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The Lost Creek Wilderness Area protects nearly 120,000 acres in the Tarryall and Kenosha mountain ranges in central Colorado. The landscape consists mostly of mixed forests, open meadows, small streams, and the occasional alpine ridge — with elevations ranging from 8,000 to 12,400 feet above sea level. However, this relatively new wilderness (designated in 1980) is dominated by incredible rock formations, including massive polished granite domes and towering spires. It is truly one of the most unique wilderness areas in Colorado, despite lacking the grand alpine scenery of other wilderness areas.
Lost Creek, the area's namesake, is swallowed by large rock piles more than nine times as it snakes its way through the wilderness area. Lost Creek, known as Goose Creek whenever it stays above ground, can be accessed by a couple of different trails. The most popular trail, the Goose Creek Trail, takes hikers into the heart of the Lost Creek Wilderness, and to the creek's many disappearances. It also passes through a short stretch of the 2002 Hayman Fire area (which burned more than 100,000 acres of Pike National Forest). Most of the Goose Creek valley was not touched by the disastrous fire. Starkly contrasting scenery can be witnessed in just the first half mile of the Goose Creek Trail, as you pass from through a blackened ghost forest into thick forests of pine and aspen. The scenery continues to inspire as you climb steadily towards the Shafthouse site, nearly 4 miles into the trail.
At the turn of the 20th century, efforts were made to create an underground dam along Lost Creek — in order to create a reservoir. The project failed, fortunately. The only remaining hints of the project are a few log cabins along the creek, and a rusting winch and boiler at the Shafthouse site. Hikers can still wander through the cabins today, and the Shafthouse site sits in one of the most scenic areas of the Lost Creek Wilderness. It provides and excellent day hiking destination, and an even better destination for backpackers. There are numerous backcountry campsites along the Goose Creek Trail, from streamside locations at the .25 mile point to a granite-surrounded site near the Shafthouse. And, since this is a wilderness area, travel is restricted to foot and horseback. The area is very popular with backpackers and day hikers alike, and it's not uncommon to find the popular trailheads full on summer weekends. In fact, the Lost Creek area received more comments supporting wilderness designation during the Forest Service's 1972 nationwide review than any other area in the country.
After reading all I could about this relatively unknown (to us) wilderness area, Kevin and I expected to encounter a lot of people on the trail. We didn't. We didn't expect to have too much solitude. Yet, we did. And, despite my online research for tips and photos, I simply wasn't prepared for the amazing scenery that we discovered along the Goose Creek Trail. We stumbled into a picture-perfect campsite near Lost Creek. In fact, I have never seen a better campsite in Colorado — backcountry or car-side. We explored a terrain that has to be explored in order to believe, or appreciate — unlike any terrain I've seen in Colorado. The entire experience blew our socks off. In fact, Kevin told me that he would be (pretty mad) if I didn't give this adventure a 5-star rating. It was a no-brainer. Just a week after my amazing Lost Lake trip, I enjoyed my most-memorable experience in Colorado to date in the heart of the Lost Creek Wilderness.
As a result, you are about to enjoy a slide show that contains about 60 photographs. I captured almost 300 photographs from Friday night to Sunday morning, and the images contained in this slide show are the cream of the crop — each one a piece of the story of our weekend. So, kick everyone else off of your cable modem (sorry dial-up users!), and reserve an hour to enjoy Colorado as you've never seen it before.
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Resources: Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas - Pike National Forest: Goose Creek Trail - Pike National Forest: Lost Creek Wilderness
All photos copyright Jesse Speer, 2004
Additional photos copyright Kevin Adkins, 2004
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