DESTINATION Generic 407 Photosets
| |
| South Fork of the San Miguel River, CO | |
|
| | South Fork of the San Miguel River, CO | | | |
|
|
South Fork of the San Miguel River, CO
| | |
|
| Hiking | 2.50 Miles |
100 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.50 Miles | | | |
| 100 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Hike 2 of my last Full Day near Telluride....
I had seen a Dirt Road Turnoff on Highway 145 with a Sign stating there was Forest Access. It went down into the Deep Canyon that the South Fork of the San Miguel River runs through...There's also a little Town down there. I had made a Mental Note to maybe check that out. Since the Turnoff is right across the Highway from the Turnoff to Ophir, this was the Day...
There were Signs all along the Way that warned about the Road becoming narrow and rough, but I never blinked. The Road was nice the whole way through the Canyon...Lots of Private Property in there though, so even if you could, I probably would not have Camped in there...Too much like being in someone's backyard, no Solitude really...There seemed to be a lot of Private Property in this whole Section of the State with National Forest Access kind of tucked into it, in Spots...After talking to a Resident, it was easy to understand why...I guess the Laws in CO make it pretty easy to own Real Estate here...I know it's also created a ton of Problems for Recreation as well...The Town of Telluride is in a big Fight with a Property Owner now about Bear Canyon...
Pretty area though and like most of the Rivers I've seen on this Trip, the South Fork was running high and fast...
About halfway through, I round a Corner and there's a Duck in the Road...Not just any Duck, but a Common Merganser Hen, just walking down the Road...Pretty strange...I got out and got some Photos and she never flew away, just walked into the Woods...Really strange...The River was a good 50 Yards away and down a Steep Slope and Mergansers are usually very very skittish! The Consensus is, is that she had a Nest nearby and that was the reason for her Behavior...
As I was Shooting the Hen, I noticed some Signs and apparently this particular Area was Nature Conservancy Land and was accessible for Day Use...Pretty Cool! I drove further on down the Road and came up to their Main Site, complete with a Walkway and Deck overlooking the River...It also turns out that they had a Nature Trail 1 1/2 Miles long, along the River, so I took it...  Very Nice Trail that they've constructed, taking you through the Pines, Firs, Spruce and in stretches, along the River...It ended back at the Dirt Road, so then I just took the Road back. I was hoping for some quieter stretches of the River, thinking that I could spot some Otter or Beaver, but all of that was Downstream and hard to access. I could look down on those Areas though, from the Road, and Glass a little bit. No Luck there....
After finishing the Hike, I continued on down the Road, stopping at a Forest Service Day Use Area...Very Pretty area as well! And then I continued on, eventually meeting back up with Highway 145 West of Telluride...And then it was back to Camp...
Another Pretty Drive with a nice little Hike thrown in.... 
Just a little Clip showing Water Flow of this River...It was typical of all of the Rivers and Creeks I ran into up there...I guess I'm just not used to seeing that kind of sustained Flow...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8kyKvEet5g |
|
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
|
|
| _____________________
| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
