Five weeks playing in the Upper Rio Grande Valley…Our stay in Creede marked the culmination of an incredible summer in Colorado!
The drive from Lake City to Creede is only 60 miles. Highway 149 climbs steeply out of Lake City and snakes over 11,361 foot high Slumgullion Pass. For the next seven miles the road undulates up and down to 10,901 foot high Spring Creek Pass and the Continental Divide. The area between the passes looked great for mushroom hunting (a.k.a. shrooming). We were in no hurry so we parked in a large pull-out and headed into the woods. Success! We found four young king boletes and confirmed the shroom season was kicking into gear. We were blown away by the rest of the scenic drive and our first glimpse of the upper Rio Grande Valley and Creede. In spite of our mushroom stop, we still pulled into the campground around 2:00pm and were comfortably set up and relaxing by 3:00pm. We love short travel days!
In spite of a three and a half hour drive from Pueblo, my parents beat us to the campground. They were set up and relaxing before we even got there!
View of Red Mountain near the top of Slumgullion Pass Four tasty king boletes!
The campground is wedged between the steep rock cliffs of Wagon Wheel Gap. It was mesmerizing looking up at the those cliffs and it never got old. A herd of 10-15 rocky mountain sheep, led by an impressive ram, traversed back and forth along the bottom half of the steep hill. They would disappear for a week or two and suddenly show up near campground for a day or two, often grazing close by. Sometimes they would go a little ways up the hill and bed down for the day and nearly disappear against the terrain. Each time we saw the sheep, it made our day!
The campground also boasts horse rides. The roughly 10 horses spent most of their day grazing in the pasture outside our front window. Over time, they started to feel like our horses. Arleen named a couple of them and fed them an occasional carrot treat. Each afternoon it was really cool to see the horses charge into the pasture where they knew fresh hay waited.
The Rio Grande River was just across the street. There was a nice run I really enjoyed fishing. Most evenings I’d spend an hour or so “standing in the river and waiving my stick”. Usually I had the pretty section of river all to myself…it was very peaceful. And usually I was successful! The fishing was never hot, but a typical outing led to a smallish 8-12 inch brown trout and a nice 16-20 inch rainbow trout. It was a rare situation where I got to know one small section of a river very well. Towards the end of our 5-week stay, I had almost recognized and named a few trout!
The campground itself was well maintained and very peaceful. We had full hook-ups, no cell phone signal, and though they advertised wi-fi, it was pathetic. The campground also rents cabins, runs a decent restaurant, ice cream shop, and gift shop. At times it seemed the campground was an after thought, but we were comfortable. We really enjoyed strolling over to get ice cream some evenings. We’d stay there again, but for a shorter time. Going five weeks with no cell phone and extremely limited internet in our house, was a bit too much for us.
Sunrise at Wagon Wheel Gap and the mighty Rio Grande River
Evening thunderstorm (I took this picture from the top of the trailer on 13 August. It’s one of my favorites.)
- Town of Creede
Creede was a mining boom town founded in 1889 when a rich vein of silver was discovered. The following summer nearly 300 people per day moved to the area and the population quickly ballooned to over 10,000. By 1892 over $1,000,000 worth of silver was shipped out of Creede each month. Actions by Congress killed the silver boom the following year and Creede’s population plummeted to less than 900 by the end of 1893. During the three short years of Creede’s heyday, the town was known as one of the richest and wildest silver towns in the west. For great views and a real submersion in Creede’s mining history, drive the 17 mile “Bachelor Historic Tour”.
Now, during the summer, Creede is a bustling tourist town with tons of character. The Repertory Theatre has a reputation for putting on great shows. We went to the ticket office and asked for details about the funniest play. They promised that “Is He Dead” would make us laugh until we cried…they were right! It was hilarious!
- Fishing the mighty Rio Grande
-- First day of fishing the upper Rio Grande
We had never been to the upper Rio Grande, let alone fish it. For dedicated fly-fishermen, it should be on the “must fish” list. With the thought that we’d be on the Rio Grande for five weeks, we hired a guide to drastically shorten our learning curve. Plus, Arleen could get some valuable tutoring from someone other than me!
