Squires Cabins/The Alpine Loop

Of course, the centerpiece of the area is the Alpine Loop National Backcountry Byway. Look for the blue columbine signs that indicate the route. Your trip can be started from Lake City, Silverton or Ouray. Signs indicate where four-wheel drive is recommended. Along the way you can see displays for beautiful wildflowers (peaking in late July and early August), historic remnants of mining activities from the late 1800's and blazing shows of fall colors (around mid-September). Side roads along the way will let you explore Cottonwood Creek, American Basin, Nellie Creek, North Henson Creek, California Gulch, Picayune Gulch, Eureka Gulch, Minnie Gulch, Maggie Gulch and Stony Pass as well as the ghost towns of Animas Forks, Carson, Sherman, Mineral Point, Capitol City and others.

Backcountry Hiking

Backcountry recreational opportunities abound within the Alpine Triangle and range from isolation in the most pristine settings to hiking along popular, developed trails.

The area boasts over 100 miles of trails maintained by the BLM or the Forest Service. More undeveloped trails provide access to remote parts of the backcountry where other visitors are seldom encountered.

The Big Blue and Weminuche Wilderness Areas, along with Redcloud Peak and Handies Peak Wilderness Study Areas, provide recreation opportunities in remote settings.

Trails provide hiking access to five of Colorado's fifty-four "fourteener" peaks (14,000 feet or more). These peaks are Redcloud, Sunshine, Handies, Uncompahgre, and Wetterhorn; and all can be reached from the Alpine Loop Byway. Trails to all five peaks are fairly moderate, but tend to become more difficult near the top. Wetterhorn Peak is the most challenging. Numerous other peaks and meadows offer spectacular scenery, remote settings, and greater risk for those who are more adventuresome.

Popular backpacking areas include Highland Mary Lakes, Whitehead Gulch, Alpine Gulch and Bear Creek. The enclosed map and list of trails indicate many opportunities for day hikes or more hardy multi-day loop trips.

Fishing

Lakes and streams within the Alpine Triangle provide excellent fishing. Three major drainages, the Lake Fork of the Gunnison, Henson Creek, and the headwaters of the Rio Grande have brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout. The Animas River, from its headwaters to Needleton, does not support a viable fishery although some tributaries, such as Cunningham Gulch, do.

Those looking for readily accessible fishing spots have many to choose from. The upper Lake Fork and Henson Creek above Lake City are located near good gravel roads with frequent turnouts. Fishing spots range from cascading fast water to slow-moving riffle and pool areas to quiet beaver ponds.

Small to medium brook or rainbow trout are the usual catch, but the upper Lake Fork, Sloan Lake, and Cooper Lake have been stocked with native cutthroat trout. Lake San Cristobal offers fine fishing and boating.

The lower Lake Fork, north of Lake City, follows Highway 149 and also has good trout fishing. Much of the streamside is private property, but there are several stretches of public fishing marked with signs and turnouts. For those wanting to fish in more remote settings but still accessible by vehicle, look along the north fork of Henson Creek, the upper Rio Grande River, or reservoirs beyond Spring Creek Pass, the Deer Lakes area north of Slumgullion Pass and Cottonwood Creek.

Hardy souls that don't mind hiking a bit can find several streams and numerous mountain lakes along the hiking trails. Some popular lakes include Crystal, Waterdog, Cooper, Sloan and the nearby Powderhorn Lakes.

Camping

The communities of Ouray, Lake City and Silverton all have privately-owned campgrounds. Most of them provide full services, including wastewater dump stations. Several developed sites are also available on public lands and National Forests.

The public campgrounds are located in a variety of settings. Lost Trail is the most remote, while Amphitheater, South Mineral Creek and Wupperman are closer to towns and get heavier use. All the sites provide excellent starting points for hiking, fishing, four-wheeling, motorcycling or photographing. A great number of visitors enjoy camping in undeveloped places. Car camping adjacent to roads is acceptable; but care should be taken to park immediately adjacent to the roads. A camping limit of 14 days applies to all public lands in this area. Because of problems with contamination to Lake City's municipal water supply, the public land along the stretch of road and river between Capitol City and Lake City is closed to camping, except for the meadow at Nellie Creek.

Other Activities

Winter recreation is increasingly popular in the Alpine Triangle. Visitors usually stay in the local communities and seek recreational opportunities on the public lands. With its 80 miles of groomed trails, Lake City has become a hub for snowmobile enthusiasts. The Silverton area offers mountaineering and winter survival training, along with cross-country skiing. Ouray is famous for its hot springs pool and ice climbing opportunities.

Big game hunting occurs throughout the area, although much of the high country is subject to season-ending snowstorms.

Mountain biking, horseback riding, technical mountain climbing, nature study, photography and rock-hounding provide many hours of enjoyment for visitors to the Alpine Triangle.

[Back to Top]