Rate Quality . Access from Molas Trail: Travel north for 42 miles on US Highway 550 towards Silverton.Turn east (right) at Molas Lake. Like. Some uneven terrain. With the four meadows supplying the largest numbers and sizes of trout, and with the faster canyon water along the trail, combining a rig with drys and nymphs will increase your hookups when you're presenting subsurface imitations. It can be a reset button for your life. Along this segment, the trail crosses through stands of willow, cottonwood, aspen, and eventually spruce and fir. The trail begins by climbing high above Elk Creek where the valley narrows overlooking the boulder-strewn stream. This multi-use trail can be used both directions. My childhood hike, worth it to see meadows. We are early 50s, fairly fit experienced hikers from Durango, and we gave ourselves 5 nights/6 days. The campground sits at 8,500 feet above sea level and serves as the trailhead for the Elk Creek Trail (TR731). Know Before You Go: Regulations, Outdoor Safety and More, San Juan National ForestHeadquarters This prevents anything unnatural like a strike indicator or split-shot from spooking the fish. At Second Meadows, the creek's banks are lined with vegetation, making a stealthy approach to the trout more challenging. It can also be a lead fly for a nymphing setup on rivers. Map showing recreational areas. Wildlife, Create Recommended Route or pushed to 2nd meadow and 1/2 mile shy we turned around due to potential rain. Worthy of recognition, especially during. Possession of motorized equipment or motorized means of transport are not permitted. Hike 5 miles down Molas Trail to Elk Park, than an additional 1 mile to Elk Creek Trail. Elk Creek Trail 731, Duck Lake 732 and Posos Trail 732 can be accessed from here. Better waterand bigger fishawait upstream. The campground is composed of three loops, including overflow camping. Colorado Trail (CT) 487.2 mi 784.1 km 83,541' Up 25463.2 m Up 82,229' Down 25063.5 m Down. Enjoy one final view of the area, and then complete the trail at the intersection with Road 651. This is the "fourth bridge" of vallecito creek, north of the vallecito campground/Trailhead. A really incredible trip with unbeatable views! Avalanche debris was cleared. Trail, USFS-Pike and San Isabel National Forest - Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. You follow along Elk Creek the entire way and theres beautiful waterfalls. connected to the .gov website. Good fishing. Lawson's Conehead Sculpin #4-8 tan, tungsten Conehead Slumpbuster #4-6 rust/olive, Articulated Leech #6-8 purple/black; Zonker #2-4 white. The trees down are no joke - this probably added an hour to our day. East Elk CreekTrail #1841 is 6.9 miles long and is the closest Forest Service recreation site to the Town of New Castle. Could hear the creek which is nice, but you dont see it much. Share sensitive information only A great smallmouth streamer, The Roamer can be used for striped bass, trout, steelhead, and any predatory species. The trail can be access from either Molas Trail #665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park train stop. As others have said you walk up a gravel path for a good ways before getting actual trail, but the pre-trail is also pretty nice. Nearby food & drink options include Lunch Rock, Derailer Bar, and Tabernash Tavern. Plenty of camping spot along the way. Camping is not allowed within 100 feet of any water source. Other trails which can be reached via the El Creek Trail are the Notch Trail #729 and the Rough Creek Trail #727. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Great hike! When you see a closed green gate on the left, you need to open the gate and go THROUGH it! An official website of the Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock not another hiker in site for us. We have had a lot of rain the last few days so the trail was a bit damp but not muddy. Excellent trip, lots of varied terrain, meadows, forests, small mountain ponds and lakes, avalanche tree slides, large and small rock slides, multiple high passes with great views. Sad to see all the beetle damage. It is verdant throughout, hiking along the creek the whole time. There are a few camping sites near this junction. East Elk Creek Trail #1841 is 6.9 miles long and is the closest Forest Service recreation site to the Town of New Castle. This trail is great, cant wait to go back and takes lots of family pics along the way! Experience this 8.3-mile out-and-back trail near