gets steeper and narrower. The road to the left leads toward Ouray. The elevation at the junction is about 12,080 feet, a climb of about 800 feet from Animas Forks. The Engineer Pass is the highest point on the Alpine Loop with an elevation of 12,800 feet. From the junction, it is about 2 more miles and 700 feet higher to get to the pass.

My return hike took 1:10 hours for a total hike of 2:30 hours for about 5.8 miles. There were many vehicles using the trail, but I didn’t see any other hikers, mountain bikers, or horse riders. It was a 65 F degree day with some clouds but no rain. I carried and drank 2 liters of water.

Silverton to Animas Forks-Alpine Loop

2011-07-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Alpine Loop is 65 miles of scenic and historic old mining routes in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. One of the access points is to follow County Road 2 north out of Silverton, CO. Two wheel drive vehicles can make it about 12 miles to the Animas Forks Ghost Town, but beyond 4WD is necessary.

There are several points of interest along the way. Not very far out of Silverton are the Mayflower Mill and Arrastra Gulch. Mining activity began here in 1870 with the discovery of gold and the formation of the Little Giant Mining Company. Activity continued here until 1991.

Many mining innovations occurred in this area, including the use of metal towers for trams like those visible here. These trams allowed work to continue year round. This was also the area that developed the concept and use of tailing ponds rather than dumping the waste material into the rivers.

Howardsville is about 4 miles north along the Alpine Loop. Founded in 1874, Howardsville was the first attempted settlement on the west slope of the Colorado Territory. The arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway in Silverton in 1882 diminished Howardsville importance, but for a while it was the county Seat for all of southwest Colorado.

About 4 miles further is Eureka. There are large concrete remains of the Sunnyside Mill, but I didn’t see any interpretive information on this site. This is a ghost town that has mostly disappeared. At Eureka there is a campground and it is a staging area for ATV riders.

The road continuing north from Eureka to Animas Forks becomes narrower, steeper, and bumpier but is still drivable for most vehicles. The road follows the railroad grade that reached Animas Forks is 1904 to service the Gold Prince Mill.

There are some remnants of mining activity along the road. There are many side roads and trails in this area besides the main Alpine Loop route. Most of the visitors in this area that I saw are 4WD and ATV riders, but there are many opportunities here for hikers. Up ahead are the Animas Forks Ghost Town and the options for 4WD or hiking continuing on the Engineer Pass Road, the Cinnamon Pass Road or the California Gulch Loop Road.

Animas Forks Ghost Town-Alpine Loop

2011-07-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

The historic mining town of Animas Forks is located about 12 miles north of Silverton, CO at the junction of the North Fork and West Fork of the Animas River. It is one of the attractions on the 65 mile Alpine Loop in the San Juan Mountains.

There is a 13 stop walking tour brochure for interpretation of the Animas Forks site. I found one at the Silverton visitor center for $1. The brochure might be available at the site, but I think they were all taken when I visited. There was an initial boom here between 1876 and 1884. A fire that started in the Kalamazoo Hotel on October 22, 1891 destroyed the hotel and 13 other buildings.

The Duncan House is stop No. 1 and one of the most eye catching of the remaining buildings. It was built in 1879 by miner and mail carrier William Duncan for his family.

The second stop is also a private two room residence for a miner and storekeeper and was constructed around 1898.

Stops 3 through 7 are close by and are also residence related buildings. Stop 4 is the Gustavson House built in 1907. Gustavson was a storekeeper and tram operator in nearby Eureka.

Stop 8 is the remains of the Gold Prince Mill, built in 1904 at a cost of $500,000. It was the first mill in Colorado with a steel superstructure. It only operated for six years, then was disassembled and rebuilt in nearby Eureka.

The Silverton Northern Railroad was completed in 1904 next to the mill, Stop 9, and transported the ore to the New York and San Juan Smelters in Durango. There are remains of the aerial tram at Stop 11 that brought the ore 12,600 feet from the Gold Prince Mine that is located somewhere to the west.

Stop 12 is the Columbus Mine and Columbus Mill. In 1882 the mine had a 107 foot tunnel and a 35 foot shaft into Houghton Mountain. This mine produced galena ore which is high in lead. This mine was last worked in 1939.

The Animas Forks Jail is stop 10 and is located at the edge of the community overlooking the combined North and WestForks of the Animas River. It was constructed using two by six inch boards assembled sideways for a stronger structure. The door with barred windows is on display at the San Juan County Museum in Silverton.

From the Animas Forks area there are three immediate choices for hiking in this area. The Engineer Mountain Pass Road continues north. The Cinnamon Pass Road turns east and the California Gulch Road heads west. Stop 13 at the Frisco Mill is about 0.7 miles away along the California Gulch Road.

Animas Forks to Frisco Mill-Alpine Loop

2011-07-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

The Frisco Mill is one of the many historic mining sites on the 65 mile Alpine Loop scenic by-way in southwest Colorado. It is easy walking distance from Animas Forks along the California Gulch 4WD road. Animas Forks is about 12 miles north of Silverton, CO at the headwaters of the Animas River.

The starting elevation at Animas Forks is about 11,300 feet and the trail climbs another 360 feet in about 0.7 miles. Looking back down the trail, the rough roads to Cinnamon Pass and Engineer Pass are visible, both parts of the Alpine Loop.

The Frisco Mill is point of interest number 13 on the Animas Forks Walking Tour, even though it is somewhat distant from Animas Forks and not many actually walk there.

The Frisco Mill is also the site of a long tunnel where drilling began in 1877 but took many years to reach profitable ore. The project changed hands several times and had several names. The mill was built in 1903 with a design capacity of 150 tons per day and was intended to separate the valuable ore from sand, gravel, and clay.

On the way up there is a small sign that says this area is an example of Alpine Tundra, found only in the arctic and isolated high mountain areas. In mid-July there are lush wildflowers along the way. Some of the information for this area says that there were previously many more trees on the slopes, but they were taken for use as building material and firewood.

Looking inside, many of the beams and columns have numbers on them. It was designed and constructed at the San Juan Lumber Company in Durango, CO. Then it was disassembled, shipped to the present site and reassembled according to directions.

The California Gulch Road is a side loop off of the Alpine Loop and visits other mining sites including the Vermillion, Sound Democrat 1886, Mountain Queen 1882, and Gold Prince 1903. My hike to the Frisco Mill took 0:45 minutes for about 1.4 miles round trip from Animas Forks. All the other visitors that I saw arrived in 4WD or ATV vehicles.

Wilson Mesa Trail-Sunshine Trailhead

2011-07-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

The Wilson Mesa Trail runs mostly east and west for about 13 miles on the northern edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness near Telluride in southwest Colorado. The east trailhead is at the south end of Sunshine Mesa Road. There are two other access points further west at Silver Pick Road and near Woods Lake.

Sunshine Mesa Road connects to the South Fork of the San Miguel Road and starts out straight, wide and smooth as it climbs. This lower road segment is a part of the Galloping Goose Trail. After the point where the Galloping Goose Trail branches off and becomes a single track trail, the Sunshine Mesa Road becomes narrow, rough and twisty with a few mud holes before arriving at the trail head.

The signs at the trailhead say Wilson Mesa Trail and 2 miles to the Lizard Head Trail and Bilk Creek. Practically speaking this is the trailhead for the north end of the Lizard Head Trail. The trailhead elevation is about 9760 feet.

About 0.8 miles along this wide and smooth segment, the Wilson Mesa Trail turns west and the old mining road continues south. The first 2 miles of trail are through thick Spruce, Fir and Aspen forest as the trail switchbacks down about 500 feet toward Bilk Creek and an open meadow and wetlands area. Near the bottom, there are some views of the mountains to the south.

The Bilk Creek crossing had a ramshackle bridge as recently as August 2009 but it appears to be gone in July 2011. The crossing was up to my knees and fairly swift in mid July, but not dangerous.

The segment along Bilk Creek and wetlands is the most scenic of the east end of the Wilson Mesa Trail. Looking upstream, the Wilson Peak group of mountains is on the right and the Sunshine Mountain group is on the left.

Looking downstream, the mountains to the north are the group on the north side of Highway 145 west of Telluride.

About 3 miles down the trail there is a junction with the Lizard Head Trail. About 1 mile past this junction, the Wilson Mesa Trail leaves the meadow area along Bilk Creek and starts to climb towards the west. There was a herd of cows grazing comfortably near this point. After about 0.5 miles of climbing there is a large pond. I noticed a valve along the trail that makes this appear to be a constructed water management pond.

After 2:15 hours and about 5 miles, I turned around about 0.5 miles past the pond at a small creek near a fence that also appeared to be engineered for water management. On the return hike I noticed a good view up Bilk Creek that showed the Bilk Creek Falls and the Lizard Head Peak.

My return hike took 2:05 hours for a total hike of 4:20 hours for about 10 miles. I saw two motorcycle riders during my hike, but no other hikers or horse riders. At my 2:40 PM finish it was starting to cloud up, but I didn’t get caught in afternoon mid-summer rain. I carried and drank 3 liters of water on a 65 F degree day.

Scotch Creek Trail

2011-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Scotch Creek Trail is a 5.5 mile 4WD road connecting to the Colorado Trail and following a historic toll road route from the mining era. The trail head is east off of Highway 145 about 3 miles south of Rico in southwest Colorado.

At the trail head there is an interpretive sign explaining the history of the road. The mining riches of Rico needed a transportation connection with the Animas Valley on the east side of the mountains. The trail head elevation is about 8720 feet and the climb is about 1660 feet to 10,380 feet.

The first segment of trail follows the Scotch Creek closely and passes through an area with many scree slopes below the eroding formations. The forest is thick with Aspen and Spruce and Fir. I heard the loud squeaks of the rabbit relative pikas in the scree slopes but didn’t see one.

There are a few sunny and rocky glades along the lower segment with wildflowers. In late June there were a few flowers but not spectacular. The walking surface was reasonably smooth and the grade is gradual and easy in the lower segment. There are two small creek crossings, one might get your feet wet.

After about 3 miles and 1:40 hours of hiking the trail switchbacks away from the Scotch Creek and becomes steeper. As the route climbs, there are glimpses through the thick forest of some of the peaks to the north.

There is a short segment where the views open up north to what I think are Dolores Mountain, Blackhawk Mountain and Whitecap Mountain, all over 12,000 feet.

A little further, some more distant mountain tops come into view. In late June the trail at the top was snow free with a few snow patches in shady spots off the trail.

It took me 2:45 hours to reach the junction with the Colorado Trail at Forest Roads 550 and 564. Looking at the map it looks like a descent to the east would arrive near the Durango Mountain Ski area.

The return hike took 2:30 hours for a total hike of 5:30 hours for 11 miles. It was 47 F degrees at the 8:40 AM start and 80 F degrees at my 2:10 PM finish. This was a 95 F degree day in Cortez, CO about 50 miles south. I carried and drank 3 liters of water. I saw two 4 WD vehicles during my hike but no other hikers or mountain bikers.

Jud Wiebe Trail

2011-06-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Jud Wiebe Trail is a 2.7 mile loop in Telluride town in southwest Colorado. The west trailhead is at the north end of Aspen Street. I parked in the free parking that is on the southwest side of town and it was a 20 minute walk through the scenic town streets to the trailhead.

The west trailhead is also the beginning of the short trail to Cornet Falls and to the east ends of the Deep Creek Trail and Sneffels Highline Trail. At the trailhead there is a bridge across Cornet Creek.

The first segment climbs steeply to the west through spruce, fir and aspens. There are increasingly higher views to the west down the Telluride Valley and across the town. It took me 0:35 minutes to climb to the trail junctions.

The Jud Wiebe Trail switches back toward the east and continues to climb. The views get better as the elevation increases. In early June there was still a lot of snow at the higher elevations.

At the high point there is a small bench with more spectacular views. It looks like the high point elevation is at about 9680 feet with the trailhead about 8800 feet.

