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Woods Lake, Sunshine Mesa & Lizard Head PassWoods Lake, Sunshine Mesa & Lizard Head Pass

Woods Lake, Sunshine Mesa & Lizard Head Pass

Friday, July 7, 2023

Well, this weekend certainly did not go as I would have liked it to. I had planned to spend the entire weekend hiking new trails and summits in the Rico Mountains and Lizard Head Wilderness, like I’ve been doing for the past couple of years, but on Friday evening I started feeling pretty ill and ended up coming home very late that night and staying in for the rest of the weekend. I did make a couple short detours to hike and explore on my way to find a campsite Friday afternoon, so here are a couple of the photos I took along the way.

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Ironton Park: Hayden Trail & Colorado Boy MineIronton Park: Hayden Trail & Colorado Boy Mine

Ironton Park: Hayden Trail & Colorado Boy Mine

San Juan Triangle | Monday, July 3, 2023

After cutting our backpacking trip into the Flat Tops Wilderness short this past weekend, I decided to head down near Ouray on Monday morning to get in a little more hiking before the Fourth of July holiday since I definitely need to start getting back into shape and hiking at higher elevations again. For this day trip I planned to focus my attention on the Ironton Park area and hike one of the trails that climbs up to the shoulder of Hayden Mountain. I woke up extra early on Monday morning, grabbed a quick breakfast on the way and made it to Crystal Lake just after 7:00am so I could start hiking up the south side of the Hayden Trail.

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The Rico Mountains & Lizard Head WildernessThe Rico Mountains & Lizard Head Wilderness

The Rico Mountains & Lizard Head Wilderness

Independence Day Weekend | Friday – Sunday, July 1-3, 2022

This year for the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend I decided to head back to the same area I did last year and returned to the Rico Mountains so I could hike to a couple more twelve-thousand foot peaks along the Calico Trail. I left from work on Friday afternoon and made my way south to the San Juan Mountains via the Dallas Divide and Lizard Head Pass. I drove through a bit of rain on and off from Ridgeway until I reached Lizard Head Pass, where I found the mountain-tops hidden in the clouds. After following the headwaters of the Dolores River for a bit, I turned off onto the Taylor Creek Road and drove up onto Taylor Mesa in search of campsite for the night. I found a pretty nice campsite on the ridge between Stoner Creek and Priest Gulch with a great view of the nearby Rico Mountains and the distant La Plata Mountains, but the mosquitoes were pretty terrible! After a colorful sunset I went to bed early so I could get an early start on Saturday morning.

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Riches of the Rico MountainsRiches of the Rico Mountains

Riches of the Rico Mountains

Independence Day Weekend | Friday – Monday, July 2-5, 2021

I knew the mountains of Colorado were going to be a very busy place over the Independence Day weekend, so I thought it might be a good idea for me head back into the Rico Mountains this year. Located at the western edge of the San Juan Mountains, the Rico Mountains are a small subrange of peaks that surround the old mining town of Rico and the Dolores River valley. I had a very nice time exploring the Rico Mountains last summer and I figured that this area might not be quite as popular as some others, so I was looking forward to getting back again!

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Cross Mountain Trail to Lizard HeadCross Mountain Trail to Lizard Head

Cross Mountain Trail to Lizard Head

Saturday & Sunday, June 12-13, 2021

After spending Saturday afternoon floating through Norwood Canyon with Jackson, I decided to head up higher into the San Juan Mountains to the headwaters of the San Miguel River so I could go on a quick hike Sunday morning before heading back home. It’s time for me to start hiking in the mountains for the summer, so I figured I better start acclimating again by spending more time at elevation now. It’s funny, I’ve spent a lot of time in the areas surrounding the San Miguel Mountains, but I don’t recall ever stepping foot inside the Lizard Head Wilderness area before, so I thought it was time that I finally did.

CONTINUE READINGCross Mountain Trail to Lizard Head
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