Keep watching the video to see the Moose at the end!! This historic route carries you on a 117-mile journey from the town of South Fork, through Creede and Lake City and ends at Blue Mesa Reservoir. It was an unforgettable trip for us because of the colours and the surprises around each corner including that Moose sighting.
This video shows the glorious fall foliage on one day in late September as we drove a section of the Byway from Creede to Lake City and highlights a couple of beautiful stops. We felt so fortunate to witness the golden glory of this stunning route - it was a fantastic time to visit.
Watch out for deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and other animals in and along the road. Most of the route is gentle, but there are some hairpin turns and two high mountain passes: Spring Creek Pass, at 10,901 feet, and Slumgullion Pass, at 11,530 feet. Slumgullion Pass is the steepest highway in the state, with an incline of 9.4%. There is limited cell service on the Silver Thread. Gas and restaurants are available in Lake City, Creede, and South Fork.
Rio Grand River/Brown Lake Overlook: Above Hermit and Brown Lake, lies the headwaters of the Rio Grande. You can see the prominent peak of the Rio Grande Pyramid (you can just make it out in the photos and video in the distance) This river is the third largest river in the United States and begins here in the snow-capped San Juans, flowing 1,800 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.
Spring Creek Pass: this lies at the top of the Continental Divide and serves as a trailhead for two popular trails, the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
Windy Point Scenic Overlook: If you stop at one overlook on the Silver Thread, make it THIS ONE. We highly recommend this stop (there are also restrooms here). It was extremely windy like its name as you hear in the video but there are superb panoramic view of the majestic mountain peaks surrounding Lake City - there are 5 mountain peaks higher than 14,000 feet (“fourteeners") and the rustling of the leaves and the colours are simply stunning.
We can see why Windy Point is also a popular spot for sunsets and stargazing.
Slumgullion Pass Summit, elevation 11,361’, is said to be either named after the popular miner’s stew, which is multi-colored due to the variety of vegetables and meats found in it or for the multicolored “refuse” from butchered whale. In fact, if you happen to get to view the ground just after a hearty rainstorm, you’ll notice that the colors turn to red and brown, or multicoloured (one of the photos features this in the video).
Lake City: This was a charming and pretty little town and like Creede and other towns along the Silver Thread, Lake City also had a short boom. Lake City was founded in 1874 and the boom was over by the early 1890s. But the extreme beauty of the area combined with the exceptional hunting and fishing were never forgotten. Lake City was rediscovered after World War II as a popular vacation area for camping, fishing and hiking, as it is today.
Moose Moment!! As we were leaving Lake City, we were lucky enough to spot, (thanks to Stephen's keen eye), a young moose on the hillside above the road. We were in awe for the few moments before he trotted off over the brow of the hill and we had to drive off. What a magical moment!
Useful Links:
https://www.colorado.com/articles/col...
Maps:
https://www.coloradodirectory.com/map...
Stops on the Byway:
https://silverthreadbyway.com/stops-o...
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