Three weeks in Fairplay, Colorado…
Why we came…
Easy access to the Front Range to attend baseball games; nearby medical appointments; to play in South Park.
The campground…
Middle Fork RV Park was very comfortable. The camp sites were decent sized, fairly level, and gravel. Without neighbors, there are great views of the surrounding mountains. The laundry, consisted of one new washer and one new dryer, was well maintained and reasonably priced. Their recently upgraded wi-fi was great! The Verizon signal was a little shaky, but mostly reliable 4G signal. The RV park is conveniently located within walking distance of the grocery and hardware stores in Fairplay, Colorado. Everything else in the small town is within a few miles. The Middle Fork of the South Platte River bordered the south side of the RV park. A fishing pond with plenty of nice trout was in our back yard! The new owners, Rick and Michelle, are working hard and investing to improve everything. They have added flower rings and planted trees between each site. In fact, they have plans to build a new office and bathhouse facility in the near future. They nearly adopted us and even took us to a private fishing lake! The campground hosts, John and Peggy, worked hard keeping everything nice and trying to make everyone happy. They went out of their way to allow us to stay indefinitely due to my struggle with Graves Disease. Even though they had to shuffle things during fully-booked weekends, they assured us repeatedly that our unexpected, indefinite stay was no problem! These are special folks and we are very grateful for their hospitality.
Fairplay, elevation 9,953 feet and population 679, has a very interesting history and is a quaint little town. There is just one traffic light, a grocery store, and a few restaurants. The high altitude results in short, but pleasant summers, and long, cold, windy winters. The year-round residents are pretty hardy! The town is on the northwest side of the vast South Park. The impressive Mosquito mountain range, with five peaks over 14,000 feet, frames the west side of town. Within South Park and the ringing mountains, is a plethora of outstanding fishing in lakes and streams. Compared to Summit County to the north, South Park and Fairplay are laid back and quiet. However, Breckenridge and Frisco, 20-30 miles north, are fairly convenient for supplies, restaurants, and a nice hospital.
Initially, our summer plans did not include Fairplay and South Park, but we were glad we came!
Sunset colors over Middle Fork RV Park and the Mosquito Range
Adventures…
Looking east over the South Fork of the South Platte River about 15 miles south of Fairplay
On 31 July we fished the South Fork of the South Platte River, the Fairplay pond, and mushroom hunted on Hoosier Pass…
I felt decent and we were motivated to explore! First we drove about 15 miles south of Fairplay to check out the South Fork of the South Platte River. We “shut the gate behind us” and slowly made our way on the two-track dirt route. The rutted “road” ended less than a mile later, nearly in somebody’s back yard. There were five or six horses huddled in the corner, two on our side of the fence and the rest on the other. Arleen hopped out of the truck and headed over to make friends with the horses. The two stallions liked the attention and followed Arleen back to the truck. I don’t have much experience with horses and was alarmed when one of the big guys nuzzled me aside and poked his head in the truck! I told Arleen that I was penned between the thousand pound animal and the truck door. She told me to “just move him”. Really?!? The horse continued to mouth a few things in the truck. Finally, little ole Arleen took control and moved the big guy away.
As we “suited up”, I cursed a big heard of cows that leisurely crossed the small stream just upstream of where we planned to fish. We walked through the open meadow, and sure enough, the normally clear stream was a muddy mess…dang cows! We made a few half-hearted casts and posed for some pictures and then headed back to Fairplay.
We heard rumors that some of the large trout from Antero Reservoir were put in the little Fairplay pond. Plus, it had been awhile since we caught some trout, so we wanted to check out the pond. There were rising fish so we expected some success. We each caught a few small brown trout on our grasshopper flies and considered it a success!
Our final adventure was a mushroom hunt near Hoosier Pass. We wandered around the spruce-dominated forest, enjoyed the great views of the Mosquito Range, and didn’t find any edible mushrooms. Oh well…we got to see a bit of the area and had a good day!
The horses were very friendly!
Fishing the South Fork of the South Platte River. Those dang cows muddied the river and ruined our fishing!
Brown trout caught at the Fairplay pond
Hunting for mushrooms around pretty spruce trees near Hoosier Pass
No mushrooms for us!
