Visit to Lake City and the Slumgullion Flow

 Yesterday was my bucket list item - to go back and visit Lake City.  We spent 7 weeks camping in that town 5 years ago, had many great memories (some pretty scary -  the Alpine Loop) but I wanted to see if anything had changed.  And no, it had not.  Just a cute little mining town, founded  in 1874 with the opening of the Hotchkiss Lode mine. Tourism sustained Lake City after the mining subsided, making Lake City one of the few mining boom towns that did not end as a ghost town. So many of the old buildings have new life  with shops, museums, restaurants, cabins for rent.  Loved Lake City.

Our drive from our cabin up over the Spring Creek Pass (Continental Divide) reminded us of our trek up into the mountain.  We said, maybe if we would have had a goat to carry our stuff, would have made it a bit easier.  Just kidding.  But there are outfitters that do rent goats for backpacking purposes.  Hence the name for our car - Goat - since it carries our supplies around for us.

Passed over the Divide and continued through the valley and up and over Slumgullion Pass.  We passed some huge RVs, pulling cars or ATVs behind them and we said - good luck.  Been there, done that.  When we left Lake City back 5 years ago, Dave drove the RV and I drove the car, stopping at Spring Creek Pass to hookup together.  Thank Goodness!  Saw so much devastation from the beetle bark infestation but the good news - saw so many tiny evergreens starting up.

Stopped to take in the magnificent views, then stopped at Windy Point Overlook which describes the slumgullion earth flow.  About 700 years ago the Mesa Seco collapsed into the Lake Fork Valley and created the four mile Slumgullion Slide, named for its coloring similar to the stew favored by miners.  The slide dammed the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, creating Lake San Cristobal.  About 400 years later, a second six mile earth flow began and continues today with a yearly flow of 3 to 20 feet a year.

We walked around town, Dave went one way to take photos, I went another looking for a t-shirt souvenir.  At an elevation of 8,661, about 400 people reside full time.  But, the town is busy year round. Summers are crazy with people driving the Alpine Loop, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, camping.   You name it.  Winter has ice climbing (100 foot wall of ice in town) snowmobiling, sledding, ice fishing, etc. Festivals are numerous even into winter.   Lake City is known as the most remote city of the lower 48 states.  Five 14er's (mountains over 14,000  feet) and three 13er's surround the city so no matter what direction you look, there are snow capped mountains.

Lake San Cristobal is 2 miles wide in some spots and 89 feet deep.  A big big lake.  We drove a tidge of the beginning of the Alpine Loop to the end of the lake and took some pictures and while there, Dave spotted a beaver swimming around. Five years ago we watched moose eat the greenery in this area.  No luck this time.

Coming back from the end of the lake, we said that the homes built on the lake are right in the path of the slumgullion slide, wonder how their insurance handles that?  Especially if the slide is moving up to 20 feet a year!

Left Lake City and climbed back  up the Slumgullion Pass back to the cabin, we stopped at the North Clear Creek Falls which is considered to be the most photographed waterfall in Colorado.  Nice visit to Creede and Lake City.  Elevation is a factor, but once you get acclimated, no problems.

Headwaters of Rio Grande River

We started out the day driving to Brown Lakes and to the Continental Reservoir, both places we had visited before but wanted to see again.  Brown Lakes is a series of small lakes which are made from the over flow of the Continental Reservoir.  Saw a waterfall before we got to the first Brown Lake but could not get close because it was in deep woods.  Had to be content with pictures from the parking area.  Goat almost got eaten up by prairie dog holes.  Some are quite big and deep.  Continental Reservoir is closed due to the dam being repaired.   Saw beaver dams, some had really backed up the water into its own pond.

Another bucket list for Dave was to go back and visit the headwaters of the Rio Grande River.  This HUGE reservoir was built in 1912 to impound the Rio Grande coming off of snow melt of the San Luis Mountain range of the Rocky Mountains.  Its purpose was and still is to provide irrigation to the San Luis Valley and to provide industrial and municipal water for all.  Boating, hiking, fishing, camping are very popular along the reservoir.  Fishing folks parked along the road, hiking way down to the river.  Ugh.

To get to the trailhead (our destination), you traveled along a dirt road for 20 miles from Route 149 (main road from Lake City to South Fork).  But.  It's 19 miles of dirt packed, very bumpy, okay for cars but you needed to pay attention for the deeper ruts.  Poor old MT Goat, he really strained at times.  Again, a very dirt old Goat by the time we got back.    Passed waterfalls cascading down, saw waterfalls across the reservoir, passed a couple of smaller reservoirs to take the extra run-off from the main one.  Lots of ATVs/side-by-sides running around.  We shake our heads because most were open air and drivers/passengers did not have any masks on.  How dirty can you get?   Each time we pass one, we say -  WE BE HAVING FUN!.

The Ute Creek Trailhead is located at the point where the Rio Grande and Ute Rivers flow together, and we were thinking if the water was low enough, to cross and hike the trail for a bit.  Ahhh, no.  Waters were too swift and high, still lots of snow above.  Pretty none the less.  Saw elk poop along the trail, some pretty fresh.  Ate a picnic lunch, one picture is the Goat's nose looking at the Rio Grande.

Since we knew we could not safely cross the river to hike, we left to return home.  Amazingly how big this reservoir is.   Saw fishing boats and people wading/fishing from the road above and they looked teeny-tiny.  Good day all in all.