Rio Grande Backcountry Discovery Trail

With school about to start and with it the impending hustle and bustle of the daily morning routine, we thought we'd get one last trip in for the summer. Since my son and I had already completed the Carson Santa Fe BDT trail last year, I thought we'd continue where we left off and tackle the Rio Grande BDT. This was another wonderful trip with some really amazing views. Actually, there were so many amazing views that it kind of got difficult to capture in pictures. We completed the trip a few weeks ago and had a blast, as always. And thanks to OTG and crew for always providing great routes and commentary--really can't overstate how incredible this forum and service is.

DAY 1 - 8/2/2025

Technically this was day 3 on our trip, since we started out from Houston, TX , which is at the far corner of the Lone Star state when heading to Colorado. We ended up staying overnight in Los Alamos before picking up the trail relatively early on this morning. The trip got off to a rocky start--I had forgotten to pack my coffee and mini-espresso pump--the horror! Needless to say, not a great start. Fortunately, on a whim, I had purchased some instant coffee packets just before the trip and put them in the truck for whatever reason--and I'm glad I did! I also made the mistake of not bringing my full camera rig and instead chose to stick to my iPhone for photos. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been nice to have my lenses for some of the pics. And to add insult to mounting injuries, my hiking boots of 20+ years finally crapped out and fell apart on this trip on this day, day 1--both soles came unglued from the bottom of the shoe...and these were the only shoes I brought along for the trip! Zip ties to the rescue! After our Carson Santa Fe BDT trip, I made sure to keep zip ties in the car (a story for another day).

Those few unfortunate events notwithstanding, the day started out fine and we picked up right at the end of Cumbres & Toltec Railroad DP from the Carson Santa Fe BDT, drove along Highway 17 until we hit the FR 250 and followed the Conejos River. At this point, the road was really mellow but there were some really nice spots along the way and of course the wildflowers were out, which made for really picturesque photo opportunities! Overall, pretty easy day today and we found ourselves making it to Stunner Campground, where we were able to secure a nice secluded spot. Not too many other folks around.

 

[fez]

DAY 2 -- 8/3/2025

I wanted to make it to Kerr Lake today to spend the day fishing and hopefully secure a campsite. We headed out of Stunner Campground and backtracked a little bit on FR 250 and then headed toward Stunner Ghost Town. Continuing along FR 250, we went through Stunner Pass and got to a fork at FR 257, Kerr Lake Road. Things got a little bumpy here, but it wasn't until we got to the Lily Pond that the trail got a little tougher. Lots of rocks and some pretty steep sections. We did make it to Kerr Lake and the challenge was absolutely worth it. We found a great spot to set up for the day and try our luck fishing. Alas, we didn't catch anything, but the fish were definitely present, as were the deer. Didn't see too many full size vehicles up this way, mostly ATVs. Did have one person in an ATV approach and was impressed that we were able to get our truck all the way out here. But honestly, I didn't feel it was too terribly difficult. One of the highlights on the trail up was a bear we encountered as we came upon a clearing somewhere between Lily Pond and Kerr Lake (don't remember the exact spot)--it didn't stick around too long and took off at a pretty good clip when it saw our vehicle, but it's always a treat to see such a magnificent creature.

 

[fez]

DAY 3 -- 8/4/2025


We left Kerr Lake after a lazy morning and headed back towards Stunner as we backtracked and got onto FR 380/Park Creek Road. We made the sharp right onto FR 330 towards Summitville and honestly was a little surprised when we got there. Seeing so many of the old buildings and mining equipment still standing was a bit surreal, but juxtaposed with the new mining building just felt weird. Summitville was interesting, but we didn't stay too long. We made it to the turn off to summit Grayback Mountain and decided to make the run up to the top and boy, what a view. A little windy up top, but wow, the 360 degree vantage point was amazing. Definitely recommend getting up there. Road wasn't too bad, a bit narrow at times, but nothing terribly tricky. My son made his contribution to the pile and then we proceeded to head back down and continue on the trail. We got back on FR 330 and then onto FR 332/West Pinos Road and drove along RD 360/Beaver Creek Road through Beaver Creek Reservoir until we got to the town of South Fork. As I mentioned earlier, this trip got off to a rocky start in that I forgot some food items along with the coffee, so having the Rainbow Grocery in town was a much needed break! Loaded up on some items and fueled up, before deciding to take advantage of the town and grab a cooked meal in a restaurant. Rather than backtrack through Beaver Creek Reservoir and pick up the route on FR 359, we decided to pick up the trail a little north of South Fork at CR 19, and followed Hwy 15 until we got to FR 630/Agua Ramon. It was getting a little late, so we decided to find a camp site and settled on a nice secluded spot off FR 611/Viers Creek. Beautiful night with sunset, and then a nice bright moon.

 

[fez]

DAY 4 -- 8/5/2025

Refreshed and recharged, we headed back out to get to Wheeler Geological Area. There was one steep descent (37.84260, -106.66951) before we hit the road to Wheeler Geological Area, and then a bumpy ride, with some steep sections (37.85506, -106.72942 & 37.86081, -106.73151) and a section with very deep ruts (37.86111, -106.74827) before we finally arrived at the geological area. We took this opportunity to stretch our legs and walk the trails to check out the formations up close and in person. Really impressive structures! We left Wheeler Geological Area and got back onto FR 600/Pool Table Rd and headed towards Creede. I was hoping to get there sooner, but it was getting late, we decided to stay overnight in the town itself. I tried to get a room at the Creede Hotel, but I learned quickly that there aren't actually that many rooms in Creede. In any case, was able to find something along the river and we took advantage of the time to grab dinner at The Creede Hotel and Restaurant in downtown. Creede was a great little town/village and it really is something to stand at the south end of the downtown, looking north and see the mountains come all the way down to the street! I also took this opportunity to get a new pair of hiking shoes, thankfully.

