Owl Creek Pass, Colorado - OMG - This place is Beautiful

[Busskipper]

Why is this a Secret? I like to think I've read or searched through most of the Colorado secrets but just rediscovered these images.

4runnerguy - Ken, in September this rivals Maroon Bells!

Just a post to start a discussion on the area, Help fill in the blanks - tell us about it.

Map

Might be "me" but this is one of those places I Just Need to Be IN.


If you've been tell us about it,

[ekirkland]

We're going to Owl Creek Pass in early June; hope to do some fly fishing. Your pics are beautiful; can't wait until we are able to travel in the fall.

[Busskipper]

Lauren wrote:
Last Fall we went to CO and UT in search of gold - aspen gold that is. We nailed the timing perfectly. We were in Ouray 9/13 - 9/20. Did Creek and many others - Red Mountain twice and got the best images ever for me - and we have been there many times. Love it in the Fall and plans starting to go into place for there in 2017.

This reminds me I need to update my images on our website!

Lauren,

Please do - When I looked for your Fall Pic's I could never find your trip - Thought I must just be me.

When you get it updated let us know,

Bill

[Lauren]

Last Fall we went to CO and UT in search of gold - aspen gold that is. We nailed the timing perfectly. We were in Ouray 9/13 - 9/20. Did Creek and many others - Red Mountain twice and got the best images ever for me - and we have been there many times. Love it in the Fall and plans starting to go into place for there in 2017.

This reminds me I need to update my images on our website!

[Busskipper]

4runnerguy wrote:

profdant139 wrote:
Ken, we hiked the East Fork and the Middle Fork of the Cimarron -- beautiful terrain, easy access to the high country. There were some muddy spots and stream crossings on both trails, nothing very difficult.

Some many places, so little time!

So true - BUT - Colorado in the end of September - Is the BEST - To catch those views Just after a snowfall - Priceless!

Only Issue is Which Mountain PASS.

Thanks,

[4runnerguy]

profdant139 wrote:
Ken, we hiked the East Fork and the Middle Fork of the Cimarron -- beautiful terrain, easy access to the high country. There were some muddy spots and stream crossings on both trails, nothing very difficult.

Some many places, so little time!

[BarryG20]

As already mentioned the area is beautiful. The hiking is superb and fairly easy (for mountain hiking)with great views along parts of the trail. On the middle fork when you come out of the forest into the cirque it is fantastic. There is a west fork as well that looks very promising but I have not done that one yet. The fall color there is very striking as one of the previous pictures show. If coming up from Highway 50 driving up the valley is exceptionally beautiful particularly in the fall. Sometimes you get lucky and the clouds are low well fog at that point in the low lying areas and in and out of the peaks and you can see all up the valley with trees, peaks, fog interspersed and sometimes a little snow as well on the peaks. One of my favorite areas of the state.

[bbaker2001]

thanks for the pics, they are beautiful

next year we will be looking at heading to Colorado. I would guess summer is best???

[profdant139]

Ken, we hiked the East Fork and the Middle Fork of the Cimarron -- beautiful terrain, easy access to the high country. There were some muddy spots and stream crossings on both trails, nothing very difficult. These were just day hikes -- there is great backpacking up there, too, but that's a little too rugged for us. Many good boondocking sites in that area!

[Tiger4x4RV]

Great minds, and all that. Your trees are prettier.

[profdant139]

Tiger, this shot was taken in the same place as yours -- in this photo, my trailer is sitting on the same spot that you were standing on when you took your photo:





And if anyone wants more photos of that whole area, here is our blog post:

Silver Jack

[4runnerguy]

Owl Creek Pass takes one just north of the spires of volcanic rock visible from US 550 north of Ouray. These peaks erode into very steep pointy summits. Pretty interesting terrain. We did camp once at Silver Jack CG. I don't know if a fence was down or what, but we had cattle roaming through our campsite the whole time we were there. Kind of tough to pay for a NFS CG site and still have to watch where you step!

Someday I need to explore the upper reaches of the various forks of the Cimarron River on foot.

[Tiger4x4RV]

A few photos from my July, 2012, trip to Colorado. Owl Creek Pass was fairly easy to drive, but not my favorite of the trip. I liked Kebler Pass better - more vistas along the way.

[azrving]

Owl Creek