So early on day two, we met Cole, our young and knowledgeable guide. He led us to a sweet stretch of the Rio Grande just west of Creede. We parked within 20 feet of the river and I noticed the two great looking runs right away. Talk about potential…I knew that there were a bunch of trout swimming in those runs and that some of them might be huge! I doubt that we would have found that great stretch of river on our own.
Our trusty guide set us up with the reliable flies, showed me where to fish, and shadowed Arleen to the prime spot. It was the first week of August, sunny and warm, with low water…not good conditions for trout fishing. It was slow, but I caught three brown trout, 10-13 inches long, about average for the upper Rio Grande. Arleen started slow but finished strong! She also ended up with three browns. One was about 10 inches long and the other two were 16 inches! One of the bigguns smacked her grasshopper fly on the surface…very exciting! Arleen out fished me and I was proud of her. Her fly-fishing skills jumped a notch and we were armed with a local’s knowledge of the upper Rio Grande. Though the guided adventure was costly, it ended up being invaluable.
Arleen being educated by Cole on the Rio Grande
16 inch brown trout that nailed Arleen’s hopper!
-- Fishing the Rio Grande near the campground
20 inch rainbow trout! Fat 16 inch rainbow trout Dad with a 16 inch brown trout
-- Fishing with Dad on the Rio Grande
Arleen and Dad fishing the Rio Grande A typical 13 inch Rio Grande brown trout
- Drive up to North Clear Creek Falls and Bristol Head
We wanted to do some hiking around Bristol Head, but my back hurt, so we settled for a nice drive.
Bristol Head is an impressive mountain. The southern part is a dramatic rock wall a couple of thousand feet high, reminiscent of Half Dome in Yosemite NP. The northern part is nearly a flat plateau with miles of rolling meadow (or “park” to Coloradoans). The peak tops over 12,700 feet and is a prominent land mark in the upper Rio Grande Valley.
On the way up, we stopped and admired North Clear Creek Falls. Placid North Clear Creek flows peacefully through a high-county meadow and then abruptly drops a couple of hundred feet into a box canyon. It was very pretty.
Then we headed up the narrow dirt road to Bristol Head. We popped up to the meadow around 11,500 feet and were treated to a great view. We noticed meadow mushrooms and puff balls right away. Each time, Arleen jumped out, picked the shrooms, and tossed them in our basket. The road got progressively worse, and on the final pitch, just a mile or two from the top, we decided we shouldn’t continue. Besides, the sky was turning dark and thunder boomed in the distance. That’s all right. We had a glorious day and came back with a few pounds of mushrooms!
We intended to go back to Bristol Head for more exploring and never did. There was plenty of others things to see and do around Creede!
Note…We didn’t care for the taste of the puff ball mushrooms. After that first harvest on Bristol Head, we didn’t pick any more.
North Clear Creek Falls The Rio Grande Pyramid and Upper Rio Grande Valley
A few pounds of puffball shrooms…we didn’t care for the taste
- Shaw Lake near Wolf Creek Pass and Pass Creek mushroom hunt
Dad and Wanda wanted to explore the area between South Fork and Wolf Creek Pass so we followed them to Shaw Lake. There were a few folks fishing and nearly everyone had a couple of nice trout on their stringers. It was slow for us but I managed to get a nice cutthroat. Arleen and I hiked all the way around the small lake and hunted for mushrooms. We found a couple of nice king boletes! I also saw a small, coiled snake sunning on a log…it was quite photogenic! Thunder rumbled, but stayed distant. It’s so cool to hear it echo up the mountain valleys.
We heard rumors of good shrooming in the Pass Creek area so we detoured on the way back. We nearly made it to the top of Demijohn Peak and walked along an old forest road. It looked promising, but we didn’t find anything that we would eat. About a mile and half into our hunt, thunder cracked nearby and it started to sprinkle. We immediately turned around and quickly headed back. Though the lightning and thunder never got closer, the rain came down in sheets shortly before we made it to the truck. We got skunked and soaked, but we had a good adventure!
