Dallas Creek
Difficulty Moderate
Length of hike 5.6 mi. RT
Starting Elevation 9360 ft.
Top Elevation 11050 ft.
Type of Vehicle Regular
Distance to Trailhead 13.7 miles
GPS track download Dallas Creek Track
Hiking time up 2:30 hours
Hiking time down 2:15 hours

Directions to Trailhead
From the traffic light in RIdgway, drive 4.9 miles on Hwy. 62 towards Telluride. Turn on Cty. Rd. 7 and continue to the trailhead for a total of 13.7 miles. Make sure to stay on Cty. Rd. 7, not 7A.

 

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Highlights

If you want to escape the crowds on the “Blue Lakes Highway” and find solitude in a trail-less wilderness along a cascading creek, this trip is for you. The track leaves the Blue Lakes trail at the crossing of the Middle Fork of Dallas Creek and goes through a thicket before emerging in the open among seas of Skunk Cabbage. These prolific plants crowd out most flowers at the bottom of the basin and you have to climb a bit higher to find them. You find animal tracks, some feeble attempts at mining, and views of peaks and cascading water in this trail-less wilderness. The cascades on the creek are more impressive in early spring when high runoff puts on a fabulous show.