maps Silverthread Scenic Byway Length: 117 miles / Drive time: 3 hours
his men - and a quarter of a century later the infamous Alferd Packer cannibalized his companions - in two ill-fated winter expeditions. The byway was recently extended on the north end from Lake City to Blue Mesa Reservoir, at the intersection of US Highway 50 and State Highway 149. This new section provides access to a diversity of scenic wonders, historical landmarks, and extensive recreational opportunities for hiking, camping and fishing. Additional materials and information is available at the Creede Visitor Center. t
The colorful old mining camps of the Silver Thread offer history, scenic beauty, and a heavy dose of authenticity. The heights around Creede and Lake City remain strewn with abandoned mining structures, most of them accessible via rugged backcountry roads. Between the two towns, Highway 149 shadows the upper reaches of the Rio Grande, serving up a bounty of natural wonders - sparkling North Clear Creek Falls, the Slumgullion earth slide, and the sharklike fin of Uncompahgre Peak. These mountains can be unforgiving: In 1848 explorer John C. Fremont lost a third of
✰
Gunnison Blue Mesa Reservoir
114
Saguache Old Cow Town
285
✰
Lake City
✰
Slumgullion Pass
Lake San Cristobal
285
North Clear Creek Falls
✰ Creede Rio Grande Reservoir
Wagon Wheel Gap
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Center
✰
South Fork
✰
Del Norte
✰
112
✰
Ln 6
✰ Monte Vista
✰
Alamosa
The 100-year-old San Juan Ranch, originally San Juan City, between Creede and Lake City, offers 30 cabins surrounded by fine fishing, hunting and wholesome, scenic family recreation.
San Juan Ranch
DAVID K. & PEGGY STRATE
1001 USFS 520 Creede, Colorado 81130 Ph. (719) 658-2214
creede & mineral county visitors guide / 29