I thought the bench view point was higher than the top of the Bridal Veil Falls to the east. From the trail junctions it took 0:20 minutes more of climbing to arrive at the bench.

From the bench the trail begins to descend and winds around the Cornet Creek. This segment of trail still had some patches of snow. There is a bridge across the Cornet Creek and a trail junction with the Liberty Bell Trail.

The switchbacks down the final segment come very close to the area above the Cornet Falls but I didn’t see a good view of the falls from there. The east trailhead connects to Tomboy Road, which leads 5 miles to the Tomboy Mine site.

The Telluride Historical Museum on Gregory Street is very close to the east trailhead. The museum has interpretive displays on the mining and social history of Telluride and also has the Telluride Blanket, a rare Ancestral Pueblo woven blanket that is more than 700 years old.

My total hike from the parking area to the Museum took 2:30 hours for the 2.7 mile trail plus about 1 mile of town walking. It was a 58 F degree sunny day. I carried 2 liters of water and drank 1 of them.

Lizard Head Pass in Winter

2011-01-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Galloping Goose Trail is one of several that begin in the Lizard Head Pass area, south of Telluride in southwest Colorado. The 21 mile route mostly follows the old rail bed of the Galloping Goose line that served the mountain area until the early 1950s.

The 2.5 mile segment from the Lizard Head Pass to the Trout Lake Trestle has been groomed for easy cross country skiing and snow shoe hiking. There is a cleared space to park on the east side of Highway 145 across from the 10,222 feet elevation Lizard Head Pass rest area. At the trail head, there is a sign and map with information on the history of the trail.

The mountains along this segment of trail are Vermillion Peak, Yellow Mountain, and Sheep Mountain. The footing in late January was very firm for easy walking in snow shoes. During my hike I saw 5 cross country skiers using the wide groomed trail.

There are many artifacts of the rail era along the Galloping Goose Trail. The only trestle still standing is the Trout Lake Trestle, at the end of the groomed segment. It took me 1:00 hour of hiking to arrive at the trestle where I turned around.

At the end of my hike I looked around the historic sheep corrals that are visible in the pass area, the snow nearly covering them. The wide meadow areas in the pass area are also being used by snowmobiles and I could see that the first segment of the Lizard head Trail was getting some use from snow shoe hikers.

There were also a few vehicles parked near the Cross Mountain trail head where there is a better view of the iconic Lizard Head formation. My total hike was 2:10 hours for about 5 miles on a 25 F degree late January day.

Potato Lake Trail

2010-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Potato Lake Trail is a short 1.2 mile hike to a mountain lake in the Spruce Fir Aspen forest between the West Needles Mountains and Engineer Mountain in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado.

The trail head is about 30 miles north of Durango on Highway 550, then 3 miles east on rocky and bumpy Forest Road 591. The turnoff is somewhat obscured by an ATV tour business at the intersection. Forest Road 591 is called the Old Lime Creek Road and continues along the west edge of the Weminuche Wilderness Area below the Twilight Peaks. Potato Lake is also called Spud Lake.

The trail starts next to a Lilly Pad covered small lake at about 9400 feet elevation and climbs gradually to about 9800 feet at Potato Lake. The lower part of the trail has some views toward Engineer Mountain to the northwest. The trail is smoother than the road leading to it and the walking is easy.

About half way to Potato Lake, a series of descending beaver ponds appears. The area along the beaver ponds is very rough with granite rock outcrops. Potato Hill comes into view at 11,871 feet.

Despite its jagged appearance, this peak seems to only have hill status in an area that features many peaks over 12,000 feet. The fir trees along the way here look like the white barked Subalpine Fir rather than Douglas Fir. I saw some very large mushrooms with reddish caps.

Potato Lake is several acres big and sits below Potato Hill. There is a path leading all the way around the lake, adding about another 0.5 miles for those wanting a longer hike. In late August, there were many golden asters and white daisies in bloom around the lake edges, a few Indian Paintbrushes also.

Reflections of the Twilight Peaks add to the scenic views. It took me 0:40 minutes to arrive and I spent another 0:30 minutes walking all the way around. My total hike took 2:00 hours for 3 miles on a 68 F degree late August day.

Colorado Trail at Little Molas Lake

2010-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Trail is a 483 mile volunteer constructed route from Denver to Durango, Colorado, weaving through spectacular mountain terrain in six National Forests. A good access point for hikers is at Little Molas Lake. A short distance north of Molas Pass on Highway 550 north of Durango, a dirt road leads west about one mile along the north side of Little Molas Lake to a well developed trail head area. This is segment 25 of 28 and goes in the direction toward Durango.

The lower part of this segment climbs through Lodgepole Pines and Spruce from a starting elevation of about 10,900 feet to 11,600 feet on a ridge that overlooks a wide basin at the head of Lime Creek. This basin area had quite a few large snags that look like the remains of a forest fire from many years ago. Otherwise, the area is mostly meadow area with scattered trees giving open views of many peaks over 12,000 feet.

On the ridge top the trail turns north toward the base of the group of peaks that Include Turk’s Head and Sultan Peak. To the south, Engineer Mountain is visible about 7 miles away. The Pass Creek Trail is a good trail up to Engineer Mountain Trail that connects to the Colorado Trail. From that area there are good views toward the peaks here. The trail surface is smooth and the curves are rounded making it easy walking and probably easy for bike riders also.

Turning west below the Turk’s Head area the trail rolls along a contour and goes around a creek drainage with views toward the Twin Sisters area. At one point there is a good view over a meadow that looks like it was once a lake, down a north flowing drainage. On a mid August day I saw about 15 other hikers and 4 mountain bikers using the trail. The trail head area has facilities for horse riders but I didn’t see any horses when I hiked.

Some of the boulders that have broken loose from above have the look of conglomerate type rocks, different sized stones cemented together. I saw two marmots lounging on one of these conglomerate boulders both coming and going. There were many chipmunks along the trail, scampering into the vegetation along the sides.

After about 4 miles a pair of small lakes is visible. There is another pair of small lakes visible in the distance. It took me about 2 hours to get to this south facing view point.

I turned around after 5 miles and 2:35 hours at one of the heads of Lime Creek. There were still small patches of snow feeding the stream flow. In this area there are several small easy creek crossings. In mid August, the wildflowers looked like their best days were finished. From here, the Colorado Trail turns southwest and threads its way another 6.5 miles toward the west side of Jura Knob to the junction with the Engineer Mountain Trail. My return hike took 2:25 hours for a total of 5:00 hours for about 10 miles. I carried and drank 3 liters of water on a 65 F mid August day. In the higher open areas it was slightly windy, cool enough to add a layer.

Engineer Mountain Trails

2010-08-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

Engineer Mountain is one of the most scenic peaks in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. The easiest access is the Pass Creek Trail near the Coal Bank Pass, about 35 miles north of Durango on Highway 550. The trailhead is along a short road on the west side, a very short distance north of the Coal Bank Pass rest area.

The starting elevation at Coal Bank Pass is about 10,660 feet and it is 2.5 miles and about 1000 feet of elevation gain to a trail junction with the Engineer Mountain Trail. The lower part of the trail climbs through spruce and fir forest and there is a small lake about 1 mile along the way. The trail emerges from the forest into meadow areas with the first view of the pyramid shaped Engineer Mountain at 12,613 feet.

At the trail junction, there are also views of the peaks toward the north. Some of these are Jura Knob, Rolling Mountain and the Twin Sisters. It took me 1:20 hours to get to the trail junction.

From here I could see a couple of climbers going up the left side and ready to start the actual climbing. For more hiking there is a choice of heading south for several miles on the Engineer Mountain Trail, or north toward the Coal Creek and Deer Creek Trails. I continued north and after about 1 mile, the Coal and Deer Creek Trail splits off to the right. After another 0.4 miles, the Coal Creek Trail splits from the Deer Creek trail and begins to descend back toward highway 550, 2.8 miles away.

It took me 2:10 hours to get to this decision point. The advantage of continuing is a loop hike with new territory to see. The disadvantage is a 1.3 mile segment along Highway 550 to get back to the Pass Creek Trailhead. The distance is about 4 miles either way.

I continued down the Coal Creek Trail, with more good views of Engineer Mountain and the mountains to the north and east. The meadows in this area weren’t as lush with wildflowers as I was expecting, even though mid August should be a prime time. The elevation change descending along the Coal Creek Trail is about 1600 feet, more than the Pass Creek Trail.

The trail reenters the forest and I was surprised to pass through a thick grove of what I think are Lodgepole Pines. They have short needles in bundles of two, similar to the canyon area Pinon Pines but are much taller. I hadn’t noticed Lodgepole Pines on the regional trails before, though they surely are common.

The Coal Creek Trail makes a very inconspicuous junction with Highway 550. There is a trail sign but you wouldn’t notice it driving past, even if you were looking for it. While there were many hikers on the Pass Creek Trail, I didn’t see anyone on the Coal Creek Trail. The loop hike was enjoyable, but it doesn’t look like very many take that option.

There is a parking area on the east side of the highway about 200 yards south of the trailhead. Hiking along Highway 550 makes one appreciate the clean air in the high mountains. There was mostly enough room to hike along the road except for two stretches where guard rail forced me to cross and walk with my back to traffic. My total hike took 4:00 hours for about 8 miles. The temperature was about 62 F degrees at 10:10 AM when I started and 73 F degrees at 2:10 PM when I finished. I carried and drank 3 liters of water on a clear blue sky mid August day.

The Coal Bank Pass rest area has several interpretive signs and a view point. One of the signs discusses how snow avalanches can reach 100 miles per hour and there are 100 avalanche routes along Highway 550, more than any major road in the country. Coal Bank Pass is the second highest on the San Juan Skyway, with only Red Mountain Pass higher.

Prospect Trail

2010-07-27T01:51:00.000-07:00

The Prospect Trail traverses the spruce and fir forest across part of the Telluride Ski Area in southwest Colorado. The trail head is a branch off of the Village Trail near the St. Sophia Nature Center. I started my hike at the free parking area on the southwest side of Telluride and walked east about 0.4 miles along the very scenic San Miguel River Trail to the free summer gondola. Along the way there is an interpretive sign at the Depot, a restored early train station. The first gondola stop is the St. Sophia Station and the Nature Center is to the left.

Near the trail head, there is an interpretive sign describing the history of skiing in the Telluride area. Most of the ski runs at Telluride are references to the area mining history. The first segment of trail passes through forested areas, chair lift openings, and open ski slope areas. The views are mostly to the mountains north of Telluride near the airport. This trail is open to hikers, mountain bikes and horses with mountain bikes probably the most common. I didn’t see any evidence that horse riders use this trail. There isn’t much elevation change in the first 2.5 miles or so to Prospect Creek.

After crossing the small Prospect Creek, the route climbs with switchbacks and crosses a scree slope area. There are more spectacular mountain views and some views down into the Mountain Village area.

The trail was easy to follow until I arrived at the Ute Park Express Ski Lift and the Topaten Nordic Ski Area. There is a trail junction before these two sites with the Prospect Loop to the left and the Prospect Trail to the right. I stayed to the right. Looking at the maps later, the loop returns to the Sophia Nature Center without going into Mountain Village. Staying on the Prospect Trail led into the also confusing Nordic Ski Area. A map of the ski loops is posted, but it didn’t show the Prospect Trail.

A sign pointing downhill toward Mountain Village said Enchanted Forest and there was a trail so I followed it through a narrow opening in the forest. The Enchanted Forest is a short section with some weather beaten art propped up against the trees. I saw at least four of these large cartoon images. This alternate route cuts some distance off the Prospect Trail and ends up in more or less the same place. The typical maps that hikers use don’t show all of the alternate ski route trails and roads that are available here. Even the local Telluride maps are somewhat confusing, but all the ski trails generally lead back to Mountain Village.

After the Enchanted Forest I followed Teddy’s Way. This segment led downhill through the outskirts of a residential area with some spectacular mountain homes. There are ski bridges passing over the paved roads.

I think the last part of the Prospect Trail merges with Teddy’s Way but I didn’t see the trail junction. Just before arriving in the Mountain Village area the route enters the Double Cabins Disk Golf Course and there were several groups firing disks at the chain flags. The Prospect Trail conveniently ends across the road from the Station Village Parking Gondola. I rode the gondola all the way back down into Telluride and returned back along the River Trail to the parking area.

My hike took 3:50 hours. I think I walked about 5.5 miles on the Prospect, Enchanted Forest, and Teddy’s Way Trails and another 0.8 mile on the River Trail. There is about 1000 feet of descent from St. Sophia to Mountain Village. It was about 60 F degrees at 9:50 AM and about 70 F at 1:40 PM. I carried 3 liters of water but only drank 2. Mountain hikes often face afternoon showers. There was rain in the Lizard Head area to the south as I finished but no rain during my hike.

Woods Lake Trail to Elk Creek

2010-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Woods Lake Trail is one of several hikes that start at the Woods Lake campground, near Telluride in southwest Colorado. The trail head and campground is about 10 miles west of Telluride on Highway 145, then 8 miles south on Fall Creek Road. The Woods Lake Trail heads south into the Lizard Head Wilderness and is a route into the Navajo Lake Basin. As a wilderness area trail it is only open to hikers and horses.

The first few steps skirt the edge of Woods Lake with views toward Dolores, Middle, and Dunn Peaks. It is 4 miles to Navajo Lake and 2.5 miles to the Elk Creek Trail junction. The starting elevation at Woods Lake is 9423 feet and it is a 2200 foot climb to the Elk Creek junction.

The trail climbs through spruce, fir and aspen forest with occasional small open meadows and small creek crossings. The small meadows were rich with wildflowers in mid July. Bright red Indian Paintbrush was the most eye catching, with many waist high Larkspurs, Cow Parsnips, Love Roots, Blue Columbines, yellow asters, Geraniums, and Bluebells.

Wildflowers were particularly lush near the small creeks. All the creeks but one had small bridges across them, no wet feet on this hike. This trail gets a lot of horse use and flies were a nuisance.

The second half of the hike is steeper than the first half. Near the top there are the ruins of an old cabin. Eventually the trail emerges from the forest near the base of scree slope, with the Wood Lake Trail continuing to the right and the Elk Creek Trail continuing to the left. There is a trail sign at the junction that looked like it had been twisted causing the signs to point the wrong way.

The views west toward Lone Cone were the widest. One of the other trails at the Woods Lake trailhead travels toward Lone Cone. I saw 3 horse riders during my hike and 6 other hikers with a total of 5 dogs.

The Elk Creek Trail connects back down to the Wilson Mesa Trail and a long loop hike is possible. It took me 2:20 hours to reach the Elk Creek junction and I returned the way I came. The return hike took 1:30 hours and my total hike took 4:10 hours for about 5 miles. The temperature was about 70 F degrees in mid July and I carried and drank 3 liters of water. At 2:30 PM when I finished there was a typical late afternoon mountain rain shower lasting about 10 minutes.

Ice Lake Trail

2010-07-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Ice Lake Trail is a 3 or 4 mile climb from about 10,000 feet at the trail head to 12,257 feet at the turquoise blue Ice Lake in a spectacular high mountain basin. The trail head is at the South Mineral Campground, about 2 miles north of Silverton, Colorado on Highway 550, then 3.5 miles west.

The South Mineral Creek Campground area had many visitors in mid July. There are interpretive signs near the trailhead describing efforts to improve the trout habitat in the South Fork Mineral Creek. The creek supports Brook Trout, and Rainbow Trout are stocked by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

The habitat improvement project involves placing large boulders and logs in the stream to create pools and protect the banks. The trailhead parking area was overflowing on the day I hiked. The first segment of trail starts with switchbacks through spruce, fir, and aspen forest with views of the high peaks surrounding the valley.

On the way to the trail head, there is a 4WD road that leads to Clear Lake, one of the several small high elevation lakes in the area. There is a connecting trail from the road over to the main Ice Lake Trail that crosses below one of the many cascades and waterfalls that are visible along the way.

This stream crossing seems to have the remains of an old slippery looking bridge across it. A short distance further along the main trail, there is a side loop leading to a mining ruins site. There is a jumbled pile of destroyed wooden structures and a large metal boiler to see.

The route emerges from the forest and crosses a wildflower rich meadow below steep cliffs. Although the trail is named for mountain lakes, the wildflowers may be the main attraction of the Ice Lakes Trail. False Hellebore was in bloom, something not often seen.

There were lush larkspurs, Cow Parsnips or Love Roots or maybe both, a few Blue Columbines, and Indian Paintbrush, and Bluebells. The display probably gets better into August. From this meadow the trail resumes climbing steeply in forest toward the Lower Ice Lake basin. Looking back to the east, the Clear Lake 4WD road is visible switchback climbing and appearing to be amazingly high.

The Lower Ice Lake basin is the only segment of trail that is relatively flat. At the entrance end of the basin there is a rock outcrop that provides good seating and viewing of the lower lake.

It took me 1:45 hours to arrive at this comfortable viewing area after a climb of 1600 feet.

The remainder of the hike continues toward an oddly slanted waterfall with an eye catching peak called the Golden Horn looming above. The peaks to the south of Golden Horn are Fuller Peak and Vermillion Peak, and Pilot Knob is to the north.

The trail toward the waterfall passes through waist high wildflowers and there is a creek crossing that will probably get your feet a little wet. I saw marmot feeding on the lush vegetation near the creek, the only wildlife that I noticed. I might have heard some Pikas, but didn’t see them. This last climb continues as steeply as before but the views back across the basin are spectacular.

Ice Lake is startling due to the vivid blue color, not to mention the ring of mountains surrounding it. Backpackers or those with extra energy have several other lakes to visit. A short distance past Ice Lake is the smaller and higher Fuller Lake. The trail to Island Lake is visible in the area around Ice Lake.

These numerous lakes are quite close to the popular Trout Lake and Hope Lake on the Dolores River side of the mountains. It took me 3:15 hours to arrive at Ice Lake. The downhill return took 2:00 hours and the total time was 5:30 hours. The mid July temperature at 10:00 am was about 60 F degrees and it felt about 10 degrees cooler at the top and was a little windy.

On the return hike it got noticeably warmer below the lower basin and was 70 degrees at the trail head at 3:45 PM. This was a on a day when the afternoon temperature in Durango was about 90. I drank 3 liters of water on this hike. The Ice Lake Trail is one of the most spectacular mountain trails in a spectacular region.

Ophir Pass Trail

2010-06-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Ophir Pass Trail is one of the popular high mountain 4WD roads in the Telluride area in southwest Colorado. Ophir is a small mountain hamlet a few miles east of Highway 145, north of Lizard Head Pass and south of Telluride.

I started hiking at the beginning of the rough mountain road just past the end of the second group of the side by side mountain houses in Ophir. The lower part of the road passes through thick forest of Aspens, firs and spruces. The Ophir area has many signs of past mining activity. From this starting point it is about 3 miles to the top of Ophir pass with an elevation gain from about 9760 feet to 11,789 feet at the pass.

The trail is single lane with some wide spots to allow vehicles to pass. The main mountains to the south are called Ulysses S. Grant Peak and South Lookout Mountain, both over 13,000 feet. The Yellow Mountain group that is visible from Lizard Head Pass is also visible as are the two 14er Wilsons and the Lizard Head is in the distance. There is a swampy area down below that has a side trail leading to it.

About 20 vehicles passed by during my hike. Most were coming from the east with a few climbing from the west behind me. In the scree area near the pass I saw a couple of the small rabbit like Pikas that mountain hikers like to see. In late June there were patches of snow along the highest section of the route, but the road was clear and mostly dry.

On the north side I could see the track of the very steep Blixt Trail switch backing over the top of Oscar’s Pass. The Blixt Trail is an unmarked side trail off of the Ophir Pass Trail starting about 1.5 miles east of the start of the mountain road. It connects to the Wasatch Trail and then down into Telluride.

The spectacular scenery continues on the east side of Ophir Pass. It looked like the east side approach from Highway 550 near Silverton was more easily drivable that the west side approach. It took me 2:00 hours to climb the 3 miles and 2000 feet from Ophir to the top of the pass. My total hike was 3:45 hours for the 6 miles. I hiked on a 55 F late June morning. As often happens in the mountains, the bright blue morning sky started to cloud up into afternoon thundershowers starting just as I finished about 1:00 PM. I carried 3 liters of water and drank 2 of them.

Burro Bridge Trail

2010-06-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Burro Bridge Trail, constructed in 2005, is 2.7 miles long and connects the Burro Bridge campground with the Groundhog Trail in the southwest side of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. The Burro Bridge area is along the West Fork of the Dolores River, about 2 miles north of the Dunton mining town resort area.

There is a parking area at the trail head a short distance south of the campground. This area can also be accessed from Highway 145 south of Lizard Head Pass, climbing and crossing past the Meadows area and descending down toward the West Fork.

The trail climbs west from the campground with steep switchbacks to the mesa top through mostly Aspen forest with some scattered Engelmann Spruce. At the mesa top the route swings north and there are some open meadow areas. The elevation change is about 900 feet.

There are occasional glimpses of El Diente and the other San Miguel peaks through the thick forest on the climb up. The trail sometimes seems to disappear when crossing the meadows, but there are marker posts at the meadow margins to look for.

The best views are in the area near the trail junction with the Groundhog Trail. El Diente, at 14,159 feet, stands out and the basin north where Navajo Lake sits can be seen clearly. These views of El Diente are at a higher angle than the also good views along the nearby Navajo Lake Trail.

There are also views toward Dolores Peak to the west and the Lizard Head and Sheep Mountain area to the east. It took me 1:45 hours to travel the 2.7 miles to the junction.

I turned east on the Groundhog Trail which descends steeply toward the West Fork Dolores and a junction with the Navajo Lake Trail. This trail segment is about 1 mile. The roar of the stream can be heard before it comes into view. At the trail junction there is a foot bridge to cross the stream. This junction is only a short distance from the Navajo Lake trail head.

From the Navajo Lake trail head it is about 1.5 miles on the West Fork Road back to the Burro Bridge campground to complete a loop. This segment actually crosses the Burro Bridge and allows a close look at the roaring stream. My total hike took 3:30 hours for about 5.5 miles. I drank 2 liters of water on a 65 F degree mid June day.

San Miguel South Fork

2010-06-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

The South Fork of the San Miguel River has several day use areas in the lush riparian area along the stream. The largest is the Sheep Corrals area, with easy access to the river. About 1.5 miles south of the Sheep Corrals is the South Fork River Preserve, one of three Nature Conservancy preserves in the San Miguel watershed. This scenic and biologically rich area is south of Telluride and west of Highway 145 in southwest Colorado. There is an over head view of the area along the Galloping Goose Trail between Ames and the Sunshine Mesa Road.

The South Fork Preserve can be driven to directly, but if you want to hike, the South Fork Road offers scenic views and has very little traffic. Hiking south from the Sheep Corrals parking area, a trail head for the Sunshine Trail is on the left after about 0.5 miles. I looked to see if it was possible to hike along the stream, but it there isn’t a trail and some of the spots would be steep and overgrown. As the road approaches the Preserve there is a flooded area that is the work of beavers.

The Preserve has a boardwalk with a viewing platform. There are four interpretive signs that explain the San Miguel River Watershed, why riparian areas are important, the most common trees present here, and the San Juan Mountains. Riparian areas make up about 2% of the west, yet about 90% of the wildlife uses these areas for food and shelter. The San Miguel watershed is one only two upper Colorado basin rivers that does not have a dam. The trees present here include the Colorado Blue Spruce, Aspens, Narrowleaf Cottonwoods, and Willows.

