By Jesse Speer

In September of 2004, Colorado's Great Sand Dunes officially adopted the new title "National Park & Preserve". Prior to this date, the park had been a "national monument" – a designation that applied mostly only to the famous dune area. The new designation now protects nearly 150,000 acres (roughly the size of Rocky Mountain National Park). The diversity enclosed within the park boundaries ranges from dunes and wetlands to 13,000 foot peaks, alpine lakes and tundra. While most people are familiar with the massive dune fields, the national park and preserve area contains one of the more scenic portions of the dramatic Sangre de Cristo mountain range — one of my favorite areas in Colorado. I decided to spend a weekend getting to know the high country of this new and improved national park.

On Friday, July 14th, I left home shortly before noon and headed for Westcliffe, Colorado. The quiet drive along Highways 67 and 96 has become one of my favorite scenic routes. The dramatic Sangre de Cristo mountains, capped by jagged 14,000 foot summits, rise sharply out of the surrounding valley. The mountains can slap you in the face with with awe-inspiring beauty and offer glimpes of alpine paradises from nearly anywhere in the valley. Fortunately, some of the more scenic locations are accessible via roads and relatively short hikes. Although I use the term "road" loosely. The South Colony Road is famous for its bone-jarring climb to treeline. You'll need a rugged, high clearance vehicle if you want to drive any of the forest roads in these mountains. Just past Westcliffe, I turn onto a road that climbs towards Music Pass – a road that is only slightly less difficult than the South Colony road. Music Pass is my access point to the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, Great Sand Dunes Preserve and my destiation — the Sand Creek valley. After drooling over a couple of pics taken by a photographer friend, I decided to spend a couple of nights at the Sand Creek Lakes.

It takes me roughly an hour to drive the Music Pass road to the trailhead. The lot is mostly empty, except for a government truck and a couple of Jeeps. I hit the trail in the mid-afternoon heat, climbing the immediately steep route to the pass. After the designation of the Sangre de Crist wilderness many years ago, the old jeep road that climbs directly to Music Pass was closed and converted to a hiking trail. I wish it were still a road. It was a miserable trudge to treeline. Maybe it was the abundance of horse crap. Or maybe it was my lingering cold. Or possibly the 90 degree temps. Probably a combination of everything mentioned, I labored up the mile or so of trail to the pass – where I finally got into a hiking groove. The panoramic scenery at the pass was invigorating, as was the wind that finally cooled off my sweat-soaked body. Towering over the valley were 13,000 foot Tijeras, Music and Milwaukee Peaks. It is a view that is hard to leave behind. In fact, Music Pass would be a worthy destination, without continuing to the lakes. After a short rest stop at a scenic overlook near the pass, I started the steep descent into the Sand Creek valley.

A quick drop to a large meadow brings hikers to trail junctions and plenty of great camping – and often bighorn sheep. (This valley is filled with bighorn sheep, from what I discovered in online research and discussions with locals along the trail.) I met a few campers – part of a trail crew – who were camped at the edge of the meadow near the upper trail junction. They gave me some details about the lakes and we chatted about their work high on Milwaukee Pass – a spot I hoped to visit later in the trip. At the end of the meadow, the trail splits and heads for either the upper or lower lakes. I had decided to spend the first night at the upper lake, and possibly spend the second night on the tundra below Milwaukee Pass (if the thunderstorms didn't scare me away). I planned to spend sunrise photographing the numerous ponds that surround the upper lake, each of which seemed to promise great reflections of the surrounding peaks. After filling up my water bottle at the creek near the junction, I continued the hot climb through the ancient forest towards the lake. Just over a half hour later, I finally crested the shelf that holds Upper Sand Creek Lake.

When To Go

Late-June to September

Trailhead

The trailhead for Music Pass is acessed from Highway 69, 4.5 miles south of Westcliffe, Colorado. Turn off Highway 69 to the west at the sign for Music Pass and South Colony Lakes Trailhead. At the “T” junction turn left onto South Colony Road. At the end of the ranch fence on the right, you’ll see another sign for Music Pass. 2WD drivers should park where the Rainbow Trail crosses Music Pass Road. From here, walk 2.5 miles to the upper parking area, then another mile to the pass. 4WD drivers may drive another 2.5 rough miles to the end of the road, just one mile below the pass.

Trail Info

From the 4WD trailhead, Upper Sand Creek Lake is 4.25 miles from the trailhead. (The lower lake is 3.75 miles.) The trail gains 1000 feet of elevation to Music Pass, drops 500 feet and then gains another 850 feet to the upper lake. (All data approx., based upon Topo routes)

Hike Rating

Scenery:

Solitude:

Difficulty:

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Topo Map

The lake is not immediately accessible. The large body of water is surrounded by rocky terrain and swampy marshland. The trail splits near the outlet stream and I took the route that circles the north short towards a large concentration of ponds. (I never did explore the trail that seemed to offer access to the east shore of the lake. But it seemed to offer a more open view of the lake and overhead peaks – as well as more people.) I scouted out the pond area for photography spots for about an hour, and stumbled into many beautiful campsites. I chose a large site near one of the ponds (a very quiet area) and started a campfire immediately in an effort to get rid of the intense swarm of mosquitos. While the fire roared to life, I quickly set up my tent and started dinner – foolishly hacking at bugs the entire time. For the next couple of hours, I stoked my fire and enjoyed dinner. The smoke kept most of the bugs away. It ended up being a very relaxing night. I watched the evening light fade away and crawled into my tent for a well-earned night of rest.

