North Clear Creek Falls is located about 26 miles west of Creede, CO off state highway 149. But to get there, you first travel about 13 miles southwest from Creede, then about 14 miles northwest to Forest Road 510, which is paved for the 1/2 mile to the observation point for the falls. Before walking to the falls, I spotted a Scarlet Gilia in bloom. It's a small plant, perhaps only one foot tall, but the blossoms are brilliant!
I spent two full days here, exploring the area for the best possible shot of the falls, which are reported to be the most photographed falls in Colorado. I can certainly understand why! The falls are at an elevation of about 10,450 feet in an area which in ancient times was highly volcanic. At the south end of a long high-altitude valley, the previously gentle North Clear Creek suddenly leaves its placid home and leaps from its underlying bedrock of volcanic tuff to the rocks 100 feet below.
While visiting the falls just after sunrise, I found some local marmots taking in the early morning sunshine. I’ve read that in the olden days, then miners also called them “WhistlePigs.”
I assume that comes, in part, from the fact that they’re related to the ground hogs out East.
Nice photos of that majestic water fall!
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