Wandering the Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado

The Trip

This section of the southern Colorado Rockies offers a wilderness experience that most people can’t even dream of. West of the historic mining town of Creede, Colorado, we’ll follow a specially selected loop trail that will lead you through the highlights of the Weminuche (pronounced we-man-uch) Wilderness. You’ll thrill to close-up views of the dramatic Rio Grande Pyramid and the Window on the Weminuche, as well as almost unbelievable panoramic views down into the drainages below as Ute Creek makes its way to the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Considered nirvana for backpackers, sparkling mountain lakes and clear streams will provide be our companions at our various camps. Although we’ll have altitude to gain and maybe even a few down trees to avoid, the schedule includes layover days for you to rest or optionally explore the immediate area without your full pack.

Averaging above 10,000 feet, alpine meadows with streams and lakes are surrounded by high spruce stands interspersed with large areas of sharp, dramatic granite extrusions and rock slides.

Our hiking route will total less than 30 miles, plus any optional day hikes. This is serious wilderness with some challenging terrain, but we have made the trip as do-able as possible for backpackers.

Our wilderness hike will follow designated (albeit poorly signed) trails. One or two short segments will have exposure to a rocky incline. Each night, we’ll camp near a gorgeous backcountry lake or stream, in a beautifully photogenic setting. Everyone will take turns helping with the cooking, hauling water, and planning our next day’s activities. It’s an area that’s fairly remote, so we won’t see too many other hikers. Above all, you’ll have fun sharing this wilderness adventure with new friends.

For variety, as our first attraction, we’ll stop and camp the first night at the little-known and unanticipated Great Sand Dune National Park. Remnants of an inland sea, sands blow up against the Sangre de Cristo range to form the tallest and highest sand dunes in North America. After a night of altitude acclimatization, we’ll proceed west across the ancient seabed to Creede and our hiking trailhead.

All in all, this is a hiking experience you will not forget!

Most of our travel will be on maintaining, but uneven and poorly marked, trails. Total mileage with backpacks will be less than 30 miles. Please note that our planned route may have to be modified, pending final approval by the Forest Service and spring snow pack conditions. We may also have some deadfall to avoid. Pre-trip bulletins will advise you of any adjustments.

Day 1: We’ll meet you at 9 a.m. in the Denver airport with our rented vans. We’ll drive south about five hours to reach the Great Sand Dunes area. On our way, various Colorado mountain ranges will be to our west. At the park, the Sangre de Cristo range looms immediately above the Great Sand Dunes park area and we’ll camp at about 8,100 feet. The campground is popular with families and we should have a group site reserved. We should have time to do some day hiking out into the dunes area. You’ll have to pinch yourself to be sure you’re not dreaming about these huge dunes against the mountains.

Day 2: We’ll drive west across the ancient seabed and begin our hike at the Rio Grande Reservoir, with a nice climb to 10,000 feet after which we follow a level valley. We’ll actually lose some altitude today. We’ll camp just into the first of two big side canyons we’ll visit.

Day 3: We continue hiking and climbing today, covering just over six miles to our campsite in the vicinity of Ute Lake, at an altitude of 11,849 feet. As soon as the divide is attained, you’ll be facing a series of deep, green beckoning valleys that are drained by Ute Creek as it feeds the Rio Grande. We’ll descend from the divide to our campsite.

Day 4: We’ll indulge in a layover day to recover from our climb. However, most of the group will not be able to resist optional day-hikes without our backpacks to explore the area.

Day 5: We’ll begin our return route along the next major valley to the north, Rincon la Vaca. Along the way we’ll stop to admire the Rio Grande Pyramid and the Window on the Weminuche. You may want to take a dip in the small lake, or maybe hike up into “the Window.” When we resume hiking, we’ll cross the great divide under a high cliff face with the possibility of crossing a small perennial snowfield. We’ll stop at a beautiful campsite under trees with a clear stream across the meadow.

Day 6: The descent down Rincon la Vaca may take a little time because this trail is not well maintained. We’ll cover another five miles, cheered on by high granite outcrops and Pinos River beside us. We stop in a nice grove of large trees beside Weminuche Creek. Our hike will around 10 miles, mostly descending.

Day 7: The following morning, our waiting vans will deliver us to Denver. This is a travel day, and we should have little or no hiking.

Getting There

Our vans will meet you at Denver International Airport at a car rental office. We’ll need to know your travel plans and contact information. Our hope is to have everyone assembled no later than 9:00 a.m. on the first day.