There is a well marked short trail leading from the viewing platform south along the South Fork River. The most obvious signs of wildlife along the trail are the works of beavers. I was surprised that they would take on such a large tree. Beavers clear the way for new growth and their constructions flood some areas and alter the flow in others.

In early June, the flow is at a peak and is roaring along. The Preserve trail is about 0.8 miles round trip and ends near the main road. Near the south end there is something of a stream cascade. The trail didn’t appear to be marked at the south end and might be hard to find other than at the viewing platform. A hiker could loop back along the road or return the way he came. It took me 0:40 minutes to arrive at the viewing platform starting from the Sheep Corrals and 0:35 minutes to walk the trail inside the Preserve. There are several good viewing spots along the road before arriving at the Preserve.

Sunshine Trail

2010-06-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Sunshine Trail makes a connection from the area near the Sunshine Campground along Highway 145 with the area near the Sheep Corrals Day Use Area along the South Fork of the San Miguel River. This area is a few miles south of Telluride in southwest Colorado. The Sunshine Trail is unusual in that there isn’t a trailhead parking area at either end of the trail. The horizontal distance is about 2 miles and there is about 1200 feet of elevation change.

I parked at the Sheep Corrals Day Use Area which is about 0.5 miles north of the Sunshine Trail junction with the South Fork Road. This area is a good riparian area, lush with Colorado Blue Spruce and Aspens, with Willow and Narrow Leaf Cottonwoods along the stream. The trail climbs steeply with curvy switchbacks. This route is open to mountain bikes and horses in addition to hikers.

About one fourth of the way up the hill there are the remains of an old flume. The other trail that is in this area is the Galloping Goose Trail on the opposite side of the valley. As the trail climbs, the transition of the Goose Trail to Sunshine Road can be spotted. This area has a rich history of mining activity and artifacts from the past are often visible along the trails.

The highlight views along the Sunshine Trail are toward Sunshine Mountain. In early June, there is still a lot of snow and the melt fed roar of the South Fork River can be heard all the way to the top of the trail. Sunshine Mountain is listed at 12,930 feet. The best mountain views are in the lower two thirds of the trail, the views near the top of the trail are blocked by the thick Aspen forest. It took me 1:40 hours to climb to the trail sign at the top along Highway 145. The trail might continue across the highway and connect to the Alta Lakes Road, but I turned around at the trail sign. My return to the bottom took 0:50 hours for a total of 2:40 hours between the trail signs. It was a 70 F degree early June day and I carried two liters of water.

Mountain Lions on the Trail

2010-01-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

Hikers will only rarely see a mountain lion along the trails. From the fall of 2009 to fall 2010 an exhibit on the mountain lion is on display at the Center of Southwest Studies on the campus of Ft. Lewis College in Durango, CO.

The exhibit has a very realistic scene of a lion over a deer. A healthy lion will kill and eat a deer every week. Mountain lions have the largest range of any land mammal in the Americas. They can be found from northern Canada to the tip of South America. They can adapt to a variety of habitats, needing cover to hide where they can wait for and ambush prey. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs and they have great power for running and jumping. At a full sprint they can jump 45 feet. Their long tail helps them balance when they leap, climb, or run on narrow ledges.

They have very good hearing and can rotate their ears forward and back. Like humans, they have binocular vision and good depth perception. Their field of vision is 287 degrees, better than our 200 degrees. Their sense of smell is about 14 times better than ours. In Colorado they are most abundant in foothills, canyons or mesa country.

They are more at home in brushy areas and woodlands than in forests or open prairies, or generally any area that has a lot of deer. In Colorado, population estimates range from 3,000 to 7,000 mountain lions. A lion's natural life span is probably about 12 years in the wild and up to 25 years in captivity.

Mountain lions stalk their prey and sit and wait for the right moment to attack. They usually hunt from dusk to dawn and may travel during the day. When successful they will hide their catch and return to it over a period of time. By keeping the deer population in check, the plant community benefits by avoiding the excessive deer browsing.

Some of the signs that hikers can look for are the tracks which are round with three lobes at the rear of the heel pad and no claw marks. The scat is similar to dogs, but will be more segmented with signs of hair and bone. Males will mark their territory with scrapes and scratches on trees and small piles of brush. They tend to avoid occupied territories rather than fight for them. They are finicky eaters and will remove much of the hair of a deer rather than eat it.

Up to now I don’t think I have ever noticed any of these signs, but am now more aware than before. A program to promote awareness is the artistic “Pumas on Parade” effort. One of the “Pumas on Parade” art series is on display outside the exhibit at Ft. Lewis. The picture here is the “Sky Prowler” that appears at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez. The one at Ft. Lewis is blank white with some felt tip graffiti and a broken tail. The “Chuska Puma” is on display at the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores.

Hikers on the ruins trails can keep an eye out for petroglyphs depicting the mountain lion. The large one shown here is described as being from Blue Mesa, Arizona. There is a Blue Mesa Trail in Petrified Forest National Park and two petroglyph panels nearby. When I searched for this image, I found it, but in a surprising location. You might stumble on it or you might want to ask the rangers at the historic Painted Dessert Inn.

The smaller one in the lower left is from Chaco Canyon. The Chaco Canyon lion is at stop 5 on the Petroglyph Trail that runs along the canyon wall between Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. Most of those images are faint and hard to see, but the trail guide has a similar image. The popular and well known panel on the Petroglyph Trail at Mesa Verde has a lion that may represent a clan or an all powerful animal spirit.

The Colorado Department of Wildlife advises to stay calm if you come upon a lion. Talk calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly. Stop or back away slowly. Do not run. Raise you arms to appear larger. If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches, or whatever you can get your hands on. Without crouching down or turning your back, fight back if a lion attacks you.

Telluride Waterfall Hikes

2009-12-10T05:19:00.001-08:00

The hiking in the Telluride, Colorado area features several waterfalls as destinations. The mountain views are spectacular. There are also mining ruins and ghost towns to find and the forests are thick and lush.

The Bridal Veil Falls is probably the most famous of the Telluride Waterfalls. The steep switchback road starts at the east end of town at the end of the Idarado Legacy Trail. At the top of Bridal Veil Falls is an historic power plant that has been refurbished and is operating.

Further up the switchback road to Black Bear Pass in Ingram Falls. The 4WD route starts at about 9000 feet of elevation and climbs to over 10,000 feet. The view here is from the Tomboy Road Trail leading to one of the mining ruins sites.

Visiting Cornet Falls is the shortest hike, only 0.25 miles. The trail head is the same as the west arm of the Jed Wiebe Trail at the north end of Aspen Street. There is a series of two falls here, with the further one the most interesting.

The Bear Creek Falls Trail is a popular 2.2 mile hike on the south side of Telluride at the south end of Pine Street. This hike is so locally popular that it draws joggers not bothering to carry water bottles, just a morning workout.

Another waterfall in the area is the Bilk Creek Falls in the nearby Lizard Head Wilderness. The long way to this falls is to start at the Cross Mountain Trail Head, about two miles south of Lizard Head Pass, south of Telluride. Taking this route will pass by the top of the falls, but it is a a long hike. The shorter hike is to follow the Sunshine Mesa Road to the Wilson Mesa Trail, then follow the Lizard Head Trail to the base of the falls.

Blixt Trail toward Oscar’s Pass-Ophir

2009-08-18T05:53:00.001-07:00

The Blixt Trail starts as a side road off of the Ophir Pass Road in southwest Colorado. Ophir is a mountain hamlet in a scenic canyon south of Telluride and east off of Highway 145. The Ophir Pass Road is one of many spectacular high mountain 4WD routes in the Telluride area.

The Ophir Canyon has many obvious signs of past mining activity. I started my hike just past the last group of houses in Ophir where the Ophir Pass Road starts to get rough and the elevation is about 9800 feet. About 1.5 miles further along the road, the second of two side roads on the left leads uphill for 0.4 miles or so to a green gate. The gate ends all motorized travel.

There aren’t any signs that advertize the trail. A good map is advisable. The trail past the gate is the remains of an old road that leads steeply uphill to Oscar’s Pass and the Bridal Veil Basin. The trail is eroded in places and the surface is mostly large gravel. The steepness and the gravel combine to make the descent the type where my feet start to skid and slip out from under me. I hiked the first 1.5 miles to the turnoff but it is drivable in a high clearance vehicle.

As the trail climbs, there are higher and higher views up and down the Ophir Canyon, including high angle views of the Ophir Pass Road. The pass road is also a good hike, easier than this one. The road appears to be very narrow and the traffic I could see was moving very slowly. There seemed to always be a vehicle in sight, sometimes several.

Back to the west there were views down into Ophir and the mountains beyond. The Lizard Head was visible in the distance. On the way into Ophir, there are rock climbing opportunities. I saw a mountain school van stopped by the Ophir Needles, near the junction with Highway 145. There is also a somewhat comical closet sized Post Office along the way.

I didn’t make it to the top of Oscar’s Pass. I hiked for 2:20 hours and got to a point a couple of hundred yards short of the final switchbacks. I think I got as high as 12,500 feet but needed about another 1 mile of walking and 600 more feet of elevation to get to the top. There are two lakes in the basin above including Blue Lake that can also be reached from the top of Bridal Veil Falls east of Telluride.

There isn’t very much posted on-line about the Blixt Trail. I found a short report with some short videos posted by an Ultra-Marathoner. I suppose this was an easy hike for him, but the relentless steepness was too much for me. His hike was in early July and there were still large patches of snow in the highest area. I didn’t see any snow above in mid August.

About 0.5 miles below my turn around there was an apparent trail junction, with a westward leading trail crossing a scree area. The map I had made it appear that this route would loop back down to Ophir. I crossed the scree area, with good views to the area where I had just hiked, but this route started to climb again, and I didn’t want to do any more climbing. I returned by retracing the route up.

My total hike was 4:30 hours for about 7.5 miles. The temperature was about 60 F degrees at 10:00 AM. It felt cooler and there was some wind at my highest point 2 hours later. It was a blue sky day with no thunder clouds. I carried 3 liters of water.

On the way to Ophir I saw two moose with antlers cross Highway 145 from west to east a little south of the Matterhorn Campground. Several cars slowed to let them cross and they hurriedly and awkwardly dived into the brush. These were first moose I’ve spotted in this area.

Calico Trail- North Trailhead

2009-08-13T05:31:00.001-07:00

The Calico National Recreation Trail runs south from the south edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness for 19 miles high along the west side of the upper Dolores River in southwest Colorado.

At the north end of this long trail there is a system of trails that offer several loop opportunities.

The Winter Trail starts at the same trail head, about 1 mile south of the very scenic “Meadows” area along the Eagle Creek Road, FR 471. The trail climbs steadily for 5 miles through Engelmann Spruce forest with a few aspens and scattered meadows. As the trail rises there are glimpses of Mt. Wilson, El Diente and the iconic Lizard Head back to the north.

The best views that I have found in this area south of Telluride are along the portion of the Calico Trail going over the top of Papoose Peak at 11,866 feet. The tall spruce trees give way to open rocky meadow and the views are unobstructed. All the mountains from Lone Cone to the west, across the Lizard Head Wilderness, over to the group at the Lizard Head pass are visible in one sweeping view.

I had to find a seat here and have lunch to prolong the experience. I was interested to spot the areas where other trails run. I could see the area below Lizard Head Peak where the Cross Mountain and Lizard Head Trails connect. The terrain that the Ground Hog Stock Trail covers could be easily viewed. Over to the west the Willow Divide and Black Mesa stood out.

Continuing on, the Calico Trail skirts high along the west side of Elliott Mountain. This section of trail felt a little exposed as the slope is steep on the downhill side. Below, there are glimpses of Eagle Creek Road and the East Falls Creek Trail. Up ahead is Sockrider Peak.

