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.