Ghost Town on Alta Lakes Trail

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

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.  (use the labels to 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 hours 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

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 to Mountain Village

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

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.