There are several options at the north end of Sockrider Peak. There is a loop route that circles Sockrider, and another loop option further on, but the distance will get much longer for a hiker. The trail signs direct horses and dirt bikes to stay on the west side of Sockrider while hikers can take the east side.

I stayed to the west and continued downhill to the nearby junction with the East Fall Creek Trail. The East Fall Creek Trail descends rapidly down through the forest and turns back north with a few views to the west.

It is 1.5 miles along the East Fall Creek Trail to the Eagle Creek Road. At the junction with the road I turned back toward the trail head, another 5.5 miles. This is the shortest loop option. It took me 3:00 hours to cover the 5 miles to the East Fall Creek Trail junction and another 1:00 hour to get to the Eagle Creek Road.

The walking along Eagle Creek Road is easy and the road is lined with tall spruce. There are a few views but not as spectacular as above. My total hike was 6:00 hours for about 12 miles. It was about 60 F degrees at 10:00 AM and windy enough at the high elevations that I needed a second layer. At 2:00 PM along the forest road it was about 75 F degrees. I carried 3 liters of water.

Bilk Creek Falls Loop Trail

2009-08-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Bilk Creek Falls Loop Trail uses segments of the Lizard Head Trail and the Wilson Mesa Trail and an old mining road on the northern edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness near Telluride in southwest Colorado. The trail head is at the south end of Sunshine Mesa Road.

Sunshine Mesa Road connects to the South Fork of the San Miguel Road and starts out straight, wide and smooth as it climbs. This lower road segment is a part of the Galloping Goose Trail that runs about 21 miles north from Lizard Head Pass and connects to the Telluride Valley Floor Bike Trail. After the point where the Galloping Goose Trail branches off and becomes a single track trail, the Sunshine Mesa Road becomes narrow, rough and twisty with a few mud holes before arriving at the trail head.

The signs at the trail head say Wilson Mesa Trail and 2 miles to the Lizard Head Trail and Bilk Creek, though practically speaking this is the trail head for the Lizard Head Trail also. The trail head elevation is about 9760 feet. About 0.8 miles along this wide and smooth segment, the Wilson Mesa Trail turns west and the old mining road continues south. I continued south on the old mining road as it is the shorter route to the Bilk Creek Falls, but a hiker can choose either route.

The old mining road stays on the east side of Bilk Creek and is mostly in deep Engelmann Spruce and Aspen forest with a few views to the flanks of Wilson Peak. Just before the mining site the trail crosses Bilk Creek. When I hiked there was a hiker arranged log and plank bridge to aid the crossing.

The mining ruins site is notable in that somehow a large red tractor trailer had been pulled in there. Quite a bit of old hardware is inside the trailer and scattered around the site. About 0.5 miles past the mining ruins site, the Bilk Creek Falls start to come into view.

The falls is a series of falls and cascades. The forest is thick and the falls has carved a steep rocky chute I didn’t see an easy way to get close for a good view. The trail switch backs up the slope and there are higher views but no close ones.

I climbed the trail until I was near the same elevation as the top of the falls, about 10,400 feet. The trail continues up into Bilk Basin and then continues on toward the base of Lizard Head Peak. I hiked for 1:50 hours before turning around.

On the return hike I took the longer Lizard Head Trail segment to complete the loop. The trail junction is at the old mining site and the Lizard Head route is clearly marked. If you took this longer route first the old mining road on the other side of the creek might not be noticed and there isn’t a sign pointing it out.

The Lizard Head part of the loop stays on the west side of Bilk Creek for about 2 miles and passes through meadow areas offering some views to the north. There is another small falls a short distance below the main falls. The Lizard Head Trail officially ends at a trail junction with the Wilson Mesa Trail and it is another 3 miles back to the Sunshine Mesa Trail Head, climbing through forest back to the old mining road.

The return crosses a level section of Bilk Creek over a foot bridge that is falling into disrepair but is still useable (but missing by 2011). There might be some beaver ponds along this section of Bilk Creek. My total hike took 4:30 hours for about 9 miles using the loop route. The minimum hike to see the Bilk Creek Falls would be about 5 miles. It was about 60 F degrees at the trail head at 10:00 AM on an early August partly cloudy day. I carried 3 liters of water but only drank 2.

Cross Mountain and Lizard Head Trail to Bilk Basin

2009-07-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Cross Mountain Trail provides access to the middle part of the Lizard Head Trail in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado.

It is about 3 miles with about 2000 feet elevation gain to reach the trail junction at the base of the iconic Lizard Head peak formation. A right turn heads east toward the Lizard Head Pass. A left turn heads north and descends into the very scenic Bilk Basin.

The Cross Mountain Trail Head is about 2 miles south of the Lizard Head Pass and south of Telluride along Highway 145. The starting elevation is about 10,000 ft. It took me about 2:00 hours of steady climbing to get to the trail junction. For the most part the trail passes through Engelmann Spruce forest, emerging into a tundra like area rich with wildflowers and wide views.

Starting the gradual descent into Bilk Basin I noticed a large herd of elk also heading for the basin across the shoulders of 12,703 ft. Cross Mountain. The herd of about 70 hesitated at the crest of the shoulder, seemingly because of me and another hiker and then turned and went back the way they had come, their plan for the day disrupted despite a seemingly safe distance.

The Bilk Basin is surrounded by high peaks on all sides with several creeks converging along the way and flowing north. The west side peaks include Gladstone Peak at 13, 913 ft. and Wilson Peak at 14,047 ft. Wilson Peak has an old road switch backing up the face that was access for old mines and now is a side trail off the Lizard Head Trail.

The trail descends down and crosses Bilk Creek and climbs the opposite shoulder. Looking back, from the Bilk Basin angle the Lizard Head looks more like a lizard head than the usual views of it. Just after crossing the creek there is a large rock cairn at a vague trail junction on the left and there is another smaller cairn further on. The maps of this area mention a falls and that was my goal.

Looking down the basin there are some signs of development in the distance. There is a trail head for this area ahead on Sunshine Road and some roads and small buildings are visible. In late July the wildflowers in Bilk Basin are very rich, fed by small streams flowing down the mountain sides.

The trail crosses a cascade of water tumbling down through the scree slopes and I stopped here, about 0.5 miles before the more spectacular Bilk Basin Falls. It had taken me 3:30 hours to get here and the trail crossing here looked a little tricky. The crossing is only about 4 feet wide but the water is flowing very fast and may involve a step that gets you wet up to your knee. The elevation at the cascade is about 11,100 feet and it is a climb of about 900 ft. back to the Cross Mountain trail junction.

It may be possible to bypass the cascade crossing and rejoin the trail by picking a route down through the forest and crossing the creek where the slope is more gradual. There seems to be a trail post a few hundred yards before the cascade that may mark an alternate route. The falls below are supposed to have a 300 foot drop.

My return hike took 2:40 hours for a total of 6:40 hours for about 9.6 miles. It was about 55 F degrees at the trail head at 9:00 AM in late July and got windy enough at the base of Lizard Head that I had to add a layer though it was still about the same temperature. It was about 70 F at the trail head at 3:50 PM when I finished. I carried 3 liters of water.

Tomboy Trail

2009-07-14T05:51:00.001-07:00

The Tomboy Trail is a popular 4WD road that climbs toward the east along the north side of Telluride Canyon in southwest Colorado.

Five miles along the trail is the Tomboy mining ruins site and further is Imogene Pass and Ouray. The beginning of Tomboy Road is at the north end of Oak Street in Telluride.

I started my hike from the free parking area on the southwest side of Telluride and walked through the town streets a few blocks to Oak Street. There isn’t any parking at the intersection of Tomboy and Oak.

Tomboy Road is also the access for the east end of the Jud Wiebe Trail, a popular 2.7 mile loop that takes about 2 hours to hike. Climbing past the Jud Wiebe Trail Head, there are increasingly higher views toward Bridal Veil Falls and Ingram Falls at the east end of the Telluride Valley.

The trail is a single lane rocky road with frequent wide spots. The surface is mostly easy to walk on and is steep but not as steep as mountain trails can sometimes be. There were quite a few commercial mountain tours going up the trail and several rented jeeps.

I saw three other hikers and no mountain bikes. The views are mostly open and the Aspen and Spruce forest is not noticed as much as usual. In mid July there are many wildflowers in bloom including some Columbines.

During the first half of the hike, Bridal Veil Falls, on the south side of the valley is frequently in view. The hike to Tomboy rises above the elevation of that also popular destination. There is one spot along Tomboy Road where Bear Creek Falls, Ingram Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls are all in view at the same time.

One interesting feature of this route is the short tunnel cut through the rock. After the tunnel, the trail is more level for about a mile and the main Telluride Valley goes out of sight. About one mile before the main Tomboy mining site, some outlying mining ruins start to appear.

The mining ruins along the Tomboy Road appear to be more devastated than one might expect. Another popular ghost town in the area is Alta, where the old buildings appear to be better preserved. There is an interpretive sign at the Tomboy site that says the town had a school, stores, stable and miner’s cabins. The mines started producing gold ore in 1894 and are 3000 feet higher than Telluride at about 11,800 feet.

The main Tomboy site looks like it was hit by tornados, a large scatter of debris without much standing. The surrounding area though is very scenic. It took me 3:00 hours to arrive at the Tomboy site and a quicker 2:00 hours to descend. With stops, my total hike was 5:30 hours for a little more than 10 miles. It was a mid 60s F day, partly cloudy with a few drops of rain. I carried and drank two liters of water.

Deep Creek Trail and Cornet Falls

2009-07-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

The Deep Creek Trail travels for about 13 miles along the north side of the Telluride Valley in southwest Colorado. The east trail connection is along the western loop of the Jud Wiebe Trail. The Deep Creek Trail is part of a large trail system that offers several hiking options.

I started my hike from the free parking area on the southwest end of town and walked a few blocks through the pleasant streets of Telluride to the Jeb Wiebe Trail Head at the north end of Aspen Street. There doesn’t appear to be any parking in the trail head area. At the trail head there is also a short trail leading to the Cornet Falls.

The Jud Wiebe Trail is a popular 2.7 mile loop back to the east. The first 0.8 miles of Jud Wiebe climbs steeply to the west and arrives at the east end connection of the Deep Creek Trail. Another 100 feet along the Deep Creek Trail there is a connection with the east end of the Sneffels Highline Trail that heads further north. It’s good to have a map of this trail system when hiking up here.

The Deep Creek Trail levels out and moves west offering high elevation views of the Telluride Valley. After about a mile it turns away from the valley and loops around the Mill Creek area eventually crossing a small bridge over a roaring plunging stream. Along the trail there are old pipes and other artifacts from the mining era. High above Mill Creek a large waterfall is visible but the views are obscured by the thick forest. In this area the forest appears to be aspens, Douglas Firs and Engelmann Spruce.

Past the bridge, there is an access trail connecting to the Mill Creek Road leading back down to the valley. After the access trail junction, the trail begins climbing again for 2 miles to the western junction with the Sneffels Highline Trail. The trail signs indicated that the Sneffels loop is 8.2 miles back to the east connection with the Deep Creek Trail.

There are some meadow areas along this segment with great views of the mountains that lie north of the Telluride Valley. Wildflowers are moderately good along the whole length of the hike here.

I got a tip from another hiker that about 10 minutes north on the west connection of the Sneffels Trail there is a large rock outcrop giving great views in several directions. This rock outcrop appears to be a popular local destination. Besides views into Telluride Mountain Village and the mountains beyond, you can see a little into the Sneffels Basin to the north.

From this point the Deep Creek Trail continues west another 5 miles to Last Dollar Road, then another 4 miles or so along Deep Creek. It took me 2:40 hours to get to the rocky view point where I started my return back along the same route.

It took me 2:00 hours to return to the Jud Wiebe Trail Head, the return is mostly downhill. Back at the trail head, I hiked the short trail to the Cornet Falls.