I woke the next morning at 5am to roaring winds. I almost didn't get out of my sleeping bag, as I was certain my reflection photography plans were shot. I got up anyway and enjoyed the morning without my camera. I watched some deer in a nearby meadow for awhile. I ate breakfast. I went back to bed. I didn't wake up until nearly 11am! I had left myself the option of heading for Milwaukee Pass or Lower Sand Creek lake, depending upon the weather outlook. After waking up and packing up my gear, storm clouds were already gathering over the high peaks. I could already hear the rumble of thunder. The high tundra and incredible views of the Sangres at Milawaukee Pass would have to wait for another time. I started back down the trail towards the lower lake. My lazy morning abruptly turned into another hot, sweaty workout. I couldn't believe the heat and humidity. At over 11,000 feet, the temps were sweltering in the 80's.

Two miles of trail separate the two lakes, including a descent down to the large meadow followed by another climb to the lower lake. Once I reached the large meadow, I stopped at Sand Creek to dunk in the refreshing cold waters and to eat lunch. I lingered in the area for quite awhile, photographing the stream and watching a group of bighorn sheep explore the meadow. As late afternoon approached, I started up the trail to the lake. I found this part of the valley to be quite a bit more scenic than the upper lake area. When I reached Lower Sand Creek Lake, I was blown away by the beautiful setting. 13,000 foot Tijeras Peak towers dramatically over the lake, which is set at the edge of treeline. Large trout were popping all over the lake under overcast skies. I kicked myself over and over for forgetting my fly rod. I sat on a large boulder on the east shore and enjoyed watched the massive trout swim by my feet. I couldn't have imagined a more tranquil afternoon in the backcountry. If it weren't for the viscious mosquitos, I probably would have dozed on the shore for a few hours. I waded into the lake to cool off for a little bit and then started around the southern shore to find a solitary camp site.

The southern shore of the lake features a secluded cove, which makes for a completely isolated camping experience. I found another large campsite surrounded by plenty of firewood. A short walk offered access to the grassy lake short and the dramatic scenery that surrounded my camp. I spent the next couple of hours exploring the terrain above the lake. The stunning scenery of this spot (the reason behind the 4 star rating) made me wish I had skipped the upper lake entirely! A stream behind camp led to an area full of beautiful cascades and waterfalls surrounded by colorful flowers. I stumbled onto some amazing wildflower displays. I explored the area below Tirejas Peak for awhile before returning to camp for dinner. Another campfire kept the swarm of mosquitos hovering several feet away. I could hear them buzzing as I ate a hearty dinner of mexican rice and chicken with salsa (my newest favorite backpacking delicacy). I relaxed by my fire as darkness set in. Every once and awhile a deer or bighorn would stroll past the meadow near camp. I couldn't believe the amount of wildlife I was seeing. Of course, this meant I didn't sleep very well. I listened to various animals stroll through camp and play with my gear most of the night.

I rose the next morning before dawn and climbed the nearby tundra to a wildflower-covered spot I had scouted out the day before. I watched the sun rise over Music Pass and bathe Tijeras Peak in rich, red light. (Sangre de Cristo is spanish for "blood of christ" – a reference to the amazing alpenglow that can be enjoyed in these mountains.) I sat on the steep tundra slope admiring a broad view of the valley for as long as possible until the mosquitos started their morning assault. I strolled back to camp and reluctantly started to pack up my gear. The steep trudge back to Music Pass was lingering in my mind, and I didn't want to make the climb in the heat of the day again. The lake was silent and still as I departed down the trail. Again, it was hard to leave such a tranquil setting, but real life was calling me home. And I was tired of the mosquitos. No amount of repellent was going to prevent them from dive-bombing my ears.

It was a fairly fast hike back to the trailhead. A few spring-fed streams along the trail to Music Pass provided a nice respite from the searing heat of the new day. I passed a few horseback riders and a mule team as I climbed the final approach to the pass. I never wanted a mule so badly. If I'm going to keep dragging all this camera gear into the backcountry, someday I might just have to get a mule - or a llama. I started thinking about all the great stuff I could bring into the backcountry if I had a pack animal – steak, wine and so forth. In fact, my mind explored all kinds of great food as I tired to ignore the hot, crap-filled trail on the east side of Music Pass. Despite the heat, bugs and tough hiking, it was hard to beat a few days of hiking and relaxation in the backcountry. I can't wait to come back, mule or not, and see more of this incredible valley.

(The slide show contains 20 photos.)

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All photos © copyright Jesse Speer
Map courtesy of National Geographic Topo!

Contributed by Jesse Speer
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