Dad, Wanda, and Arleen fishing Shaw Lake
16 inch cutthroat trout!
- Road Canyon Reservoir
Multiple fishing reports claimed Road Canyon Reservoir was the place to be. We ended up going four times! Initially the fishing was good, but progressively got tougher. There are big fish swimming in Road Canyon. We heard stories of up to 24 inch rainbows and over-sized brook trout. A group of three fisherman showed us their bag of 12 trout. None of the fish were under 15 inches long. They had three rainbows that were around 20 inches each and fat. They also had a few 15-16 inch brook trout. I’ll bet that bag of 12 fish weighed about 30 pounds! I was sad to see those pretty fish leave the lake.
We didn’t catch any of the monsters, but we got some good trout. Dad caught a healthy 16 inch brook trout and we all caught rainbows that were similar size. The hot fly was a size 10 olive and black lake leech. Nearly all of the big fish that others caught were fooled with bait. We kept a few nice trout for a wonderful dinner.
Dad and Wanda fishing Road Canyon Reservoir Team work to tackle a fly-fishing tangle
A nice rainbow trout An impressive brook trout Cows in Wanda’s fishing hole!
- Goose Creek
Goose Creek actually meets the Rio Grande just upstream of our campground. Unfortunately, a good chunk of the lower Goose Creek valley is owned for a select few’s personal enjoyment. To access the public water, we drove 15-20 miles to the west of Creede, and then snaked our way along a narrow forest road to the top of a mountain at close to 11,000 feet. Then we hiked down a pretty meadow along Roaring Fork Creek and dropped even further into the Goose Creek valley. After three miles of hiking and descending about 2,000 feet, we finally saw our shimmering creek and continued another mile upstream. I swapped my hiking boots for neoprene booties and fished my way up the shrub choked little stream. Between the slick river rocks and vegetation, it was tough. However, it paid off! I used a floating grasshopper fly. If I didn’t spook the fish and made a decent cast, a trout would pounce on my fly. I got one or two shots in each likely hole and then moved on. I only managed to land 4 or 5 trout. I had three times as many opportunities! Not a great success ratio, but seeing those fish attack my hopper on the little creek was exciting enough. And here’s the thing…I never saw a trout under 12 inches! The ones I caught were 12-14 inches long, and I’m sure that I hooked a couple that were 15-16 inches. That’s very impressive for such a small creek. Oh and another thing…I almost got the trout grand slam. I caught brown, rainbow, and brook trout. I did not catch a cutthroat though I think I hooked a couple.
Arleen’s snake story: “On the hike out of Goose Creek, I was right behind Shawn where the trail had become a rut carved out by livestock. All of the sudden the ground, just where he had stepped, moved and then slithered! I screamed and jumped up out of the trail. It was a TWO foot SNAKE! Shawn stepped over it…How did he not see it?!? When the snake saw him, it tried to slither out of the rutted trail. After a couple of attempts, the snake finally cleared the path. Phew, it took me a few minutes to find my breath and continue up the trail.”
Arleen fishing tiny Roaring Fork Creek Goose Creek valley
Brown trout Brook trout Rainbow trout
- Squaw Creek
We hoped to hike three or four miles up Squaw Creek and fish it through a meandering high country meadow. We never quite found a meadow, but we found beautiful scenery and decent fishing. Just like Goose Creek, the footing in the little stream was very tricky and the vegetation made it difficult to fish. We stuck with floating grasshopper flies. If we didn’t spook the fish and made a good cast, they’d hit. We caught brown and brook trout 6-13 inches long. Each one seemed way too colorful for their small mountain stream surroundings. We also saw a moose…it was a great day!