There are two falls here and the higher falls is the most interesting, plunging as a narrow ribbon over the sandstone cliffs. It is possible to get under the falls. My total hike of about 11 miles took 5:30 hours. I carried two liters of water on a 70 F early July day that was partly cloudy with a few drops of scattered rain.

Lizard Head Trail to Wilson Meadows

2009-06-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

The Lizard Head Trail crosses through the eastern part of the mountainous Lizard Head Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado south of Telluride along Highway 145.

From the trail head at Lizard Head Pass, at 10,250 feet, the route starts north, cuts west behind Black Face Mountain and then north again. About 1.5 miles along the trail, a side trail descends into a basin area called Wilson Meadows. It is about a 6 mile round trip to visit this scenic spot.

The Wilson Meadows Trail runs more or less parallel with the Lizard head Trail. In late June there was still too much snow in the spruce forest to follow the Lizard head Trail to its junction with the Cross Mountain Trail and make a loop hike. The Lizard Head Peak is 13,113 feet.

The first mile of the Lizard Head Trail heads north to a point that overlooks Trout Lake through the aspen, spruce and fir forest. The trail then has several switchbacks giving higher and better views. There are several scree slopes on the west side of the trail. The road that runs along the north side of Trout Lake is part of the Galloping Goose Trail, a 21 mile route from Lizard Head Pass to Telluride that follows the old railroad grade.

At about the 2 mile point there is a trail sign pointing left and down and unlikely clay hill. From above it doesn’t appear that the trail could possibly go this way, but it does. This is about 20 minutes of hiking before arriving at Wilson Meadows. I’ve followed what appears to be the more likely trail straight ahead and it leads to a sloping meadow area that is scenic but not as good as Wilson Meadows.

Wilson Meadows receives snowmelt from many directions and is soggy in the bottoms area, and rich with wildflowers. The area is a basin surrounded by peaks on all sides. The peaks to the immediate northwest of Lizards Head aren’t named on the map I had but are about 12,000 to 13,000 feet high. Wilsons Creek drains the meadows, flowing to the north.

This might be San Bernardo Mountain on the north side at 11,861 feet. It took me about 2:00 hours to arrive at Wilson Meadows where I lingered for about 1 hour.

My return hike took 1:30 hours for a total hike of 4:30 hours. I carried two liters of water on a June day that was about 55 F when I started at 9:00 AM and 68 F at 1:30 PM. It was a clear day with some wind gusts in the exposed spots.

Bear Creek Falls Trail

2009-06-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Bear Creek Falls Trail is a popular 2.2 mile climb up along Bear Creek on the south side of Telluride Town in southwest Colorado.

The Trailhead is on the south end of Pine Street and is right off of the San Miguel River Trail that scenically flows through town.

I started my hike from the free parking lot on the southwest side of town and walked for 10 or 15 minutes along the River Trail before arriving at the Bear Creek Trail Head. There is an interpretive map of the trail posted near the Trail Head that describes some points of interest. The trail climbs a little more than 1000 feet.

There were quite a few hikers on the wide trail in early June, also joggers, dog walkers, families with children and one mountain biker. I’m always impressed in Telluride by how many nice looking dogs there are here, and how well behaved they all seem to be. Not mentioned on the interpretive map is the view of the in town beaver pond that is along the River Trail.

The forest along here is mostly Aspens and Engelmann Spruce and there are mountain views in both directions. Some of the points of interest are related to the mining era, but these are mostly sites without much remaining. The remains of a flume run across the trail and there are a few cables visible here and there.

Just below the falls one of the points of interest is called The Big Rock. Among the mountains visible back to the north along the trail are Greenback Mountain and St. Sophia’s Ridge.

Just before the Bear Creek Falls there is a trail junction with the Wasatch Trail for those who want to keep going higher. The Wasatch trail is a single track trail rather than an old road. It switchbacks steeply along a side creek for about 0.5 miles then turns south, still climbing but not as steeply.

The map I had showed a possible loop route off the Wasatch Trail into Mountain Village. Otherwise, the Wasatch Trail continues toward the Ophir area.

I went about one mile up the trail before running into snow patches that were somewhat hazardous without technical equipment and met two climbers who said it got worse further up, so I turned back. I was able to get across the snow patches pictured here but I did it awkwardly and didn’t like it. The snow patches had flowing water below them and besides the danger of skidding several hundred yards down the steep slope, there was also a danger of a snow bridge collapsing.

From my starting point it took me 1:15 to reach the Bear Creek Falls and I continued about 1 mile further in another hour. Going down took me about 1:40 hours for a total hike of nearly 4 hours for about 7.5 miles.

Galloping Goose Trail-Ophir Needles to Sunshine Road

2009-05-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

The Galloping Goose Trail is a 21 mile route from Lizard Head Pass to Telluride that mostly follows the old rail bed of the historic train that served the southwest Colorado mountain area until the early 1950s. I started my hike at the junction of Highway 145 and the road that leads to the old mining town of Ophir.From where I started the jagged Ophir Needles towered overhead. I walked south uphill for about 200 yards and then turned west on the first forest road. The forest road led downhill to a connection with the trail. There aren't any trail signs along the highway.

Very near this point the trail passes through a tunnel under the highway on the way back towards Lizard Head. A short distance along the route there is an interpretive sign for the Silver Bell Tailings Impoundment, a cleanup project to protect water resources. There are also views of the large pipes carrying high pressure water flow from Trout Lake and Hope Lake to energize the Ames Power Plant.

One of the streams that contribute to the South Fork stream and eventually the San Miguel River has a waterfall that is easily viewed. There is a good bridge to cross this roaring stream. In the vicinity of the bridge there are piles of very large old timbers, perhaps the materials of one of the many trestles that were needed by the Galloping Gooose.

The old rail bed is hung along the side of this canyon and the views along this section are probably the most spectacular of the whole 21 mile route. To the west is a sheer vertical wall of stone towering over a large scree slope. To the east is the intense green of the river valley with the dozen or so homes of the village of Ames lying below the Ophir Needles. The forest in this area is mostly Aspens and Engelmann Spruce. This segment of trail has several sections where the old rail ties seem to be still in place.

This segment of trail has many minor artifacts from the rail road. Besides the many rail road ties and several poles that look like telegraph lines, there is a site that appears to be a water tank site. There are several lengths of old metal pipes and some masonry work.

The last mile of this 3.5 mile segment has several creeks to cross. In spring these creeks are running full and more, overflowing their banks and using the trail as a channel for a short section. The largest of the creeks looks like a trestle site as there are many collapsed timbers piled up along the steep slopes of the wide drainage area. There were two crossings where I couldn't avoid getting my feet wet.

On the return hike I detoured down into Ames to see the somewhat famous power plant. This is the site of the world's first alternating current power plant, the type of current that we all use now. The power from this plant was originally used at the nearby mining sites.

There are two water sources for the hydro power here, Trout Lake and Hope Lake, both good hiking areas. The information I found on the plant output is 115,000 volts and 3.75 megawatts, enough power for a town of 4000. From the power plant I hiked up the county roads back to my starting point. My total hike time for about 7.5 miles was 3;15 hours.

Cross Mountain Trail to Lizard Head Peak

2009-01-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

The Cross Mountain Trail is in the Lizard Head Wilderness in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado. The starting elevation at the trail head is about 10,080 feet. The elevation at the junction with the Lizard Head Trail, below the peak, is about 12,000 feet.

The trail directly approaches the signature Lizard head Peak and connects to a network of trails that visit this area of high peaks including Colorado 14ers Mt. Wilson and El Diente.

The Cross Mountain Trail Head is about two miles south of the Lizard Head Pass on the west side of Highway 145. There are trail heads at the Lizard Head pass also, including the Wilson Meadows Trail and the Galloping Goose Trail. This trail head also provides access to the Groundhog Stock Trail and the East Fork Trail begins directly across the highway on the east side.

After passing the junction leading left with the Groundhog Stock Trail that leads to The Meadows area, the trail cuts through a thick forest of Fir and Spruce, and then it opens on to a high meadow giving spectacular mountain views.

Over to the south was Cross Mountain, 12,703 ft, showing off an orange color. The group of mountains to the east of the Lizard Head Pass show some similar colors.

Lizard head is an odd formation, a spike that sticks up, in an area with a lot of normally shaped mountain peaks. The elevation is given at 13,113 feet. From this angle it doesn't looks like the head of a lizard, but it does stand out and is visible in the Cortez, CO area more than 60 miles away.

It took me about 2:15 hours to go about 3 miles to the base of the Lizard Head, where there is a T junction with the Lizard Head Trail. I turned right and continued east along the trail, along the base of the Head for a few more minutes to a point where is a saddle giving views of all the peaks to the east.

The trail leading to the left goes into the Bilk Basin where there is a large waterfall. Try viewing from the different angle there before deciding if the Lizard Head is mis-named

The Lizard Head Trail going east connects to the Wilson Meadows Trail that starts at the Lizard Head Pass allowing for a loop hike. This segment stays snowy longer into the season than other segments of the trail. The Lizard Head is very difficult to climb due to the rotten nature of the rock and is only for extreme experts.

Willow Divide Trail

2008-08-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Willow Divide Trail is a 30 mile loop ATV trail, and Forest Road 727, that climbs about 2000 feet to the high mesa area between the West Fork of the Dolores River and Fish Creek in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado. This area is just to the southwest of the Lizard Head Wilderness Area.

I started at the south trail head along Forest Road 535. Traveling from the south this is about 25 miles north of the town of Dolores along paved roads. From Telluride, Road 535 intersects with Highway 145 a few miles south of Lizard Head Pass and is marked as the Dunton Road.
The trail is a 4WD drive road that climbs steadily with switchbacks. The lower part of the route has good views to the south down the West Fork valley and across the valley to Stoner Mesa. There are other trail heads nearby, the Goble Trail and Fish Creek Trails are just to the south and the north end of the Stoner Mesa Trail is across the valley on top of the mesa. Further up the views open up to the north toward the Rico Mountains. I was hoping to see the high peaks of the Lizard Head area but no luck. The lower trail forest has Ponderosa Pines and Aspens and Gambel Oak and a few Narrow Leaf Cottonwoods.

After 2:00 hours and about five miles I arrived at what I took to be the loop junction. I stayed to the right, still on Road 727, which seemed to continue to climb slightly.

The route to the left is narrower and seems to stay along a level contour. The forest here is dominated more by Engelmann Spruce and there are views to the west over Fish Creek to Black Mesa.

I continued on for another 40 minutes and there were a few glimpses of Dolores Peak and a distant glimpse of El Diente but the views were mostly obscured by the thick forest.
I think that the north end of this route has the second hut on the Durango to Moab hut to hut mountain bike route but I didn't go that far. The first hut is near Bolam Pass at the east end of the East Fork Trail. I turned around after 2:40 hours and returned for a total hike of 5:00 hours.

Groundhog Stock Trail

2008-08-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

This five mile segment of the Groundhog Stock Trail starts at the Cross Mountain Trail Head, about two miles south of the Lizard Head Pass in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado.

After about ten minutes on the Cross Mountain Trail, the Groundhog Stock Trail branches off to the left and travels to the southwest along the edge of the Lizard Head Wilderness Area. This area has three of the Colorado 14ers, plus the unique Lizard Head formation.

The first mile of the trail passes through thick spruce and fir forest. There were some mud holes and some spots where the trail is a little vague through this area. After about 45 minutes the trail arrives at a flower filled moist meadow, then exits the thick forest.
After the forest meadow the route opens up giving good views and descends steeply down to Slate Creek where there is a footbridge. Slate Creek flows down and becomes an early contributor to the Dolores River near the Cayton Campground. There is the second smaller Coke Oven Creek a little further on.

After Slate Creek the trail grade is reasonably flat through a long area of meadows with islands of spruce and fir. There are good mountain views both ahead and behind and lots of summer wildflowers in the meadows.