 

[fez]

DAY 5 -- 8/6/2025

Got an early-ish start this morning with the hopes of driving Bachelor Loop before lunch time. The loop started off really mellow and saw a couple of cars that made me think it was going to be a trivial loop, but that was definitely not the case. Once we got past Last Chance Mine, the road started getting rockier and then bumpier. We started Bachelor Loop from the east heading north. The route shows the trail going through a road that is closed up by Equity Mine. Instead, we followed 503/Willow Creek Rd. For some reason I thought it would get easier here, but definitely not the case. It wasn't so much technical difficulty as it was bumpy and very steep in sections (37.95850, -106.97089), especially after Willow Creek Trailhead. After that steep section, the route has you following 505/Rat Creek Road, however there was an alternate path to the right which was slightly longer, but led to a really great view from above of a watering hole with some animals (deer) taking advantage of the water. We heading back down along 505/Rat Creek Road back towards Creede. It was a slow going loop and took quite a bit of time, but definitely an enjoyable route. Again, nothing terribly technical, but just slow going and steep. Maybe one or two areas that were a little tricky, but nothing crazy. In the last 30-45 minutes of the route, it looked like it was threatening to rain, but luckily we were able to beat it and make it to downtown Creede, at which point it came down! But no worries, we stopped at Coffee on the Fly and enjoyed some coffee while waiting out the rain. Eventually we got back on the road and headed along Silver Thread Scenic Byway until we got to FR 520/Rio Grand Reservoir Road.

At this point it looked like we were finally going to get hit with rain. We drove along past the Rio Grande Reservoir and made it to what I think was an incredible campsite, right on top of the Rio Grande River with amazing views all around. I saw the dark clouds coming our way and so get everything ready in preparation for the rain, but for whatever reason, the clouds opened up just around us and we were spared the rain. Ended up being a beautiful evening.

 

[fez]

DAY 6 -- 8/7/2025

The plan today was to finish the route and start heading back. There were a few rocky sections to deal with (37.74380, -107.43598), but also some incredible views (37.75164, -107.45560 & 37.75658, -107.46358). I think if there's one theme on this particular trip, it would have to be the abundance of incredible views at almost every turn. We made it up to Stony Pass and then on the way down I saw something totally unexpected. It took me completely by surprise, but as we were heading down from Stony Pass heading toward the Old One Hundred Gold Mine, I saw a VW Beetle flying up the trail with some pretty good speed. Not sure if he had modified his car or not (I sure hope so), but as we passed the driver I caught a grin on his face, as if he knew I was looking at him muttering "what the....!?". Definitely a sight to remember! And with that, it was a fitting close to the trip. My only regret is that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of that car cruising up the trail!

 

[Joe Ray]

Your last trip report really impressed me, and this one did not disappoint. Great job! Very informative, well photographed, and well written. My trip reports pale in comparison. This has been at least the second comprehensive review of the Rio grande BDT here on OTG. It's now on my "must do" list.

Super cool gas station on route 66 with the old pumps! We had a similar one in town (Pasadena) when I was a kid and it survived well into the 21st century. I've got a gear and food list on my phone, and it gets reviewed multiple times before I head out the gate. Without it I would never be able to remember everything. Forgot the coffee? Ouch! I use a stove top espresso maker, and it better be with me! There's been a couple of times I've intentionally left my DSLR at home and regretted it, so I can relate. The Volkswagen must have been quite the sight. Reminds me of seeing the U-Haul van on the Lolo motorway. Very odd.

 

[fez]

Your last trip report really impressed me, and this one did not disappoint. Great job! Very informative, well photographed, and well written. My trip reports pale in comparison. This has been at least the second comprehensive review of the Rio grande BDT here on OTG. It's now on my "must do" list.

Super cool gas station on route 66 with the old pumps! We had a similar one in town (Pasadena) when I was a kid and it survived well into the 21st century. I've got a gear and food list on my phone, and it gets reviewed multiple times before I head out the gate. Without it I would never be able to remember everything. Forgot the coffee? Ouch! I use a stove top espresso maker, and it better be with me! There's been a couple of times I've intentionally left my DSLR at home and regretted it, so I can relate. The Volkswagen must have been quite the sight. Reminds me of seeing the U-Haul van on the Lolo motorway. Very odd.

Thanks for the kind words! I think I definitely need to start thinking about making a checklist—leaving the coffee behind could have been disastrous were it not for the instant packets I brought along! I usually carry a manual pump espresso maker that takes the smaller nespresso capsules, which is nice because there’s very little mess to cleanup.

 

[OTG Ben]

@fez I use Asana for all of my trips. I've got a saved template that has all of the stuff that I typically pack, along with a short list of other things I need to go through prior to a trip (checking fluid levels, loading the GPX file and verifying it works, and a whole bunch of other stuff). For the most part, it's rock solid approach. The problem arises if you need to pack something that isn't normally on there! You've gotta remember to add it to the list. My dad came out with us a few years back, and I forgot to pack the ground tent, which isn't on my template. We made due with an extra tarp luckily.