A waterfall in the Squaw Creek valley Squaw Creek and a moose
Arleen fishing Squaw Creek A colorful brown trout
- Ruby Lakes
Most of the remote timberline lakes near Creede were too far for us to do in a day. However, Big and Little Ruby Lakes were a doable eight mile round trip hike. The trail was well maintained but heavily used by ATVs. Thankfully we came across only two ATVs and two other hikers the entire day. It was very peaceful.
The couple of days prior to this hike, we noticed a few small patches of leaves on a few aspens turning yellow. It was just enough to make us question if it was really happening. Then on our way up to Ruby Lakes, we saw our first unquestionable sign that fall was near. A whole grove of aspens perched above the trail were turning gold. It was only 26 August! Come on summer…stay with us!
We hiked right on by Little Ruby Lake in favor of the bigger lake with supposedly bigger fish. We rose over the final hill and saw a cabin sitting by the peaceful mountain lake. We poked around in the fairly large cabin and thought that it would make a fine shelter. However, a recent note warned of a large black bear that liked to invade the cabin each night. We went down and sat by the lake, enjoyed a snack, and noticed storm clouds brewing. A few fish were rising, but well out of casting range, towards the center of the good-sized lake. We only fished an hour before the darkening sky and increasing thunder scared us off the mountain! I was one for one…I caught a very colorful 16 inch cutthroat trout. Based on research and word from others, we expected brook trout. The cutthroat was a nice surprise! On the way down, just a mile from the lake, we got pelted with hail. Thankfully, the lightning and thunder were minimal and it didn’t rain too hard. Some of the trail was muddy, but otherwise, it was a nice hike down.
Changing aspens on 26 August?!? The cabin on Big Ruby Lake. See me?
The Rio Grande Valley and building thunderstorms A pretty 16 inch cutthroat trout
- Continental Reservoir
We made our first trek to Continental Reservoir while we were in Lake City. We knew the large lake, with limited access, had all kinds of potential.
We went back three more times while we were in Creede. And we were right. The two mile long lake, with minimal fishing pressure, had a bunch of good trout swimming in it!
One day I paddled all the way to the opposite end. It was shallow with sediment so I worked my way back. We landed about 15 trout that day and had at least that many more hooked. The rainbow and cutthroat were all 11-15 inches long and hit either a size 10 olive and black lake leech or a size 16 gold-ribbed hare’s ear. We kept four nice trout for dinner. Clouds were building and the winds increasing so we headed back. It was a tough paddle against the wind…we were whipped! Thunder got louder as we loaded the truck. While I cleaned the fish, the winds roared, the rain started, and thunder boomed…our timing was perfect!
Our next trip to Continental was shortly after Labor Day. We stopped at the top of the hill and admired the pretty aspens and serene lake. We had it all to ourselves! We paddled straight to the previous trip’s hot spot. Sure enough…we caught fish left and right! We landed 30-40 trout and had many more opportunities. Arleen got a few brook trout, otherwise they were rainbows and cutthroat. They averaged 11-15 inches long and were strong fighters. On multiple occasions, we simultaneously hooked fish. It was so much fun. We paddled back with a welcomed tail wind and didn’t see a soul. We were amazed to have the big lake, great fishing, and golden aspens to ourselves…it was special.
A tranquil fall scene at Continental Reservoir Fighting a trout in the shadow of golden aspens
- Inspiration Point
Known as “Perspiration Point” to locals, the trail starts at 8,900 feet in Creede and climbs to 11,200 feet in three and a half miles. Everything we read touted the amazing view so we had to check it out.
A little less than a mile and 600 feet up, we walked out to the first overlook. We were on top of the rock cliffs above Creede. The view to the south of the Rio Grande valley and Creede was spectacular as was the view north up the dramatic Willow Creek valleys. If you’re in Creede and want to do a less than two mile hike with a great view, do this hike!
