Hiking to waterfalls in ColoradoWaterfalls in Colorado come in all sizes and shapes. These are a collection of some you can walk or hike to, and they all have a waterfall picture for each one. That way, you can take a look at them and see whether you think you'd like to visit them or not. I haven't always had that advantage, and Big Creek Falls is one of those waterfalls in Colorado with that distinction.
Directions to Big Creek Falls trailhead: from the Denver area, take I-25 north to Fort Collins. Then, follow Hwy. 14 west through Poudre Canyon and continue on to the small town of Walden. In Walden, follow Colorado 125 north until you arrive in the tiny town of Cowdrey. In Cowdrey, turn left, (west), onto 6W. It's tricky to find since it's not marked, but it's the only place you can turn left IN Cowdrey. (If you leave Cowdrey, you've gone too far and missed it.) You'll see a tiny post office just beyond the left hand turn, and that's your clue that you're going the right way. Shortly after starting your drive on 6W, it turns to dirt but it's a fairly good dirt road all the way to the trailhead. (We saw pronghorn antelopes several times as we drove along this road, so keep an eye out for them.) Continue driving for what seems forever, then turn left, (south), onto FSR600. From that point, it's about 6 more miles until you arrive at the Big Creek Lakes Recreation Area. Once there, go to the campground at the west end of Big Creek Lake, drive through it, then start looking for the trailhead sign which reads "Red Elephant Nature Trail". This is where you start your hike to Big Creek Falls. It took us about 45 minutes to drive the dirt road from Cowdrey to the Big Creek Lakes Recreation Area. Of all the waterfalls in Colorado that we've seen so far, this one is by far the most remote. And we even had the trail to ourselves in both directions; what a surprise that was! Anyway, the trail starts out being easy until eventually, it becomes more moderate. You'll be hiking through the forest, but one downside of this trail was that there were a good number of chopped down trees across the trail. So, we had to go over, under, or around many of them. We passed several small lakes along the way, and we even heard frogs croaking in them. At one point, we were lucky enough to see two western tanagers. Eventually, you'll reach a fork in the trail. The left fork goes to Upper Big Creek Lake, and the right fork goes to Big Creek Falls, so you want to follow the right fork. Of the many waterfalls in Colorado, this is one you might actually have to yourself, at least on a week day in June. After following the right fork for a while, you will soon reach a sign that says: Mount Zirkel Wilderness. And before you even reach that sign, you'll be able to hear the pounding sound of the most remote of waterfalls in Colorado that we've seen so far. You'll see the falls just beyond the sign and on the left side of the trail. Waterfalls in Colorado that are just a short walk from parking area:
Directions to North Clear Creek Falls: from Denver, follow U.S. Highway 285 to Salida. Then from Salida, follow U.S. Hwy. 50 west over Monarch Pass and on into Gunnison. From Gunnison, follow Hwy. 50 west to Hwy. 149 south at the Blue Mesa Reservoir. Turn left, (south), on Hwy. 149 which is also called the "Silver Thread Scenic Byway". Follow this road to Lake City. (It took us about one hour from Gunnison to reach Lake City.) In Lake City, continue south on Hwy. 149. Go up and over Slumgullion Pass, and shortly after that, up and over Spring Creek Pass. A short time after that, start looking on your left for the sign for North Clear Creek Falls. When you see it, turn left onto Forest Road 510. From there, it's about a half mile to the parking area, (on your left), for the falls. North Clear Creek Falls is one of those waterfalls in Colorado that doesn't require a hike to see it; only a short walk from the parking area. It has an impressive drop of a little over 100 feet and is believed to be the most photographed waterfall in Colorado. There's a viewing area from which you can see it, and if you want, there's a little trail you can follow along the edge of the canyon. It gives you different viewpoints of the falls, but it's a pretty long ways down, so watch your step. Even if it is the most photographed waterfall in Colorado, you need to be careful when you're taking pictures.
Directions to Whitmore Falls: first, follow directions above, (in North Clear Creek Falls description), to Lake City. Then, in Lake City, follow Second St. which turns into the Engineer Pass Road. The road soon changes to dirt, and although it's probably better to do it with a high clearance vehicle, it's possible to reach the falls with a regular passenger car. We know because we did it :-). Anyway, it's about 10 miles from Lake City to this relatively unknown waterfall in Colorado. The road is rocky and narrow in spots but the scenery is wonderful. You'll see mountains all around you and lots of aspen trees. Eventually, you'll reach the old town site of Capitol City. When you do, you'll be getting close to Whitmore Falls. Keep following the road and in a short time, you'll see the sign for Whitmore Falls on your left. There is no parking area here, so just park along the side of the road. Like Big Creek Falls, this is a waterfall in Colorado that takes some time to get to. But it's worth it! Near the sign for Whitmore Falls, you go down some steps which lead to the trail. Follow the trail as it zig zags a short ways down the side of the mountain. You'll soon reach the overlook which is on the edge of a cliff. But the fence is solid and the view is great :-). So if you love waterfalls, this is another waterfall in Colorado to add to your list. By the way, I'm planning on adding more waterfalls at some point to this waterfalls in Colorado page, so keep an eye out for them. Also, if you know of any waterfalls in Colorado that aren't on this website, do let me know. I'm always on the lookout for more waterfalls to add to this site.
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Big Creek Falls
North Clear Creek Falls
Whitmore Falls
