Dexter Creek - #205

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View from the Dexter Creek Trail

Wetterhorn Peak from the Dexter Creek Trail

TRAILHEAD:
The trail begins 2.5 miles up the Dexter Creek road (County Road 14), which starts 1.7 miles north of the Ouray Hot Springs Pool on US Hwy 550. As you drive past Lake Lenore stay right at the first fork (the left fork crosses Dexter Creek). Continue past the turnoff for the Bachelor/Syracuse Mine tour; keeping left, you will soon cross the creek. The road gets rougher past this bridge. You will see the trail sign and mine workings 0.7 mile from the bridge. Parking: There is space near the trailhead on the north side of the creek by the mine dumps.

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
For an energetic eight-mile round trip hike, the destination is a ridge providing good views of the peaks from Courthouse on the north, past Precipice and Dunsinane to Coxcomb toward the south. The altitude gain is 2,900 feet.

In less than 0.2 mile, you will reach a normally dry creek bed, and the trail follows briefly along the left bank. Keep on the lookout for the point where the trail crosses and climbs up on the other side--less than 100 yards.

You will pass ruins of the Almadi Mine at 0.5 mile and the Old Maid Mine at 0.7 mile, with the backdrop of the 12,000 foot ridges of Cascade Mountain to the south. After another 0.4 mile, the trail turns away from the creek for the first time. Now the trail becomes more difficult for the next 0.5 mile, with a very steep section for 0.2 mile.

The trail ascends to a scenic ridge and the boundary of the Uncompahgre Wilderness at 1.6 miles from the trailhead. Meadows and forest alternate and the trail follows along a north fork of the creek. In a rainy season, this part of the trail may be wet and overgrown with plants. At 4.0 miles the ridge crest is reached with a junction to the Cutler Creek Trail to the left, and the Difficulty Creek Trail to the right. From vantage points along the wooded ridge, the views are fine--the Cimarrons to the east and the Sneffels Range to the west.

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Difficulty Creek - #214

Difficulty Creek Trail Work

TRAILHEAD:
Follow the Dexter Creek Trail to its end. The Difficulty Creek Trail branches off to the right.

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
The 4.1 mile Difficulty Creek Trail offers the intrepid a 14.5 mile wilderness loop beyond the Dexter Trail end through forest and wildflower meadows, along streams, past towers and monoliths, over high passes--culminating in the Bridge of Heaven and the Horsethief Trail. (NOTE: Water may not be available from the north fork of Dexter Creek to Difficulty Creek.) From the Dexter/Difficulty junction at 11,470 feet, follow ridges south to the overlook at 0.2 mile, then follow blazes and saw cuts to a ridge and hill (0.8 mile) with a monolith to the right. Ahead on the left is a huge tower with a sheer drop to the southeast. The trail approaches a talus slope with a high ridge and a drop to the right, goes east (left) of the high point, and climbs an 11,770 foot saddle 1.2 miles from the junction. Uphill (east) is a rock marker dated 1898. The downhill portion is through woods and pinnacles; the next pass is 11,830 feet (1.9 miles). Look for bighorns here. After another ridge (2.4 miles), the trail continues 2.9 miles to Disappointment Gulch. At a stream crossing at 3.6 miles you can see the Horsethief Trail ahead. Look for a cairn here. There is a waterfall below the trail at 3.9 miles just before a stream crossing. At a cairn and a large log, cross and head to Cascade Pass and the Horsethief Trail junction (4.1 miles).

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Full Moon

The Old Otto Mears Road

Red Mountain from Full Moon

View from the Trail
Photos by Peggy Spindler

TRAILHEAD:
The Ironton trails begin 7 miles south of Ouray on US 550; parking for Crystal Lake trailhead at the northern end of the Ironton valley is on the left, south of the St. Germain Foundation stone building. Go further south .9 mile to the Larson Brothers mine. Park there. Then continue .7 mile north on the Mears Trail to the Full Moon trailhead.

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
The trail clilmbs 2.5 miles and 2,200' to meet the Richmond Trail at 11,800', making a good loop with a downhill 1.5 miles on Richmond to US 550. Don't miss a lunch break at a wonderful overlook of the valley at the first open meadow. It's a .6 mile walk north on US 550 back to the parking at Larson Brother.

Full Moon/Richmond Loop
Photo by P. Spindler

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Gray Copper

Gray Copper Gulch
Photo courtesy of K. N. Cook

Workers at the stream crossing

Gray Copper Falls

TRAILHEAD:
Leave US 550 at the Ironton Nordic turnoff and at the Corkscrew Pass/Brown Mountain sign go left on the Brown Mountain road. Shortly after crossing Gray Copper Creek look for the signed road going off steeply to the right. You can park and walk from here or drive another few tenths of a mile with 4-wheel drive.

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
Reconstructed in June 2003, Gray Copper Trail is a pristine and scenic historic trail in the Red Mountain District. The trail is parallel to and eventually crosses Gray Copper Creek before climbing past scenic waterfalls and lovely meadows to end by the Vernon mine north of Red Mountain #1. It's a moderate and beautiful two-mile trail.