It was hard to believe that it could get better, but it did. We climbed another two miles and 1,600 feet and the view got better with each switchback. The trail crossed multiple rock slides which resulted in slow, careful progress. The last quarter mile was nearly flat and led out to the edge of a thousand foot high rock cliff. We sat on the point, admired the view, posed for some pictures, and had a snack. The sky turned black across the valley and suddenly the ground shook with a crack of thunder! We immediately packed everything up and got off the exposed point. Thankfully, the storm stayed stationary and never got any closer, but it did provide a few tense moments while we were at the top. We rushed down the mountain and somehow stayed dry. It was a great hike and we were truly inspired!
Posing at the first overlook above Creede
An amazing view from “Inspiration Point”
- Copper Mountain
Our Lake City friends, Bob and Jan, recommended this hike. They told us roughly how to get there and where to hike, but the details were a bit fuzzy. A trail in the right area was depicted on one out of three of my maps. Another email from Bob and correlating my three maps filled in enough blanks to make us go for it.
We expected a roughly four mile hike with about 1,000 feet of steady climbing. However, the forest road ended nearly two miles shorter than expected which added another 800 feet of climbing. It was still a nice hike and never got that steep. Once we climbed out of the meadowed valley, and got up on the ridge, the view was amazing. There were fairly long level stretches with dramatic views in each direction. The picture below of Arleen walking along the ridge captures the scene fairly well…it was incredible. We made the final short climb to the top where we found a cairn and glass jar with notes, pencils, and a few pictures. It was very cool reading about other people’s experiences and we felt a connection with everyone that stood in that spot. The pictures were of a man and his one year old son at the top. The family made Copper Mountain an annual trek a few years in a row and made journal entries each time. I know the mountain top was special to them like it was to us. The 360 degree view of the upper Rio Grande valley and surrounding San Juan mountains will be with us forever! Thanks Bob and Jan for leading us to that great place.
Arleen walking the ridge line The family at the top of Copper Mountain
- Visitors for Labor Day weekend…
Labor Day weekend approached and we were excited to have visitors! First Gary and Jordan showed up. They made the four hour drive from Colorado Springs and set up the Hockett camp at Marshall Park Campground just west of Creede. The Rio Grande was right outside their tent door! They fished briefly each evening and morning and always caught a small brown trout or two. Arleen and I visited that first day, played a few games, fished a little, and had a good time making memories. Then we headed into town for a great meal at the Firehouse restaurant. It was a nice day.
Mary and Kendal showed up the following afternoon after making the nearly five hour drive from Elizabeth, Colorado. They stayed at the Blue Lodge, just a mile east of us. While Mary and Kendal were in route, Gary, Jordan, Arleen, and I fished Road Canyon Reservoir. We caught a few but fishing was slow. We parted ways early and planned to meet later than afternoon for a BBQ. That evening the whole gang showed up and feasted on Arleen’s buffalo burgers…yum yum! I just happened to have the camera in my hand when Jordan picked up the non-alcohol beer and asked what it was. The funny moment was captured forever, but Jordan’s parents probably don’t find it as funny as I do!
The following day, Mary and Arleen rented a jeep and headed up to the Wheeler Geologic Area. Mary’s degree is in geology, and her very first paper was written on this natural wonder. For those that don’t know, Colorado’s San Juan and Elk mountains are quite volcanic. In fact, the La Garita eruption is one of the biggest known to man ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Garita_Caldera ).
Mary had never seen the area in person, but needless to say, a visit was very high on her wish list. Arleen and Mary read horror stories about the 4-wheel drive road leading to the geologic area. However, their expectations proved to be overblown and they handled the tricky route easily. They were in awe of the rock formations and had a great time. To top off their great day, they found two nice king boletes on the way down. Mary was thrilled and may have caught the mushroom hunting bug!
While the ladies enjoyed their adventure, Gary, Jordan, and I headed up to little Love Lake for some fishing. The stocked lake had been producing well prior to the Labor Day weekend, but things slowed considerably. I thought it would be a good place for Jordan to catch a few trout, but it didn’t work out. On the way back we stopped at a nice stretch of the Rio Grande River and Gary caught a couple of small brown trout. We had planned a short afternoon hike, but Jordan and I ran out of steam so we relaxed for awhile instead.