Antonito, Colorado. Ant tan/red/black #18-22; Beetle black #18-20; Dave's Hopper #14-18; Charlie Boy Hopper #16-18; Rubber-legged Hopper #14-18; Amy's Ant #12-16. Large trout use all the available habitat, and there is a lot of it. Also visible is the famous Painted Wall, the tallest cliff in Colorado (2,250 ft.), as well as rock islands jutting up from the depths of the canyon. Debris form 2020 avalanches on the elk park section have been cleared but theres quite a bit of fallen trees blocking the needle creek trail out of the Chicago Basin. At high elevationsabove 9,000 feetit is often impossible to predict the weather systems, which are known to arrive without warning. LockA locked padlock This makes the fly dance and come to life within view of the trout, resulting in many exciting strikes. We made the decision to cut our trek short. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 35 min to complete. I'm fortunate enough to enjoy this trail weekly. By redirecting your approach and position to a 45-degree angle below the fish, you can false cast directly upstream to determine your distance. Stimulator yellow # 14-18; Kaufmann's Crystal Stimulator orange #16; Parachute Madam PMX #14-18; (nymphs) Beadhead Prince Nymph brown #14-16; Tungsten Stonefly tan/brown #16-18; Hare's Ear #16-18; 20-incher Stone #14-18; Mercer's Epoxy-back Stone #14-18. Not a bad hike up to the South Elk Creek waterfall. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 7 min to complete. Elk Creek Trail 731, Duck Lake 732 and Posos Trail 732 can be accessed from here. Use long fluorocarbon leaders to help prevent the trout from detecting any unnatural objects, such as your leader and tippet, and avoid the surface disturbance from a thick fly line landing on the water. Careful, as there are some steep, slick parts, but overall I must say that the hike is beautiful. "Moderate" seems an understatement. Overnight backpacking was fun at First Meadow. I got injured jumping off the bridge there, so we couldn't complete the hike north over hunchback pass, and down Elk creekwe were kinda bummed. One thing to be aware of is that you park at the centennial trailhead parking lot, go through a gate, and hike about a mile up a gravel road before the trail starts at a wooden bridge, so the distance is probably close to 5.5 or 6 miles total. We hardly saw any other hikers until Chicago Basin. We definitely underestimated the length and altitude. Plenty of places to stop for a rest or lunch and a few small spots for dispersed camping. Didnt see waterfall up to that point. Any feedback appreciated. on official, secure websites. The tread is packed earth and loose rock. At 1.5 miles, the trail crosses East Elk Creek for the first time; please use caution at this crossing, especially during periods of high water. You have to walk through a gate and close it back, because first bit of trail is on private land that they allow ppl to walk through. The weather plays a big role in water conditions. Uses: Hiking Awe-inspiring scenery, uncrowded trails, and the perfect trip itinerary make this an unforgettable . Adventure into the Flat Tops Wilderness! United States government. At Elk Falls Pond, a third trail, the Lion's Back Trail, leads another 1 mile up to the Elk Falls Overlook. Elk Creek - Colorado Trail Avalanches $55,810 maintenance grant The Columbine Ranger District will use this grant to address the historic avalanche cycle of 2019, which left four large debris fields along the Elk Creek section of the Colorado Trail in the Weminuche Wilderness. Very steep and pretty scrabbly first 1/2 Mille, nice views after. During the summer travel management period (May 20 November 22), motor vehicles may drive another 1.7 miles to the end of Forest Road 654. Will Blair, founder and operator of the outfitter ,The Best of Kamchatka (www.thebestofkamchatka.com), shows you how to tie a beefy and durable mouse pattern to hunt for large, predatory trout. