Rio Grande Palisades, Creed, and South Clear Creek Falls
September 12th – 13th, 2021
From the Great Sand Dunes I cut across the flat flood plain of the Rio Grande River, headed towards Creede. I passed through the towns of Del Norte and South Fork and started the gentle climb along the river. The mountains began to close in as the highway was squeezed by the Rio Grande Palisades. These cliffs were formed of volcanic debris that shrank and cracked, separating the bedrock into columns. The cracks were often filled with precious minerals that were later mined by early settlers. The historical mining town of Creede is at the foot of the cliffs.
I did not stop at Creede, figuring to visit it early the following day. Instead, I head west on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway. The elevation began to increase as I wound along with the river through cattle ranch country.
At the head of the valley, the road started making tight looping turns as it climbed up to the pass at Clear Creek. I pulled into the Silver Thread campground for the night. A notice was posted at the entrance stating this U.S. Forest Service site was closed, however, you can still camp, you just may have no facilities. Normally the pit toilets are locked up for the winter and the water spigot is turned off. But in this case, they happened to still be available. Since the campground was officially closed, there was no need to pay the usual site fee. A few other tent campers had set up as well as two small camper trailers. I choose a site next to the trailhead leading to South Clear Creek Falls and after setting up, followed the trail. The aspen trees here had begun to change to their golden fall colors.
The following morning was a backtrack to Creede. And first on the agenda was a cup of coffee to shake off the cold morning air. In this small town, there is no Starbucks. Instead, a stopped in at the Coffee and Fly Shop. No, there aren’t flies in the coffee, but rather, fly fishing gear and also coffee. Trout fishing is big here and in a 4-block length, there were 3 fly shop/outfitters. I walked the main street, discovering on the far end that the fire department was tucked away in an old mining tunnel.
Once my coffee was gone, I traveled back down the palisades to South Fork and made the turn heading west toward Pagosa Springs.
Next, Wolf Creek Pass, Pagosa Springs and camping at Vallecito Reservoir.
Starting All Over 