The whole gang met that evening for a great dinner and shared stories about their day.
We all met again for breakfast the next morning and said goodbye to Gary and Jordan. During breakfast we decided to follow Mary and Kendal to Lake City. We stopped at a few sites along the way. Our family geologist, Mary, was excited to see the Slumgullion Earth Flow. We pulled over near the pass and spent an hour hunting for mushrooms. Arleen and I were seeing king boletes all over the place! Mary’s eyes took a little time to adjust, but she found, identified, and picked her first king bolete! In one place, Arleen spotted four nice mushrooms. Mary saw two of them fairly quickly and took a minute or two to spot the third, but the fourth eluded her. Then I walked up and spotted all four immediately! Poor Mary was flustered, but finally saw the fourth mushroom. It takes some experience to spot well camouflaged mushrooms. Like us, Mary may now be a mushroom hunting addict. With some practice, she’ll start spotting shrooms in no time! Finally we dropped into Lake City, had a nice lunch, and parted ways. It was a great Labor Day weekend and a great way to end the summer.
Playing at the Hockett camp
Family BBQ
Approaching Wheeler Geologic Area
Mary, Kendal, and Arleen dwarfed by Bristol Head Pointing at the Slumgullion earth flow
- Shoulder Season
The following week, the campgrounds emptied, things slowed considerably in town, and fishermen disappeared. The glorious “shoulder season” arrived!! The weather is still great and the wilderness feels more like wilderness. Campgrounds are quieter and spaces are plenty. The periods just before Memorial Day and just after after Labor Day are the shoulder seasons…our favorite time of year!
- Mushroom hunting
Since we first learned to identify a few kinds of mushrooms at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon last fall, we have been mushroom hunting addicts! (However, we must make one thing clear: We leave all mind altering shrooms alone!) Our obsession started with chantrelles, then king boletes, then hedgehogs, and finally lobsters as we worked our way down the Oregon Coast. Often mushrooms are not easy to find. We can walk many miles and come up empty. When we do spot one, it’s like finding a little treasure. We get a thrill each time! Mushroom hunting is physical and healthy. Plus it’s a great way to spend a day. There are few things more satisfying than finding a few pounds of shrooms, cleaning them up, and eating them in Arleen’s tasty meals!
While making plans to spend the summer in Colorado, we did a bunch of research on finding Colorado mushrooms. To our amazement, we could find the same mushrooms that we enjoyed in Oregon! However, the crops in Colorado would sprout in July and August in the high country above 10,000 feet. In July in Lake City, we were a little discouraged when we only found a couple. But as we got into August, we saw more and more. Initially it was puff balls, meadow mushrooms, and aspen boletes. Success peaked the second half of August and into September. We found many hawk wings and prized king boletes! We finally started seeing chantrelles, our favorites, in September. Some hunts were a bust and others were great. A few times we came back with five or six pounds of fresh shrooms! What did we do with them all? Arleen would cook about half in various dishes within a few days. The rest were chopped thinly and dried in the oven for about 24 hours with just the pilot light on. Now we have three cereal boxes full of tasty dried king boletes and hawk wings that we will enjoy well into winter!
Shrooming is one of our favorite hobbies. You can bet that we will research and make plans to shroom every year wherever we are!
A successful hunt! A nice king bolete
King bolete found near a creek Dad doing the sniff test Mary sampling a huge king bolete!
Colorado chantrelles! A typical hunt route
- Falls colors
We first noticed unmistakable changing aspens on 26 August. By the time we left Creede on 10 September, the aspens were nearly at their peak. It was beautiful!
Between hikes for a view, hikes to fish, and shrooming, we hiked 150 miles in August!
WHERE WE GOT OUR MAIL
Creede, Colorado
Next we head to the Conejos River near Antonito, Colorado. We’ll be there three weeks and will witness the glorious Rocky Mountain Fall finale! We might even experience the first snow of the winter. Summers in the Rockies are beautiful…too bad they have to end!
Labor Day Balloon Festival in Creede, CO
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