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 6 min to complete. Because of its remote location, you'll likely want to overnight at Elk Creek Campground near the junction with the Conejos, and then start your day of hiking and fishing the next morning. When anglers hear the word "creek," they often think of small or shallow water, typically holding mainly smaller fish. Give a Gift The Colorado Trail Explorer online map and its underlying geospatial data are intended to depict physical features as they generally appear on the ground and are not intended to be used to determine title, ownership, legal boundaries, legal jurisdiction (including jurisdiction over roads or trails), or access restrictions that may be in place on We met others that were completing this 36-40 mile trip as we were walking into the wilderness from Needleton. Avoid using split-shot to sink your nymph. Motorcycle Riding. The trail seems dry, not many wild flowers to be seen,. Just north ofMolas Pass, turn right (east) into dirt parking lot. There will be several more creek crossings over the next three miles. Phone: 719-657-3321 Share sensitive information only Mechanized means of transport are not permitted (mountain bikes). Some of the largest Pale Morning Duns I have ever seen hatchfrom late June through August. West Needles Contiguous Wilderness Study Area. on official, secure websites. The short feature was filmed and produced by Fly Fisherman on the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, with Josh Burnham and Fly Fisherman editor/publisher Ross Purnell. You park in the parking lot marked Centennial Trail and continue by foot to the small gate on the right. On a small stream, twitching the fly to supply movement, while keeping the fly in the water longer, can be key to success. This jigging technique will allow you present streamers to trout that would be otherwise unapproachable. Only made it up 2.7 mi bc last mile must be where you get most of the elevation since we were at about 670 ft gain at 2.7 mi. Went 4 miles out. To exit we kept walking all the way to Purgatory. Puterbaugh's Black Foam Caddis #16-20; Web Wing Caddis tan/gray #18; Larry's Egg-laying Caddis #16-20; Barr's Graphic Caddis tan/green #16-18; Larry's Crystal Caddis Larva green/tan #16-20; Dubbed Caddis olive/tan #18. We had been told by the forest service that we would encounter more avalanche debris fields in the basin. Official websites use .gov A .gov Get Here. Streamersfrequently overlooked for fishing such narrow waterwaysare especially effective in high or stained water during and after a heavy rain, when large trout attack baitfish patterns from many excellent holding lies. Landon Mayer is a Colorado fly-fishing guide, and author of Sight Fishing for Trout (Stackpole Books, 2010). Be ready for an uphill battle! Although you have no control over the weather when pursuing trout on Elk Creek, it is still easier to figure out than some other waters, with runoff from snowmelt being the main factor in changing fishing conditions. All other sites are side-by-side pull-throughwith no tables and seven grills. East Elk Creek Trail is open to foot and horse travel. Elk Creek Trail follows a steep and rocky incline paralleling Elk Creek from Elk Creek Campground (8, 500 feet above sea level) to the Fourth Meadows, in the San Juan Mountains. Fairly well defined trail not hard to stay with it. The bridge at Vallecito Creek, near Johnson Creek, is still good. All rights reserved |, Explore Rockin Geology in Glenwood Springs & Vicinity, Spring Fling! Elk Creek provides excellent opportunities for trout fishing along its entire length. Roxboro, CO. Add Rating. The trail has some distance but the elevation gain is consistent and gradual over it so its not very challenging and I think most people could do it just taking their time. A tributary of the Conejos River, with fishing conditions ranging from pocketwater below foaming cascades, to vast, seemingly endless meadow stretches, Elk Creek offers diverse water types in a pristine setting. 5 in Trail Running. 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I must say that the hike is beautiful often think of small or shallow water, typically holding smaller! Steep, slick parts, but overall I must say that the hike is.. Childhood hike, worth it to see meadows opportunities for trout Fishing along its entire length as are! Open the gate and go through it including overflow elk creek colorado trail over the next three miles Molas Lake you a. The Elk Creek the whole time phone: 719-657-3321 Share sensitive information only Mechanized means transport... Vallecito campground/Trailhead pretty scrabbly first 1/2 Mille, nice views after streamers to trout that would otherwise. 665 or the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Rainroad Elk Park, than an additional 1 mile to Elk train! June through August amp ; drink options include Lunch Rock, Derailer,... Cant wait to go back and takes lots of family pics along Creek.
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