Recreate in Pagosa’s Clear Skies – Opal, Fish Creek, Leche Trails

History, Legends and Beauty Await in the

South San Juan Wilderness

The San Juan Forest northwest of Pagosa Springs has a fire burning. The winds blow primarily from the south blowing the smoke into the high country north of town. There is the huge South San Juam Wilderness Area and National Forest to the east and south of Pagosa with very little smoke. There are several fires to the south that may bring dispersed smoke, but the hiking and motorized trails to Pagosaa’s east and south are open with usually clear skies.

This week we will post a series of articles showing and discussing these recreational opportunities. Come to Pagosa for mountain pleasures.

Introduction by Stacy Boone.

We know – the Weminuche Wilderness, just north of Pagosa Springs, is breathtakingly beautiful. The long meandering road is perfect for a drive. The trailheads give space for hikes. The Sportsman’s Campground and General Store is not only inviting with its friendly atmosphere but the place where John Wayne once spent time during the filming of “The Cowboys.”

There is the small thing of the Little Sand Creek Fire but that shouldn’t stop you from hitting the hills for a great hour or couple hour or overnight hiking adventure. With that in mind, we have outlined a few options to make your visit just as enjoyable as you think it may only have been if you had headed north on Piedra Road.

What you should know …

The South San Juan Wilderness is located in the San Juan Mountains and was designated wilderness in December 1980. The wilderness encompasses 158,790 acres and is often called Colorado’s wildest corner and is known for its sweeping vistas, solitude, bottomlands, spacious U-shaped valleys, glaciated uplands, jagged mountains and pinnacles, and high, gentle hills. I know, “Why haven’t you hiked here before?”

Here are a few options:

Old Gate – Leche Creek Trail

Fish Lake Trail

Trailhead: From the junction of U.S. Hwy 84 and 160 travel south on US 84 for 8-miles to Blanco Basin Road. Turn left onto Blanco Basin Road and travel on the gravel road for 9.5-miles to FR 660 (Castle Creek Road). Turn right onto FR 660 and travel for 6.7-miles where the road dead-ends at the trailhead.

The Hike: Take Fish Lake Trail 574, which is left at the junction just to the other side of Fish Creek. As of this publication, the upper trees will still have snow but the first 5-miles are clear as the trail travels through fir, aspen and pine trees. The trail parallels Fish Creek at the beginning with several crossing along the trail. The wilderness boundary is reached at mile 1.5.

Map: Trails Illustrated South San Juan/Del Norte

Beyond Opal Lake

Trailhead: From the junction of US Hwy 84 and 160 travel south on US 84 for 8-miles to Blanco Basin Road. Turn left onto Blanco Basin Road and travel on the gravel road for 9.5-miles to FR 660 (Castle Creek Road). Turn right onto FR 660 and travel 3.3-miles to FR 023 (Opal Lake Road). Turn right onto FR 023 and travel .7-miles to the Opal Creek Trailhead.

The Hike: This hike can be used in conjunction with the Leche Creek Trail with a car park on both sides. Opal Lake is a popular destination; it is only 1.1-miles from the trailhead. But, if you continue along the lush forest the Fish Creek Trail 575 will turn south passing open meadows and forests of aspens and evergreens. The junction with Leche Creek Trail 576 will be reached at 4-miles.

Map: Trails Illustrated South San Juan/Del Norte

Leche Creek Trail

Trailhead: From the junction of US Hwy 84 and 160 travel south on US 84 for 8-miles to Blanco Basin Road. Turn left onto Blanco Basin Road and travel on the gravel road for 9.5-miles to FR 660 (Castle Creek Road). Turn right onto FR 660 and travel .4-mile to FR 668. Turn right onto FR 668 and drive .5-mile to a fork; keep left for an additional .2-mile to the signed trailhead.

The Hike: This hike can be used in conjunction with the Beyond Opal Lake hike with a car park on both sides. The highlight of this hike is the trees and animal life. The trail is a rolling, meandering travel that reaches the junction with Fish Creek Trail 575 in 4-miles.

Map: Trails Illustrated South San Juan/Del Norte

Quartz Creek Trail

Trailhead: From the junction of U.S. Hwy 84 and 160 travel northeast on US 16 for 10-miles to FR 667. Turn right onto FR 667 and travel on the gravel road for 9-miles to FR 684 (Quartz Meadow Road). Turn right onto FR 684, ford the East Fork San Juan River and proceed three miles to the trailhead.

The Hike: Think eight miles of wilderness beginning in a stand of birch and proceeding along the creek you can meander for a distance of your choice. Quartz Creek will need to be forded at 3.1-miles before a more earnest uphill and switch backed climb with abundant narrow valley views to the east. At 4.7-miles you will reach a stream filled basin with pockets of trees. As you continue south you will reach more switchbacks that lead above tree line. There is still trail ahead but snowpack may stop you at the time of this publication. Refer to your map for additional distance.

Map: Trails Illustrated South San Juan/Del Norte

By D. West Davies of All Things Pagosa

From a hike I took recently on the Little Blanco Trail off Nipple Mountain Road. Wildflowers blanketed many of the hillsides along the trail. This cluster enjoyed Quartz Ridge in the background. See more pictures of this great hike on my “All Things Pagosa” website.

Opal Lake photos

A few moments up the trail the South San Juan Wilderness border sign is passed.

There are many jawdropping vistas along this trail. Stop and “smell the roses” or whatever is blooming at the time.

Old but useful signs keep you on the right path.

Opal Trail is a wildflower delight.

High on the western slope of the divide Opal Lake is a beauty.

Following article by Ian Vance

The Little Blanco Trails is one of Pagosa’s most popular hikes, a long switchback-laden route to Quartz Lake. The trailhead is near the end of Mill Creek Road. The first three miles is mostly a trek through the forest, with a few exposed areas offering views of Blackhead, Nipple and the east and north side of Square Top. It’s also almost all uphill, so expect a workout if you try this trail.

As I climbed the Little Blanco with my friends, the sky gradually grew darker and darker and great plumes of mist began to subsume both Blackhead and Nipple mountains. The atmosphere was great and it didn’t rain (not on that leg, at least).

Some of the most interesting scenery on the Little Blanco is right before Dead Horse Gap – jagged pillars of stone rise out of the mountain side, towering above water-cut erosion.

By the time we reached Dead Horse Gap, the mists were thick and visibility reduced to around twenty feet. In a way, this made the Gap seem more safe – impossible to see the many hundreds of feet of scree-jumbled slope right below you, or the weather-eaten cliff face above that regularly deposits great chunks of stone onto the trail. Dead Horse Gap, despite its name, is relatively safe to climb in the summer and autumn seasons, though after a good winter the accumulated snowpack can make it difficult to cross before July.

Once you get past Dead Horse Gap, the trail splits – to the north, and Quartz Lake / Ridge, and further east, towards the Continental Divide. As we descended on the latter route, the mists began to tear apart thanks largely to the rather strong wind currents.

After a long decent / ascent, you come to a small gap. From here a series of meadows unfolds before you, along with views of the upper Blanco area and, far in the distance, Summit Peak (left)

Crossing the meadows takes at least an hour, but there are some interesting rock formations. Before climbing the final ascent to the Continental Divide, there is a spring where one can fill up water bottles (naturally, it’s best to use a filter).

Summit Mountain (13,300) gains detail. Looks intimidating from this angle…

Finally, the Continental Divide! The sign from the trailhead says that it is 8 miles, but our GPS calculated a little over 9 miles. That said, there isn’t really a “trail” through the meadows, just a series of markers, and it’s easy to wander about in this rather serene landscape.