The last segment of trail passes along the north side of a very wide and long meadow area. There was a confusing spot where an old road section of trail appears to dead end when entering the meadow. The inconspicuous single track trail continues to the right around the shoulder, avoiding the mushy spots below.

The trail ends at the east end of The Meadows along Forest Road 535, and the south flanks of Mount Wilson come into view. I took about 4:30 hours to walk this 10 mile out and back route.

East Fork Trail-Lizard Head Pass

2008-08-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

The East Fork Trail climbs up toward Bolam Pass along the East Fork of the Dolores River just to the east of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. The trailhead is along Highway 145 about two miles south of Lizard Head Pass.

At the start of the hike there are good views to the west to the Lizard Head and Cross Mountain and to the south down the Dolores Valley.

The trail is well above the stream and passes through islands of mostly Engelmann Spruce and open meadows. The trail is used quite a bit by horse riders and some mountain bikers. It seems to part of the hut to hut Durango to Moab bike route.

I spent a few minutes telling a struggling rider what I knew about the route from the Bolam Hut west past Lizard Head to the next hut. The first four miles of the trail has a mild grade, with some mild rolling up and down.
About 2.5 miles along the route there are two creek crossings back to back, deep enough to get your feet wet. These are the North Twin Creek and the South Twin Creek, flowing down from the Sheep Mountain group of peaks that form the east side of the valley, but are hidden from view by the forest.

There aren't many long views along this trail. There are views down to the East Fork River below and across the meadows and many sections pass through the islands of tall spruce. The meadow areas along the trail are thick with wildflowers. After four miles the grade gets a little steeper.

I was looking for a marker that said Bolam Pass but didn't see one. At the end of my route I was on a rough road that had a small sign indicating it was part of the Colorado Trail.

I turned around after 3:20 hours at a point where I could see mountains both to the east and the west and the road seemed to be leading back down hill. Going back was a little quicker than going up and my total hike was 6:00 hours and about 12 miles.

Kilpacker Trail

2008-07-04T04:39:00.000-07:00

Kilpacker Trail is an alternate route leading to Navajo Lake from the south side of the Lizard Head Wilderness, near Telluride in southwest Colorado.

The Navajo Lake Trail head is about 1.2 miles to the west. The two trails run parallel to the north for about three miles. The Kilpacker Trail provides access to the Kilpacker Creek Basin for those attempting to climb El Diente, at 14,159 feet, one of the Colorado 14ers. El Diente is a tooth shaped peak just to the north of Mt. Wilson, also a 14er.

I started my hike about 1.5 miles east of the trail head, to view the wide expanse of The Meadows. Continuing on the first section of the Kilpacker Trail gives a longer view of this spectacular area.

The trail is mostly through thick spruce and fir forest with occasional views of Dolores Peak to the west. The nearby Navajo Lake Trail travels more through open meadows and the mountains are more visible. After about one hour and about 2.3 miles, I arrived at Kilpacker Creek.

A little before the creek I noticed a sign and a trail to the right that said "El Diente Peak Route". This is the route that climbers take up the basin to get into position to climb the "Big Tooth".

The Kilpacker Creek had a small waterfall in the vicinity of the trail crossing. There wasn't an easy way to cross the creek without getting my feet wet.
I back tracked from the falls to the El Diente Peak Route and followed that route for 15 minutes uphill until it also reached the Kilpacker Creek.

There was a better glimpse of El Diente here. Looking at some climbers reports on El Diente later, I saw that there are two waterfalls further up the basin.

My hike on Kilpacker was about 1:00 hours to the Creek, another 0:30 to go up and back the climbers route, and another 1:00 back to the trail head for a total of 2:15. I spent an additional 1:00 hour walking along the Meadows road as part of the same hike.

The Meadows at Lizard Head Wilderness

2008-07-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

The Meadows is an area along Forest Road 535 in the San Juan National Forest just south of the Lizard Head Wilderness in southwest Colorado. The expanse of green sits below one of the famous Colorado 14ers, Mount Wilson at 14,246 feet. Another 14er, El Diente is just out of view behind Mt. Wilson.

I arrived from the south, driving up the West Fork of the Dolores Road and parked at the junction with Forest Road 471 which leads back to the south to the Calico and Winter trailheads. This area can also be accessed on the Dunton Road south of Lizard Head Pass from Highway 145. I hiked to the west toward the Kilpacker Trail, about 1.5 miles away.

Gazing to the west there is a glimpse of Dolores Peak, no slouch at 13,290 feet, and an oddly placed cabin site.

Looking back to the east is the mountain group that overlooks Lizard Head Pass and the Trout Lake area. The Groundhog Stock Driveway Trail leads that way and connects to the Cross Mountain Trail, part of the Lizard Head Trail System.

The old cabin sits along Meadows Creek. The low areas of the meadows area are often a little mushy, but it appears possible to walk along the edges all the way around.

There is a dirt road turnoff leading to the Kilpacker Trail Head. Looking back to the east, there is a full length view of the meadows and the mountains to the east of Lizard Head Pass. I continued on the Kilpacker Trail, hiking around the area for 3:15 hours.

Ghost Town on Alta Lakes Trail

2008-06-27T05:47:00.001-07:00

One of the several highlights of hiking the Alta Lakes Trail is the ghost town of Alta, about 0.6 miles from the lakes. Alta Lakes Road turns east off of Highway 145 between Telluride and Lizard Head Pass, just north of Ophir in southwest Colorado.The site appears to be well protected, apparently on private property with fences deterring any poking around inside the old structures. They certainly had a good view from up here, around 11,000 feet up.
Water for the mining activity was probably managed using the Alta Lakes which appear to have been engineered using small earthen berms. The Alta town site was the center of mining activity in the Alta-Gold King area from 1877 to 1948. A fire in the mill ended the activity here. It is about four miles along the steep Alta Lakes Road to the town of Alta.
Alta was one of the first Industrial sites to use alternating current electricity. A long distance transmission line was completed from the Ames power plant on the San Miguel River on June 21, 1891.

The Ames power plant still operates using water from nearby Trout Lake. Some of the pipework is visible along the Galloping Goose Trail.

Alta Lakes Trail

2008-06-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Alta Lakes Trail follows gravel Alta Lakes Road east off of Highway 145 in southwest Colorado between Telluride and Lizard Head Pass and is about a 4.5 mile walk. This road is normally easily driveable and most visitors will be driving.

The road climbs steeply through thick Aspen and Spruce Forest. The walking is easy enough on the smooth road.

The lower part of the road provides spectacular views to the east and south to the San Miguel Mountains and the Lizard Head area, and it gets better the higher you go. As the road gets higher the mountains to the east become more visible.

Some of these peaks have the look of "needles" that a few other sites in the region have. Higher still and the famous "Lizard Head" comes into view back to the south.

After 1:45 and about 4 miles the ghost town of Alta appears. This site is fairly well preserved and was active from 1877 to 1948. (see separate post on the ghost town.)

From Alta, a hiker can continue on the road or take a short trail that starts at the back of the ghost town site. In the vicinity of the trailhead there is an alternate route coming up here from Telluride called Boomerang Road, and Lift 10.

There are three Alta Lakes and they have an engineered look to them, some constructed berms and flow control valves, but the setting is spectacular. It took me 2:00 hours to arrive at the Alta Lakes including a short stop at the Alta ghost town. I spent about 1:45 hiking around and between the lakes before returning. This appears to be a popular camping and fishing spot and is also a popular back roads 4WD destination.

Telluride Bike Trail

2008-06-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Telluride Bike Trail runs along the north side of the Valley Floor west of Telluride in southwest Colorado, and connects to the Galloping Goose Trail and the River Trail near the junction with Highway 145.
Normally, a paved trail next to a highway wouldn't be a hikers choice, but the views in the Telluride Valley Floor are worth it and the Bike Trail completes a six mile loop with the River Trail on the south side of the canyon. The Bike Trail includes a tunnel under the spur route into Telluride town. Towards the west end of the trail the San Miguel River starts to come more into view.

The Valley Floor area was the subject of a development vs. conservation controversy that appears to have been settled in favor of conservation. I spotted a small group of elk along the trail that were taking a dip in the wetlands.
There is a bridge at west end that gives a good view up the canyon and over the river. My hike started here at the west end near Highway 145 and followed the 3 mile River Trail into town, then on to the free Gondola to Saint Sophia Station with the 2 mile hike down into Mountain Village on the Ridge Trail.
I returned to Telluride on the Gondola and hiked the 3 mile Bike Trail back to my starting point. This trip of about 8 miles took me about 4:45 hours.

Telluride Ridge Trail

2008-06-22T11:19:00.001-07:00

The Telluride Ridge Trail is a 2 mile route between the St. Sophia Station of the Telluride Gondola and Mountain Village, the part of the Telluride Ski Area that doesn't fit into the main valley.

I started at the St. Sophia Station after riding the free Gondola up from Telluride Town. The Gondola station in town is right off the River Trail, offering some connectivity for an ongoing hike.

The Ridge Trail starts just under and to the right of the Gondola. At the same point there are ski roads leading back down to Telluride. There is a Nature Center at St. Sophia that has information on other trails on the mountain, and some activities for children.
The upper part of the trail is steep and rocky but offers some stunning views. Everyone I talked to said to watch out for mountain bikers rambling down hill.
The forest is very thick along the Ridge Trail with spruce, fir, and aspens. The trees are so thick that the mountain views are reduced to glimpses in some spots. The trail gets smoother and less steep lower down. The trail ends very near to the Mountain Village Gondola Station.
Mountain Village has what appears to be more of a European village architecture style, rather than the Victorian style that prevails in Telluride. The golf course is up here, saving the Valley Floor for open space. I rode the Gondola back up and then back down into Telluride Town.

Telluride Valley Floor River Trail

2008-06-21T04:37:00.000-07:00

The Valley Floor River Trail visits an area near Telluride in southwest Colorado that has been the subject of an intense legal battle in recent years between development and conservation.

I started my hike at the point where Colorado Highway 145 from the south makes a left turn to the west with the three mile spur into Telluride box canyon going to the east. This point is also a starting point for the Galloping Goose Trail and the Telluride Bike Trail.

The trail hugs the south side of the valley up against a steep slope thick with spruce, fir and aspen trees. Several small streams spill down to join the San Miguel, one of the few streams in Colorado without a dam on it. The story I gathered from internet sources is that in December of 1999, San Miguel Valley Corporation (SMVC) revealed updated plans for development on the Valley Floor.

These plans included a large hotel complex, a gondola link to the ski town Mountain Village which is just over the south ridge, an 18-hole golf course, commercial areas, condominiums, and single homes.

On July 3, 2000, a public demonstration drew approximately 1,500 people to the County Courthouse steps for a Rally for the Valley, with participants roaring, “Free the Valley.” As reported by The Denver Post, “Dreadlocks cozied up to designer pants suits, movie stars linked up with ranch hands, tie-dyes connected to Ph.D.s, second-home owners gripped tent dwellers, tots hung on to retired miners. It must have been quite a scene.

Walking around town you see the odd mix drawn to this very scenic and trendy town, and I'm always impressed by the very nice looking dogs.

Some of the peaks of the Sneffels Wilderness Area are visible are visible as you stop and gaze along the river banks. There is the Telluride Bike Trail on the north side of the Valley that gives a view back toward the more heavily forested south side. The Bike Trail can be used to make a loop trip for both hikers and bikers.

On June 25, 2002, Telluride residents voted 609- 385 in a special election to pursue eminent domain for attainment of 570 acres on the south side of the Valley Floor to be placed under a conservation easement in perpetuity. The dispute was whether the town had the legal right to do this. After four months of deliberation, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 6 – 1 in favor of the Town of Telluride in its long-standing effort to acquire the 570-acre gateway meadow known as the Valley Floor.