Trail end, near the Vernon Mine Ironton Park from the trail

Karen Risch's women's hiking group
working on the creek crossing, Spring 2004

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Stealey (Green) Mountain - #219

Via Trailhead in Cow Creek | Via Trailhead on Owl Creek Pass

Cow Creek Trailhead
TRAILHEAD:
Follow directions to the Courthouse trailhead and continue driving (4WD) south on the extremely rough Cow Creek Road another 3.2 miles. Look on the left for a faint road in a grassy meadow leading uphill to a post and a hiker/horse Travel Management sign about 100 yards off the road. This is the trailhead. Park along the road.

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
The Stealey Mountain Trail leads to a very remote and beautiful section of deep forest wilderness. It can be used as a lengthy loop trip via Courthouse Trail back to Cow Creek Road, or as a one way trip to the West Fork Road or the Owl Creek Pass Road.

The trail begins with several steep switchbacks through scrub oak to the Uncompahgre Wilderness boundary at 0.3 mile. Looking west you can see a massive rock wall on the far side of Cow Creek and a sheer rock cliff on the trail above. The trail levels and enters a subalpine fir forest at 0.5 mile, descends to a stream crossing, and climbs again to a small ridgeline at 1.1 miles. At 1.3 miles the trail crosses another stream and almost disappears in a grassy, aspen meadow (look for blazes). It crosses another stream at at 1.4 miles; then look for an autographed aspen, "LV 9-30-90" at 1.6 miles. An unknown trail enters from the left at 1.7 miles. Turn right toward the corral.

If time permits (appx. 15 min. round trip), an interesting side trip can be taken. Continue straight past the corral to the east; follow a steep horse trail down to a streambed and back up the hill to a small ridge at 10,000 feet. From that point, there is a great view of Wetterhorn Peak.

From the corral, some route finding is required to continue on the main trail. Go along the left (west) side of the corral and pick up the trail in the trees. Continue up the grassy meadow (faint to no trail) northeast of the corral to the top of the meadow where the trail again begins to be well defined. At the top of a grassy hill at 2.6 miles there is a campfire ring and unique views of Courthouse Mountain and the Sawtooth/Needle peaks to the north. Downhill, off the ridge, an unknown trail forks uphill to the right. The main trail continues downhill to the left at 2.7 miles, crosses a stream at 3.4 miles and continues along the west side of the stream. At 3.6 miles deadfall has created problems, but then the trail crosses to the east side of the stream at 4.0 miles and comes to the Red Creek drainage at 4.3 miles--a scenic spot for a lunch break.

A trail continues downstream along the north side of Red creek--this is NOT the trail! The Stealey Mountain Trail starts downstream and then heads steeply uphill--you can see where horses have cut the trail and bypassed an old switchback. The trail disappears on the bench to the right, but proceed to the right across the bench to the grassy meadow and head uphill looking for a cairn on the left side near the top. The trail become obvious at 4.4 miles, goes downhill and back up to a ridge and crosses the north fork of Red Creek at 4.8 miles. Ascending another ridge, the trail is again blocked by deadfall. There is an alternate trail to the right around the trees that you can follow downhill (5.1 miles). Once again the trail reaches a grassy meadow and disappears. Go straight up the meadow to the top where there is an old post with rusty bolts. This is the south junction of the Courthouse Trail at 5.4 miles. Take the left fork to complete a loop trip to the Courthouse Trailhead on Cow Creek Road (another 3.4 miles). Take the right fork to reach the West Fork (Cimarron) Road (another 2.7 miles).

SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS:
Route finding at the corral, north of Red Creek and through grassy meadows is required. Also, considerable deadfall exists making this a trail not recommended for inexperienced hikers.

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Owl Creek Pass Trailhead
TRAILHEAD:
Take the Owl Creek Pass Road (County Road 10) 12.9 miles from Highway 550. At this point there is a short side road (the old Owl Creek Pass Road) to the right and a sign post indicating the Stealey Mountain trailhead as being down that road at its end (0.1 mile).

ATTRACTIONS AND FEATURES:
Caution: 0.5 mile down the trail (roadbed) an ATV trail enters the road and parallels the road below the roadbed. That ATV trail IS the trail. There is a carsonite stake marking the point where the trail leaves the roadbed. Stay on the ATV trail for about a mile and then it becomes another road. There is a hunter's camp at that location.

The trail follows an old pack trail south and west down into the Owl Creek gorge and then south up a side fork of Owl Creek. The trail crosses this fork about halfway up the gorge and then switchbacks and meanders upwards to near the top of Green Mountain. At 4.0 miles the trail reaches its closest point to Courthouse. There are great views of Chimney Rock and Courthouse and also the Sawtooth/Needles. At 4.3 miles the trail reaches its highest point at 9,920 feet. There is a cattle guard and fence line there. 0.4 mile further on, the trail forks. Take the right fork. Another 0.1 mile and it forks again. Take the left fork this time, uphill. At 4.5 miles, views of the San Juans can be seen through the trees, and at 5.6 miles there are some house sized boulders. Then at 5.9 miles, just before entering the Uncompahgre Wilderness area, there is an awesome view of Courthouse. Once the trail drops off Green Mountain to the south, it then proceeds at a fairly level grade to its junction with the Courthouse Trail (6.1 miles). An option at this point is to turn right on the Courthouse Trail to its Cow Creek trailhead (2.1 miles). However, you may also follow the Courthouse Trail 1.3 miles to the left to the next Stealey Mountain Trail junction. At this point one can continue left on the Courthouse Trail to the West Fork (Cimarron) Road (2.7 miles) or turn right on the Stealey Mountain Trail to its Cow Creek trailhead (5.4 miles).

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