Hot air balloons near Spinney Mountain Reservoir in South Park, Colorado
On 1 August I fished with Brian at Spinney Mountain Reservoir…
Spinney is one of my favorite places to fish. The scenery and the fishing are outstanding. The trout average 17-21 inches long and are among the strongest I’ve caught.
Brian was running late from Colorado Springs so I stopped at the fly shop near the lake. The expert informed me about the hot flies, which included, surprisingly, grasshoppers. I’m glad I stopped!
I caught a good rainbow trout in the first 15 minutes on a big mayfly nymph and then we got nothing for the next hour. There were just a few of the usually numerous cruising surface feeders. It was flat calm, sunny and bright, and the usual bug hatches were sparse. We were concerned that Spinney would disappoint!
I clipped off my flies and tied on a grasshopper with a damsel nymph two feet below it. Shortly after I caught one on the hopper and then one on the damsel. Then the fishing slowed again for the next hour.
The big mayflies started showing up…maybe our luck would change. I left the hopper on and the traded the damsel for a mayfly nymph. It worked! A trout hit the hopper and the next one hit the mayfly nymph. Though more mayflies hovered above the water, the next few trout all hit the grasshopper! Oh yah, Brian finally got his one sympathy fish too…also on a hopper!
Neither of us had success on hoppers in the past so this was an excellent surprise. It was special to watch those big Spinney trout rise to the surface and inhale our flies! A couple of the strong fish stripped off line well into my backing and put up great fights. We worked hard for the few fish we caught, but Spinney thrilled us again!
Brian fighting a strong rainbow trout
Big rainbow trout that slurped grasshopper flies off the surface!
On 2 August we fished a private pond, saw Horseshoe Mountain and the remains of Leavick, and walked among ancient trees…
Rick and Michelle, the campground owners, invited us to fish a private pond. During the short walk to the pond, we pointed out different kinds of mushrooms. When we arrived at the lake, we immediately noticed trout rising all along the bank. Arleen plopped a grasshopper fly in front of one, and the fly disappeared in a swirl…fish on! That was the first of many rainbow trout that hit our grasshoppers. Most were 8-12 inches long, but Arleen caught a couple around 15 inches long. They were great fighters. I worked my way to the shallow opposite side and spotted long dark shapes slowly passing by. Finally, one of those long dark shapes, slowly rose and inhaled my grasshopper. The good-sized brown trout was a handful on my light tackle, but I gradually won the battle. The 17 inch long bruiser was impressive. Just a short while later, I briefly hooked a brown trout that was over 20 inches long. It made quite the commotion and got my heart thumping. We had a lot of fun fishing and were very grateful Rick and Michelle invited us!
We continued to drive up the valley to the remains of the Leavick mill. There is little left of the old mining ghost town, but the history is interesting:
“Felix Leavick bought the Hilltop Mine in 1892 and started this town that bears his name. Four years later, the Denver, South Park and Hilltop Railroad laid tracks to the mill that anchored the town which only had one street. Along that street, a store, post office, cookhouse, school and a few cabins clustered. The Hilltop Mine operated off and on until about 1920, but the shutdown of the railroad in 1923 cemented the demise of Leavick.”
From the Leavick mill, is a good view of geologically interesting Horseshoe Mountain. The 13,905 foot high rounded peak looked inviting to climb, but we just admired it from afar.
Our final stop was the ancient Limber Grove. The short half mile hike climbed nearly 400 feet, crossed a rock slide, and into an ancient grove of limber pine trees. Some of the pines are estimated to be over a thousand years old! We tried to imagine what they’ve been through, especially in such a harsh environment. Arleen hugged a few and then we headed back a different way to look for edible mushrooms, but didn’t find any.
Fishing a private pond near Fairplay / A nice rainbow trout
I’m setting the hook on a brown trout (the trout is in the bottom right hand corner)
There it is!
That’s a nice brown trout! It ate my floating grasshopper fly.
Horseshoe Mountain and the remains of Leavick
Near the base of the Peerless Mine (upper right hand corner)
Hike route to the ancient Limber Pine Grove / We traversed a big rock slide
These trees might be over a thousand years old!
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
3-5 August, we went to Colorado Rockies vs Seattle Mariners baseball games in Denver…
The Seattle Mariners are our number one baseball team and the Colorado Rockies are number two. We planned a special adventure when we saw that the Mariners were scheduled for a rare series in Denver.