We’ll return to the Denver airport by 5 p.m. on the last day of the trip. You’ll be able to leave a change of clothes and other small items in the vans while we’re hiking.

Having vans provided has several advantages:

• No hassle to arrange carpools
• Less gasoline needed
• Fewer carbon emissions in the atmosphere—help fight global warming!
• Easier parking at trailhead
• You help the Sierra Club set a good example!

Accommodations and Food

Our first meal will be a group dinner at the Great Sand Dunes National Park camp. Our last will be breakfast on the final day. You’re responsible for meals on the road.

High-carbohydrate cereals, pasta, and dried fruit will make up the bulk of our meals, with cheese, nuts, and chicken adding a small amount of protein and fat. There will be fresh coffee or tea every morning. 

Despite jokes about freeze-dried food, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how good our food tastes. Everyone will take a turn on the cook/cleanup crew under the watchful eye of your leaders. We’ll help you avoid disasters; after all, we like to eat, too!

You’ll be able to tell your friends how you enjoyed four-star wilderness dishes. A quantity of trail treats will be available for your selection before our time on the trail begins. If you have any special treats you can’t live without, feel free to bring those. Few dishes call for meat, so we’ll be able to modify our menu to accommodate vegetarians. Just let us know -- your early input is welcome.

Trip Difficulty

This trip is rated Moderate. Probably the first hiking day (day two) will be more difficult for most people. 

To tolerate the high altitude and fully enjoy this experience, you will need to maintain a regular aerobic training program for several months prior to our trip. This will be a real wilderness experience, although our route will largely follow designated trails. You’ll find some sections challenging and will greatly appreciate the benefits of pre-trip training.

Start a regular exercise program — this means doing a strenuous activity at least every other day. Run, bike, or swim for a half an hour, or walk fast for an hour. Include in your conditioning plan an occasional long walk on unstable terrain while carrying some weight in a backpack. Along with endurance, you will need leg strength; you should be able to lift yourself and your pack the equivalent of two stairs at a time. You’ll have to manage a backpack whose weight will be around 40 pounds. In other words, in addition to whatever you bring, we’ll give you around 10 pounds of additional weight for group food and equipment.

Equipment and Clothing

Approved participants will be given a detailed equipment list. Keep in mind, fewer personal items mean it’s easier to keep organized and you'll have a lighter load!

References

• USGS 7.5-minute topographic maps: Weminuche Pass, and Rio Grande Pyramid. Both in Colorado. These are optional; the leaders will happily share theirs with you.
• National Geographic / Trails Illustrated map #140, “Weminuche Wilderness” provides an overview of our hiking route. See the “West Side” map. 
• Pearson, Mark and John Fielder, The Complete Guide to Colorado’s Wilderness Areas. Westcliffe Publishers. 

Conservation

We’ll discuss and practice minimal impact techniques and take on minor chores to erase the signs of less considerate packers, such as fire rings and camp “furniture.” We’ll also attempt to restore our campsites to their original condition. 

This trip is in an area protected by Congress as wilderness, but most of Colorado’s roadless areas have no such legal protection. We will discuss what wilderness protection means, reasons for protecting more land as wilderness, and what can be done to improve this protection. We’ll also discuss the importance of relaying your concerns about the protection of wild lands to your congressional delegation.

As Colorado’s population has exploded, competition for access to land and policies developed for stewardship are becoming increasingly conflicted. The aesthetics and health of both human and natural communities in Colorado are at risk.

Historically, Colorado’s economy has been based on extraction of resources and has therefore cycled from boom to bust. Early hunters, trappers, and explorers were followed by homesteaders who moved into the high plains. Mining claims pockmarked hillsides and stimulated metropolitan centers that were abandoned when the ore did not prove rich enough to support them.

Recreational activities such as skiing, rafting, and hiking have crowded pristine areas of the Colorado landscape, including the area we’ll visit. The boom in Colorado supports immigrants seeking jobs in industries that have expanded during the 1990s, and real estate developers have built entire new communities with limited regional planning and integration of service needs across a geographic area.

The current administration’s emphasis on extractive industries has put more pressure on Rocky Mountain public lands, as well as already threatened wildlife, plants, and clean air.

Time will be allotted on several evenings to discuss national and local environmental issues as well as the Sierra Club’s role in addressing these threats. You are encouraged to come prepared and to introduce any topics of personal interest. 

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.