Maroon Bells

[mrladewig]

I apologize. I haven't been there since before the wilderness was designated.

"Be advised that the road to Holy Cross City is shared with 4x4 vehicles." That's what I was thinking and used my customary shorthand to keep my typing to a minimum here at work.

Like most places I "discovered" in my youth, they may not be as I remembered them now.

Gotcha. The 4wd trail to Holy Cross City is completely surrounded by wilderness area and is the only road extending into the wilderness that I know of. I wouldn't think it would be very nice to hike up. If you haven't been there in a long time, I'll be the road is alot harder than you remember it. I could barely make it up on 33" mud tires and lockers in both axles last year, and I'm a decent driver.

There are hiking trails running parallel to the south of Holy Cross 4WD trail.

This is the difficult part of the 4WD trail (French Creek).



I have heard that 15 years ago you could have driven a stock 4X4 through here. Unfortunately as it has gotten more difficult (the creek cuts the trail into the bedrock), it has also gotten more popular. There were something like 50 4WD vehicles up here on this day. And unfortunately, from my experience most of the Holy Cross Wilderness is seeing a huge amount of traffic.

Mel-

[paulr]

I'm astonished that something called a "wilderness area" is open to people driving jeeps through creeks and meadows.

[venchka]

Mel,

The links you provided are photos I saw recently and prompted me to say "beware". I also understand that this was late in the summer/early fall after the water levels receded.

The only time I was there, we spent the night in one of the old miner's cabins in Holy Cross City. A kinder, gentler time.

This was taken somewhere on the other side of Fall Creek Pass from Holy Cross City, circa 1974.

[mrladewig]

I'm astonished that something called a "wilderness area" is open to people driving jeeps through creeks and meadows.

This road is not in the wilderness area Paul. It is surrounded by wilderness and it does not cut through.

There is a pre-existing defined road that was excluded from the wilderness area. That road has deteriorated in the years since the wilderness area designation, but it is still a valid forest service road.

And people are not driving through meadows. People are very good about staying on trail, and the 4WD clubs have worked with the forest service to make this trail sustainable. They do alot of maintenance work up there. They are driving on a defined trail. Unfortunately that trail does not have a bridge and crosses directly through a creek. This is fairly common among forest service roads in Colorado. Considering the FS barely has funding to keep one LEO per national forest in Colorado, there is certainly not enough funding to build bridges on these trails.

Mel,

The links you provided are photos I saw recently and prompted me to say "beware". I also understand that this was late in the summer/early fall after the water levels receded.

The only time I was there, we spent the night in one of the old miner's cabins in Holy Cross City. A kinder, gentler time.

This was taken somewhere on the other side of Fall Creek Pass from Holy Cross City, circa 1974.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...3&d=1205506401

I'd love to see the photos, but am not a member at that forum.

Those old cabins are in pretty good shape as far as mining cabins go, but age is taking it toll on them. The roofs are starting to go and the floors are getting pretty thin. The four wheeler and hikers have been gentle on them over the years.




My photos were from late June. The snow levels were not very high last year so the runoff was somewhat mild. I'd say this was well after peak runoff.

[windpointphoto]

And unfortunately, from my experience most of the Holy Cross Wilderness is seeing a huge amount of traffic.

Mel-

To which we all contribute but resent others.

[mrladewig]

To which we all contribute but resent others.

Certainly not what I meant. I don't resent others for enjoying the beauty that nature has provided in this state.

I'd only been to this wilderness area on this one occasion, so I hadn't seen it before (but I got the impression from others that it was normal traffic). I've spent time in many of the wilderness areas in Colorado, and they all get foot traffic. I was just shocked by how much total traffic was in Holy Cross, especially in the area around Homestake road. It was fishers and hikers and 4wheelers and backpackers. I just didn't expect THAT much traffic,especially since it isn't all that close to Denver. My best guess is that lots of Vail/Eagle/Dillon residents use the area.

I guess having grown up here I'm just used to it. You're going to see people. My wife used to do these 7-10 day backpacking trips through places like the Weiminuche, and even then (15+ years ago) you'd see some people at some point in your trip. There is no sense getting mad about it. I've just learned that there are certain things that draw greater numbers of visitors and some that draw fewer. Fourteeners are always busy these days, so climb a thirteener instead and you might not see anyone else. Go rock climbing at an out of the way area and you might have a quiet day. The hardest 4WD trails always draw a crowd looking to test their limits. But certain moderate or easy trails see hardly any traffic.

I don't get mad about seeing people in the backcountry. Its going to happen on a certain percentage of trips no matter how out of the way you think you're headed. And to a certain extent, seeing others in the backcountry can be a good thing as there might be someone to offer assistance should an emergency arise.

[al olson]

You are getting a lot of good advice. Don't know how much time you have to spend, or what photographic subjects you are looking for. Almost anywhere in Colorado you can get a nice postcard shot.

Frankly, I try to stay away from the popular tourist sites. They are overrun with hordes of tourists these days. If you choose to visit them, get there before daybreak (parking is better as well) and plan for the crowds to show up about nine.

There is good hiking up Boulder Canyon, but I think it has gotten very busy these days. There are some good areas around Nederland. Central City has some great century-old architecture, and gambling has not changed the exteriors in the core of the town that much.

If you are more venturesome, a very scenic drive without a lot of traffic is the Oh-My-God-Road between Central City and Idaho Springs. Some excellent views of distant mountain peaks. The road is gravel with many switchbacks and hairpin turns ... in recent years they have put in a few guard rails. I think it depends on the county you are in.

Midway between there is a ghost town, Russell's Gulch. There are some occupants of the old buildings, mostly squatters I believe.

South of Idaho Springs is Chicago Creek, one of my favorite hiking trails. There are a number of beaver ponds as you go up in elevation. A little farther south is Mt. Evans. You can drive all the way to the top.

If you are interested in ghost towns, going a little farther west there are Idarado (access is a little restricted) and Ironton (more people because the state has made a it a recreational area) between Ouray and Silverton. Also Lime Creek road is a challenging, but scenic, drive (4-wheel recommended, although I did it once in a rented Ford Econovan). The best of them is Summitville, which is south of South Fork off of US 160. You are not too likely to find any tourists around Summitville.

Northeast of Silverton and southwest of Lake City there is Animas Forks (4-wheel access is recommended). Get there early because by 8:30 or 9 it is overrun by ATVs and tour groups.

[trink408]

Thanks everyone, I'm getting some great information, a little overwhelmed at this point I will admit. I have spent a good deal of time in CO, and I know there is beautiful country in almost every direction. I spent most of my time around the Canon City area in the past. This trip I really want to do more hiking than driving, and I will be there in a little Ford escort so no 4-wheeling... I want to find an area I can focus on and spend as much time as possible in the wilderness. I wouldn't mind taking some time to shoot some ghost towns though, the idea has a neat feel to it.

I need to get myself a good topo mat of CO and look closer at some of the areas mentioned here, see what looks like a good basecamp.

Thanks again for all the information, now the problem is being patient enough to wait until the conditions are right...

[mrladewig]

You might want to pick up the Delorme topo map book for the state of Colorado. Its the one with a red cover. Its a good reference because is shows FS campgrounds, many FS roads and jeep trails and some hiking trails.

Once you decide WHERE you want to go, then choose a more detailed topo map for the area. The trails illustrated ones are nice since they cover most of the state, but if the area you want to visit has a "Latitude 40" map available for it, I've found these are great. Unfortunately Latitude 40 only makes maps for limited areas. Neither are as detailed as a USGS topo, but they cover much more area and are made of a durable waterproof material.

Mel-