About one mile west of Telluride, the Boomerang Road descends from the area near the golf course and makes a junction with the Valley Floor River Trail.

This is a steep old road passing through the Spruce-Fir Forest. At the top of the Boomerang Road, there are some good views toward the mountains that are directly across. I took about 1:15 to complete the three mile walk. Once in the town of Telluride you will probably want to continue on the in town part of the River Trail.

In the in town part of the River Trail here has been an ongoing project for restoring the natural habitats of the San Miguel River below that have been damaged over the years by mining and resort development. Improved aquatic habitat in the river channel by creating a variety of natural appearing features including riffles-pools-glides and in stream cover.

Bridal Veil Falls Trail at Telluride

2007-11-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

Bridal Veil Falls is just to the east of Telluride, in southwest Colorado. It is one of four waterfalls visible in the Telluride area, and is a popular destination.

It's possible to drive up there with a 4WD. I started my hike in the free parking at the southwest end of town and walked along the San Miguel River Trail, a strip of clear running mountain stream winding between the ski lodges, condos, and sports shops, past a beaver pond and through the town park and camp ground.

At the east end of town the river trail merges with the Idarado Legacy Trail, a section that points out the mining history of Telluride.

Past the old mill, a rough steep road, surrounded by towering peaks, climbs by switchbacks up towards the falls. It ia possible to drive through town and start 1.2 miles from the base of the falls, or 1.8 miles to the top.

From a distance, it looks like there is a building up above the falls. What can that be, way up there? The historic markers point out that the building is a power plant, originally built in 1907 to supply power for mining operations. After a checkered history, the plant has been restored and is currently producing current. One of the switchbacks bends back right at the base of the falls, a light mist blowing off the water tumbling about 400 feet.

It took me 2;30 hours to get up to the power plant from the west end of town, spending part of the time dodging 60 or so crazed dirt bike riders ripping down the rough road on a multi day mountain tour. At the top it is possible to continue on Black Bear Road toward Ingram Falls, or toward Blue Lake and Bridal Veil Basin.

On the way back, I took advantage of the free summer gondola rides from Telluride Station, taking off from right along the River Trail up to Mountain Village, a Telluride suburb that doesn't fit in the the Victorian themed valley.

The gondola has a stop at Station St. Sophia, a scenic trail head with a nature center, and then descends down into the upscale Mountain Village area. The Mountain Village area has more ski lodges, condos, lifts, and sports shops, and the golf course is up there, next to a lot of nice looking houses.

Hope Lake Trail near Trout Lake

2007-11-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

The Hope Lake Trail is a spur off the Galloping Goose Trail near Trout Lake between Lizard Head Pass and Telluride in southwest Colorado. It climbs through lush spruce and fir forest, toward the reddish Vermillion Peak and finds Hope Lake in a glacial basin. The spur road is near the old railroad trestle east of Trout Lake, east of Highway 145.

I started on the forest service road that leads to the trailhead. It was steep uphill and it took me an hour to get to the actual trail head. From where I started, the elevation is about 10,000 feet. The actual trailhead is at 10,800 feet and Hope Lake is at 12,000 feet. A hiking couple along the Goose Trail made a point of telling me I could drive there and seemed stunned that I was going to walk, but it made for a good long and scenic hike.

The trail head sign said 3.5 miles to Hope Lake and it was also fairly steep uphill, lots of switch backs, with several creek crossings, and great views of the surrounding San Miguel range of mountains.

The meadow areas were rich with wild flowers, shoulder high larkspurs and Queen Anne's lace, lots of columbines, buttercups, Indian Paint Brushes and others.

The views back down toward Trout Lake were particularly spectacular, cars and travel trailers lumbering up the highway beyond the lake. But as I got closer to my goal, the ominous sound of thunder rumbled overhead. Both Hope Lake and Trout Lake provide the water pressure for the historic Ames Power plant.

I must have spent a full minute admiring the lake, well above the tree line, rocky and austere. Then a bolt crackled across the sky and rain began pelting down. I had a two hour power walk back to my car facing me, but luckily the rain was only guarding the high peaks.

On the way down, I passed two women and a young girl who were picking up some rocks to carry home. I asked if they were finding fossils, but they replied that it was the heart shaped rocks they were after.

Navajo Lake Trail in Lizard Head Wilderness

2007-11-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

The Navajo Lake Trail is about a 9.6 mile round trip to Navajo Lake on the southwest side of the Lizard Head Wilderness in the San Juan Forest of southwest Colorado.

The trail head is just west of the Meadows area and can be reached from the south along the Dolores River West Fork Road or from the Dunton Road that connects to Highway 145 south of Telluride. The trail head elevation is about 9200 feet and the elevation at Navajo Lake is 11,154 feet.

The Groundhog Trail begins at the same trailhead. You can also hike to this trailhead on the Burro Bridge Trail from the Burro Bridge campground. The Kilpacker Trail joins the Navajo Lake Trail about half way to the lake.

The route is mostly through meadows allowing good views of the nearby peaks. To the left is Dolores Peak at 13,290 feet.

The nearby Kilpacker Trail runs parallel to the Navajo Lake Trail for about 3 miles. The Kilpacker passes through a forested area and has an El Diente Peak side trail option for climber access. The one 14er that is clearly visible along the Navajo Lake trail is El Diente, resembling a large tooth, and topping out at 14,159 feet.

Wilderness areas are more restricted than other parts of National Forests. No mechanical or motorized vehicles allowed. This includes mountain bikes, causing some controversy among bikers. This trail would have been very tough for bikers though. Lizard Head Wilderness includes 11 mountain peaks of the San Juan Mountains higher than 11,000 feet and three are in the elite group known as the Colorado 14ers, higher that 14,000 feet.

The last part of the trail is steep and climbs as high as 11,400 feet. The Navajo Lake is surrounded on three sides by high steep mountains and it catches the snowmelt.

On the west side the overflow from the lake spills out and is the beginning of the West Fork of the Dolores River, eventually joining the main branch about 30 miles downstream. There is a waterfall that looked like it plunged about 40 feet, though I could only see it from a distance.

The Navajo Lake Trail continues past the lake to the Silver Pick Trail Head on the north. Before reaching Navajo Lake there is a trail junction leading to the Woods Lake Trail and the Elk Creek Trail, also to the north.

It took me 3:00 hours to cover the 4.8 miles from the trail head to Navajo Lake. I came back faster than I went up, making it down in 2:15. June is a good time to go up into this area. The snow is mostly melted and the summer thunderstorms haven't started yet. They caution peak baggers to be off the peak by noon, or risk getting hit by a bolt.

Galloping Goose Trail-Telluride to South Fork Road

2007-11-10T16:42:00.001-08:00

At the Telluride end, the 21 mile Galloping Goose Trail connects with the Telluride Bike Trail, a paved bike trail that runs from in town out to the west along the San Miguel River.

I started my hike at the Junction of Highway 145 and the road into Telluride Town. This is also the starting point for the Valley Floor River Trail.The Goose Trail loses the pavement and becomes a narrow single track that continues west down stream for a ways, then turns upstream at the junction with the South Fork, the snow melt water coming down from Sunshine Mountain and Wilson Peak.

There are three of the seven original Geese preserved and on display in the area. One is in Telluride and another in Dolores. There is a small museum associated with the Goose in Dolores. The third Goose is privately owned and can be sighted along Highway 491 about a mile north of Dove Creek, Colorado between Cortez and Monticello, Utah.

The first part of this segment follows the rushing river downstream and is very scenic. This bridge appears to connect to a scenic overlook high above on Highway 145.

The forest here is aspen and spruce and the river bottom area has quite a few of the Colorado state tree, the Blue Spruce. I walked the trail for about 1:15 until I came to a junction with the South Fork Road that runs along the river. To continue you have to follow a side road north for a short distance to Ilium and then get on Sunshine Road to continue south.

The route segment from the Telluride Bike Trail to Ilium is about 3.0 miles. About 3.0 miles south along Sunshine Road there will be a trail head on the left that follows an obvious section of old rail bed. The segment from Sunshine Road toward Ames is very scenic.

The San Miguel is one of the few rivers feeding the Colorado River that doesn't have a dam on it, so the river bottom area is still in a very natural state here. There are a few ranches and private homes in the valley.

As this trail is very convenient for those living or visiting Telluride, it gets a fair amount of mountain bike traffic. I was about the only hiker and I was startled several times as the speedy bikers came flying down the trail around the blind curves, causing me to dive to the side, but with a smile on my face.

Galloping Goose Trail-Trout Lake to Ames

2007-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Galloping Goose Trail in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado runs about 21 miles and follows the old rail bed of an historic train that served the area until the early 1950s.From the scenic Lizard Head Pass the trail runs north to Trout Lake, then to Ophir, past Ames, along the south fork of the San Miguel river and connects to the Telluride Bike Trail and the Valley Floor River Trail that go into Telluride.
I started this segment at Trout Lake, that Shangri-La spot nestled below Vermillion Peak and Yellow Mountain. The trail is as wide as a road until it gets to the Matterhorn campground area, then has different segments of narrow trails and gravel roads as it gets close to the Ophir area, a historic mining town.

There are views of the San Miguel range of mountains all around. The forest here is mostly Aspen and Englemann Spruce.

The Ophir Needles is one of the outstanding views along here. After crossing the highway through a tunnel, there is a mining reclamation project to view that was completed in 2000-01. Old piles of mine tailings from the area mines have been stabilized.
The trail goes above the village of Ames which is famous as the site of the first hydro alternating current power plant in history, an obscure place for an important development.
There was a technology battle between Nikolas Tesla's AC and Thomas Edison's DC and it was here that the winner was determined. Along the trail you can see parts of the large pipe that runs from Trout Lake and Hope Lake to power the plant.
I hiked on this segment for about 1:45 hours before being turned back by rain. My total hike was about 3:30 hours. The distance from Lizard head to the tunnel under Highway 145 is about 11.5 miles.

Galloping Goose Trail-Lizard Head Pass to Trout Lake

2007-11-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

The Galloping Goose Trail follows an old railroad grade from Lizard Head Pass in the San Juan Mountains north toward Telluride in southwest Colorado. The Trail Head is on the east side of Highway 145 across from the rest area at the Pass.

In the 1890's a mining boom inspired the building of a rail system connecting Durango, Dolores, Telluride, and Ridgeway in southwest Colorado. The mining boom ended and the in the 1920s the transportation needs of the area were served by the Galloping Goose, an odd looking narrow gage train.

The Goose ran until the early 1950s when the highways finally put it out of business. Three of the seven Geese were saved and are on display around the area.
The Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 ft. is a spectacular spot. Sheep Mountain, Vermilion Peak, and Yellow Mountain dominate the scene and some of the old sheep corrals still stand near the old railroute. There is also a major trail head about two miles south of the Lizard Head Pass. The Cross Mountain Trail, East Fork Trail, and Groundhog Stock Trail are available there.

The route winds downhill through forest and meadows. Only one of the old trestles from the Goose era still stands. This one is along the route from the pass down to Trout Lake. Past the trestle is a forest road going up to the Trail Head for the Hope Lake Trail, another good trail in the area.

There is an old water tank still standing, mixed in among the cabins on the hillside above Trout Lake. The cabins and homes in the area are an odd mix, some very luxurious and some very rustic. There aren't any stores or shops here but they do get 15 feet of snow in winter.

The Trout Lake is scenic and there were a number of canoes and row boats strung along the shore. Trout Lake water is used to power the historic hydro-electric plant in nearby Ames. The Ames power plant was the first in the country to generate alternating current and provided power to the mining activity near Alta Lakes and the now Alta Ghost Town.

It took me about 1.5 hours to walk downhill here from the pass and I retraced back to the top. The total route from Lizard Head Pass to Telluride is about 21 miles and is a mix of trail and county roads. This is a unique trail that combines spectacular scenery with historic artifacts.