We stayed at the Denver Hotel Monaco. It was WAY out of our budget, but we cashed in travel points to make it “free”. We had a huge corner suite with a big ole jet tub and unlimited hot water! The bedroom was twice as big our little trailer! We were just a mile from Coors Stadium and a block from the “16th Street Mall”. We left our truck in the parking garage and walked everywhere. Unfortunately, my Grave’s disease symptoms took a turn for the worse and even I spent half a day in an Emergency Room. It would have been a great experience if I had felt better.
On the positive side, we had an unplanned dinner with my parents. I’m glad that we got to see them!
3 Aug: Colorado 7 Seattle 8; the Mariners scored early and the Rockies nearly came back at the end
4 Aug: Colorado 4 Seattle 10; the Mariners dominated this one
5 Aug: Colorado 7 Seattle 5 in 11 innings; sounded very exciting, but we did not attend because it was 95F and I felt like poop.
Being cheesy in our big bedroom at the Denver Hotel Monaco
Seattle Mariner, Felix Hernandez pitching to Colorado Rocky, Charlie Blackmon
On 5 August, we checked out Boreas Pass on our way home from Denver…
I had a rough time in Denver, but felt better as we drove back to Fairplay. As we neared the historic town of Como, I suggested that we detour to check out Boreas Pass (another link). The old buildings and the history were interesting. It’s amazing that 150 people lived at this 11,481 foot high pass to ensure trains conquered the tough route all year long.
On our way back down, just a couple of miles from the pass, we hopped out of the truck and headed into the woods. It was a bad idea for me…I felt weak and really struggled. It looked promising for mushrooms, but we didn’t find any.
This would be our last adventure for the next week as I spent most of the next seven days in bed.
Mushroom hunting near Boreas Pass. The pass is on the saddle directly above Arleen’s head.
Boreas Pass at 11,482 feet. 150 people lived here in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
On 12 August we mushroom hunted near Weston Pass…
It was time for an adventure, but it had to be an easy one. We drove up to 11,921 foot high Weston Pass and looked for spots along the way to hunt for mushrooms. We stopped a couple of times. I struggled, but was happy to be in the woods. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any edible mushrooms.
Mushroom hunting near Weston Pass…didn’t find any
Fly fishing the Middle Fork of the South Platte River in the Tomahawk SWA
On 13 August we fished the South Platte River…
I felt better and wanted to fish. We headed to the Tomahawk State Wildlife Access to fish the Middle Fork of the South Platte River roughly 10 miles southeast of Fairplay. The stretch of small stream gently serpentines through an open grassy valley. Lots of rainbow and brown trout fill this stretch, some of them are pretty big. We talked to a woman that hooked one over 20 inches on a grasshopper fly, but we didn’t see any that big. We had 20-25 hits on our hoppers and hooked about half of those. The largest were 12-14 inches long, colorful, and quite strong. It was a good day of fishing!
Brown trout caught in the Middle Fork of the South Platte River
Found fresh hawkwing mushrooms!
On 14 August we mushroom hunted and then fly-fished an alpine lake…
We headed up the Beaver Creek drainage just north of Fairplay to hunt for mushrooms. We arrived at our goal at roughly 11,200 feet and eagerly headed into the predominately spruce forest. It looked promising, but we just found a few hawkwing mushrooms.
There was still plenty of time in the day, so we headed to Alma and turned up the dirt road that leads to Kite Lake. As we neared the end of the road, there were cars parked everywhere. This is the start of one of the most popular 14er hikes in Colorado. People flock to this spot all summer long to conquer four peaks over 14,000 feet on a relatively easy 7.25 mile hike. We paid the $3 fee to park, grabbed our fly rods, and made the short walk to Kite Lake. It was beautiful! There were lots of flowers and lots of rise rings from feeding trout. We each caught a couple of the small, but very pretty cutthroat trout, before rushing back to the truck as thunder boomed nearby.
