Creede, CO – We drove our Jeep on the Rio Grande Reservoir Road, aka Forest Service 520, from CO Highway 149 to Silverton via Stony Pass with a side trip to Kite Lake. The first 20 miles of this route is a basic gravel road that is passable by any passenger vehicle. This section is well maintained and has typical washboarding. Shortly past the Rio Grande Reservoir’s western end, the route becomes high clearance 4WD only.
The Rio Grande Reservoir
The section between the reservoir and the left turn for Kite Lake is about 27 miles long. The route alternates between a dirt surface and rough rocky sections. The route has potholes, wash out areas, numerous stream crossings, and long sections of narrow road which require backing up to find passing areas for oncoming traffic. The route travels through both forested sections of conifer and aspen and open valleys with meandering streams, beaver ponds, and mountain views. We saw a number of mule deer along this route.
Along the Rio Grande Reservoir Road
Along the 4WD section between the reservoir and turnoff to Kite Lake
Along the Rio Grande Reservoir Road
The side trip to Kite Lake is 6 miles each direction. After turning onto the Kite Lake Road, you will immediately cross Pole Creek. The lower section was a dirt road with potholes and some muddy sections. There were some very steep rocky sections especially near the lake. The final climb was over a very rocky section that was also a stream bed. Kite Lake sits in a bowl near the Continental Divide.
At the turn for Kite Lake
Crossing Pole Creek
View from the road to Kite Lake
Kite Lake
From Kite Lake Road
We stretched our legs on the Continental Divide Trail at Hunchback Pass. Kite Lake Road crosses the CDT a short distance before the lake. There is room to park several vehicles here. After our hike we headed back down Kite Lake Road. This is also a very narrow road for long sections and requires finding passing areas for oncoming traffic, often requiring one of the vehicles to back up.
Hunchback Pass and its CDT Trailhead are a short distance before Kite Lake
The area of Hunchback Pass
Mike stretches his legs on the CDT at Hunchback Pass
Along the route
After recrossing Pole Creek, we headed west to Stony Pass. After a short distance we had another Pole Creek crossing. Note: during early season snow melt or very heavy rains, it is possible to cross Pole Creek in the morning and be unable to return across it later in the day per the Forest Service. The drive to Stony Pass includes sections of very steep switchbacks.
Near Hunchback Pass from Kite Lake Road
We continued on down the other side of Stony Pass, which we had driven and previously written about the day we hiked the CT/CDT at Stony Pass. This part of the route is rocky and rough with high clearance and low gear recommended. There are some long narrow shelf road sections. We headed back to Creede via Cinnamon Pass to Lake City and then south on Highway 149. Cinnamon Pass is part of the Alpine Loop which we have previously posted about. We use Charles A. Wells and Matt Peterson’s “Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel -Drive Trails” to find routes and their trip descriptions with valuable waypoint information. While the section of this route from Silverton to Stony Pass and Kite Lake is in their book, the section from Rio Grande Reservoir to the Kite Lake turnoff is not. The route is on National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map #140: Weminuche Wilderness. We thought this was a very scenic route and would rate it moderate.
The Pole Creek crossing enroute to Stony Pass
A view near Stony Pass
We drove this route while we were staying in Creede, Colorado. While in Creede we:
