Lake City Colorado along the Silver Thread Scenic Byway
One of my favorite things to do is to explore novel places and what better way to do that than to road trip in Colorado from my hometown of Salida. We embarked on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway, route 149 in central Colorado making our first stop the Historic Colorado Mining Town of Lake City. It’s a quaint little central Colorado town that has the look and feel of the old wild west. Nestled amongst steep canyon walls along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and the convergence of Henson Creek, the picturesque drive is reminiscent of Glenwood Canyon. The town touts itself as the most remote location in the lower 48 states at elevation 8,650 and the best place to get away from it all. Wooden boardwalks line Main Street with art galleries, sporting gods, and sundries that make up some of the town’s more than 200 historic buildings. To learn more visit about the route visit http://www.silverthreadbyway.com
Fun things to do in Lake City
Take in a mine tour at the Hard Tack Mine and learn about silver rush of the late 1800’s. Having a rich history in mining due to the vastly rich mineral deposits, the town’s population soared to 10,000 in the late 1800’s. Today, the population of year-round residents is just 450 and now an outdoor recreation paradise with summer and winter activities.
Visit the Alferd Packer site to learn about Colorado’s infamous cannibal Al Packer. He was accused of Cannibalism during an especially harsh winter of 1874. He and five fellow prospectors set out to travel through the high mountains near Lake City during the peak of winter. He claimed his companions had died or been eaten by animals but later confessed to surviving off their remains while trapped by wintery conditions. He was sentenced to death but later, his sentence was reduced to 40 years, and he was paroled and died in 1907. There are many sites and even a restaurant named Packer’s Cannibal Grill.
There is an abundance of 4-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles for rent to explore the many backroads in the area. Or try a winter snowmobile trip.
In 2007, the town started an ice climbing wall to compete with the town of Ouray and boost the winter tourism activities. The steep canyon walls provide many opportunities for winter and summer climbing activities.
We hiked on the Powderhorn Trail with beautiful views once you climb to the vista. There are a couple of lakes if you hike further about six miles in. This trail is off the Deer Creek dirt road as you travel up Slumgullion Pass. There are a few other hikes along Deer Creek Road and some dispersed camping sites called, Spruce and Hidden Valley nestled along Mineral Creek.
Lake San Cristobal is a short drive from town and worth the trip whether you are an angler or not. Lake San Cristobal was formed by a continually moving earth slide off Slumgullion pass and is the second largest natural lake in Colorado. The Gunnison River is the convergence of Henson Creek and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River which flows out of San Cristobal Lake.
Other activities include fishing, both in winter and summer, horseback riding, and festivals. The Uncorked Wine and Music Festival is the 3rd Saturday in September but be prepared to bring your own food. We heard from a local that after drinking so much wine, someone called 911 because the town ran out of food. Small towns that make their livelihoods mainly on summer tourism often can’t keep up with larger crowds so if you go, be prepared. For more on this remote mountain town visit: http://www.lakecity.com
Good Eats in Lake City Colorado
Overall, the town has some southern influence when it comes to food. Many Texans escape to this remote mountain paradise to avoid the summer heat. In fact, this part of Colorado was actually part of the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1846, prior to the Mexican American War, hence the nickname “Little Texas”.
Lake City Café is open in the morning for breakfast sandwiches which were delicious by the way. Their lunch and dinner side of the café serves southern comfort food from Louisiana. We sampled, Gumbo and Chicken and Waffles, a Southern favorite.
Southern Vittles serves Cajun fare such as Gumbo and Hush Puppies. Everything is homemade and the breaded chicken tenders where the most tender, juicy chicken we have ever tasted.
Packers Cannibal Grill – Offers a variety of fare from burgers, wraps, salads to delicious baked Bavarian Pretzels with Beer Cheese Sauce.
By far, the best food in this tiny town is Climb Eatery, an elevated eatery. It is amazing that they can create delectable fare given the remote location of Lake City. We had the Spicy Jumbo Prawns and Filet Mignon. The prawns were flash fried, tender, and fresh, accompanied with broccoli and wild rice pilaf. The Filet Mignon was tender and juicy, medium rare of course, served with broccoli and hashbrown casserole. Their signature cocktail is a margarita made from infused pineapple and habanero tequila, slightly sweet with a bit of heat. To complete the meal, a mint ice cream pie with Oreo Cookie Crust and drizzled with Chocolate Sauce. I love chocolate and mint; this combination was outstanding. This eatery is a 5+ star place and worth every penny.
Creede Colorado
Next stop is Creede, but along route 149 is road 510 about a mile down is the most photographed waterfall in Colorado, North Clear Creek Falls. It is worth the detour.
The town of Creede sits near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River, population 315. Another Historic Colorado Mining Town with a past rich in mining history of Silver, Gold, and Zinc. A nearly solid vein of Silver was discovered by Creede and two other miners in 1889 on top of Campbell Mountain. As news of the vein spread, the town swelled to a population of more than 10,000.
In the summer of 1892, the Town of Creede was a fortune hunters dream with the promise of gold and silver, saloons and brothels that operated 24 hours a day, and modern technology being one of the first towns in Colorado to have electricity. This inspired the popular slogan “there is no night in Creede.” From 1891-1985 the Creede Mining District produced over eighty-five million ounces of Silver which would be over two billion in today’s dollars.
As with every mining town, Creede had its share of gunslingers and rowdy crowds where brawls and gunfights were a regular occurrence in the late 1800’s. In fact, one of the more notable savory characters was a gunslinger named Bob Ford. You may not have heard of Bob, but you’ve probably heard of Jesse James, who was shot in the back by Bob Ford. Unfortunately, not long after Bob Ford met his demise and was shot by Edward O’Kelley with a shot gun on June 8, 1892. He was laid to rest in the town cemetery which is the first stop along the Bachelor’s Loop Historic Mine Tour.
Bachelors Loop Historic Mine Tour
Bachelor Loop, a historic mine tour on road 504 takes you on a seventeen miles mountainous trek on a dirt road to the most famous mining sites. At the start of the route or end depending on which way you go, there is an underground mining museum built by three retired miners that displays a life like atmosphere and guided recording of the history of mining and the methods used over time. There are still active claims in the area with a permit as recent as 2021. Most of the mining activity ceased in 1985 except for some exploratory drilling in 2011 that did not produce any silver and the recent permit we discovered.
Although Creede has its share of outdoor recreation activities similar to Lake City, the town has a vastly different feel to it. Creede seems to focus more on the historic mines and downtown historic district with art galleries and tourist type shops appealing to a broader spectrum. They even have live theatre, producing nationally recognized plays June through September. Where Creede has a more artistic feel, Lake City is a sportsman’s paradise in a remote forestland with scenic lakes and viewscapes with a downhome Texas feel.
Good Eats
Being the first of June, these sleepy little mountain towns are just waking up for the season and there are not a lot of food options. Again, this town also has a bit of southern flare to their food with white gravies and barbecue on just about every menu.
ARPs Restaurant is owned by the same chef that owns the Creede Hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel restaurant is being remodeled and will not be open for another month. They plan to offer fare from around the world as their featured special of the day along with other comfort foods such as meatloaf and Chicken Fried Steak. ARPS has a daily special and great salads. We had the Greek Salad with homemade dressing and the meatloaf topped with barbecue sauce (or course) served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.
The Antlers Restaurant and Lodge is a beautiful recreation spot along the Rio Grande just a few miles outside of town. There are a dozen log cabins of various size and plenty of RV sites with full hookup. The restaurant has a back deck and bar the sits next to the river with live music. The meal was spectacular, Pork Loin Wellington with rice pilaf and spring vegetables, and marinated Elk Tenderloin with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and spring vegetables. Fine dining at its best!
We grabbed a quick savory pastry on the way out of town at the Bristol Head Bakery. This bakery, located inside a tiny house structure has the most delectable sweet and savory treats. Egg, ham and cheese croissants and Lemon Blueberry Brioche, deliciously flaky and crunchy with a hint of tart. Top notch.
South Fork
On to South Fork, the last stop on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway. You can take a journey by bike rail on the abandoned Rio Grande Rail line with a company called Revolution Rail. You can opt for a 6-mile round trip peddle or bike one way and raft on the Rio Grande back to town. Along the route, learn about the history of the Rio Grande Rail line and why the line is no longer in service. Although, we did not stay and explore South Fork, it is a recreation paradise surrounding the confluence of the Rio Grande and South Fork Rivers. The town was originally founded to complete the Rio Grande Western Railway Line into Creede to support the mining activities but now the economic base is focused mainly on tourism.
Other points of interest are the Wheeler Geologic area featuring a stunning rock formation created by volcanic eruptions, also the basis of the San Juan Mountain Range. Coller State Wildlife Area where you can still pitch a tent alongside the Rio Grande and hopefully catch a glimpse of elk, deer, antelope, or big horn sheep. Visit the Post Office Rock where settlers would place mail in cubbyholes in this large rock and others would retrieve and carry the mail to the mining camps.
This was a fantastic road trip along the Silver Thread Scenic Byway with a glimpse of past Historic events that shaped the character of these small remote Colorado Mountain Towns.