Fly-fishing Kite Lake
Storms brewing over Kite Lake
Having fun with a cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout
Mushroom hunting near Hoosier Pass / Montgomery Reservoir is far below
On 15 August we mushroom hunted and fly-fished Montgomery Reservoir…
Montgomery Reservoir, elevation roughly 11,000 feet, is just a couple of miles southwest of Hoosier Pass. Back-dropped by the highest peaks in the Mosquito Range, it is very scenic. It also loaded with stocked trout. Most people catch fish here…it’s great place to bring kids. We headed to the far end, and fished where the creek enters the lake. We fished for an hour and a half and caught about 10 stocked rainbows, all on floating flies.
We left the lake and headed up to Hoosier Pass to hunt for shrooms. We walked around in the pretty forest for about two hours and found a few hawkwing mushrooms.
Montgomery Reservoir
Fighting a trout that hit a floating ant fly / Rainbow trout
This trout hit a floating caddis fly / Rainbow trout
A basket of hawkwing mushrooms found near Boreas Pass
On 16 August we hunted for mushrooms near Boreas Pass…
We went back to Boreas Pass, parked near the top of the Gold Dust Trail, and started hiking down. We ducked into the woods along the trail and found a couple of pounds of hawkwing mushrooms. We also found two geocaches, one of which we replaced because the container was messed up. A couple of days later, we got an email from the cache owner. She was unable to maintain the cache due to brain surgery and thanked us.
Lots of flowers / Mushrooms and a geocache…fun!
On 18 August we hunted for mushrooms north of Fairplay…
We headed back to the Beaver Creek drainage for another mushroom foray. This time, we zig-zagged to the top of a nearby 11,600 foot high ridge. The view of the surrounding mountains, especially the Mosquito Range, was glorious! There were also ancient pines scattered here and there. We found another pound of hawkwing mushrooms and really enjoyed this area.
Found a few hawkwing mushrooms and really enjoyed the view of the Mosquito Range
On 19 August we fished Spinney Mountain Reservoir…
One of our favorite lakes is Spinney Mountain Reservoir. I went with my friend, Brian, a couple of weeks prior, but Arleen stayed behind. She really wanted to go so we got up early and eagerly made the 35 mile drive.
Again, it was warm, mostly sunny, and the winds were light…a good day in South Park, but not good weather for trout fishing. We fished hard for about three hours and didn’t do too well. Arleen hooked three and I missed three or four half-hearted hits…we didn’t land any. It’s one of the rare times that Spinney let us down!
Fly-fishing Spinney Mountain Reservoir…hooked a few, but didn’t land any
On 20 August we mushroom hunted and watched the USA Pro Challenge bike race near Hoosier Pass with friends…
I was excited to have an adventure with my friends, Wally and Terri. They are endurance athletes and like to follow endurance events. Perhaps the highest profile bike race in our country is the USA Pro Challenge:
“Referred to as ‘America’s Race,’ the USA Pro Challenge will take place August 17-23, 2015. For seven consecutive days, the world’s top athletes race through the majestic Colorado Rockies, reaching higher altitudes than they’ve ever had to endure. One of the largest cycling events in U.S. history and the largest spectator event in the history of the state, the USA Pro Challenge is back for 2015.”
We staked our claim to a sweet spot to watch the cyclists ascend Hoosier Pass and then headed into the woods to hunt for mushrooms. Arleen and I eagerly shared our knowledge of the flora and pointed out all kinds of shrooms that we wouldn’t eat. Finally, Terri found a bouquet of hawkwing mushrooms. Unfortunately, they were riddled with bugs! We ended up finding a pound of good hawkwing mushrooms that we sent home with Terri. A few days later, they added them to a pizza, and enjoyed them.
We headed back to the truck and got in race-watching mode. As the press helicopter slowly crept up the valley, we knew the racers were getting closer. The lead group rode by and we cheered them loudly. Over the next 20 minutes, more cyclists slowly cruised by, and we cheered them all.
We had a great day with Terri and Wally and we really enjoyed being tour guides as we walked through the woods!
Terri, Wally, and their four-legged friends near Hoosier Pass
Wally and Terri cheering the leaders who were making their third climb of the day
Next…
We are in Buena Vista, Colorado for a month. Then we are supposed to embark on an ambitious East Coast trip through the winter.
Parting shots…
Sunrise over the South Platte River and Pikes Peak near Hartsel
Bison in South Park
Sun setting over the campground’s flag
(87,900)
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