North Clear Creek Falls - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Continental Reservoir is a large irrigation impoundment located south of Lake City, in the center of Hinsdale County, Colorado. The Continental Reservoir has a fluctuating surface elevation of roughly 10,300 feet, with nearly 150 acres of pristine blue water tucked into picturesque Rocky Mountain wilderness.

Spring Creek Pass is an easily accessible high mountain pass along the Continental Divide in Hinsdale County. It serves as a trailhead for two popular trails with a common route in this area, the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

Baldy Cinco is one summit in a group of four 13ers located on the north end of Snow Mesa - a vast, high altitude plateau east of Spring Creek Pass.The mountain, a thirteener, is located on the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains. Different areas of the slopes of Baldy Cinco lie in the Rio Grande National Forest, the La Garita Wilderness, and the Gunnison National Forest.

Slumgullion Pass is an ultra-high mountain pass with an elevation of 11,530 ft. The north side has the steepest grade of any continuously paved road in Colorado, but the pass does not close often in winter because snowplows clear the route regularly during this season. The real Slumgullion Pass sits at about 200 feet lower in elevation on a ridge to the north and is inaccessible by vehicle, although the summit is referred to as “Slumgullion Pass.”

Lake San Cristobal Overlook perches above the east side of Lake San Cristobal, offering views across Colorado’s second largest natural lake, the Slumgullion Earthflow, and the surrounding San Juan Mountains.A variety of trout live in the cold waters of this lake. You can fish from any of the public access areas of the shore. Boats, including canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats, are available for rent from local businesses.

Lake San Cristobal is colorado’s second largest natural body of water. IT was formed about 700 years ago when the first Slumgullion Earthflow, a natural landslide, created a dam across the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. It hosts activities year round, with boating, camping and fishing popular in the summer, and ice fishing and skating in the winter. Many old silver mines are near the lake and it is very clean and well kept, and stocked with Rainbow Trout.