Photo opportunities around Creede

Hi everyone. I haven't officially joined the RMNP group yet, but check in here all the time. My son and I are planning a vacation for late next week. We want to take pictures and maybe do a little fly fishing also. I was thinking about going down around Creede just because I haven't been there yet. Does anyone have any recommendations for the area? Thanks for your input!

Monte

Might want to look at Wheeler Geologic Area, I think it is only 15 miles or so from Creede to the Forest Road turnoff. Then it is 15-20 more miles on a smooth dirt road to the hiking trailhead/jeep road. It is something like a 7 mile hike one-way, or you can take the jeep road. The jeep road is something like 13 miles, but take a minimum of about 1.5 hours to drive, its really a bumpy ride. But it ends about 1/4 mile hike away from the scenic area. The area is made up of eroded volanic rock, scuplted into really beautiful formations, very unique.

i don't know much about creede, having been there for my first time last week, but it lies along a scenic byway (Silver Thread) and has plenty of opportunity for touristy shots with the Rio Grande running along the road. I drove from Lake City through Creede in the early evening and was awed by the beauty and simplicity of the land.
Part of the Uncompahgre Range sticks up like a sore thumb along the side of the highway. It's very pretty in the evening light.

Check out the Creede website for details on the town- they have an award-winning town theater, if you're in to that. www.creede.com

Just make sure you have a full tank of gas. I only managed to spot 1 gas station in Creede and it seemed like the next one was a long way away.

Here is a picture from the Silver Thread Byway, looking toward the northeast not too far northwest of Creede. Enjoy your trip!

Monte, you'll find plenty of good fishing down that way for sure! There are a couple good shops in Creede and South Fork that can head you in the right direction.

Amy has it right, that drive from Creede to Lake City is a cool one! No tall jagged peaks, but a beautiful rolling landscape! Great image by the way Amy! Within a mile or less of her image is one of my favorite spots to shoot, North Clear Creek Falls (attached image) Just off the highway, couldn't be an easier location to get to! Overcast, or late or early are your best bets here.

Just out of the town of Creede is the Bachelor Loop Road, with tons of classic mining structures and such to see. I don't believe 4WD is necessarily required. Hopefully someone else can confirm that for me.

If you head down to South Fork, and then up highway 160 towards Wolf Creek Pass, you will come to Park Creek County road. Beautiful drive through a great valley, eventually getting to the ghost town of Summitville, or possibly Elwood Pass and Schinzel Flats (another Schinzel Flats image ), a couple other favorite spots of mine!

Good luck, and have fun! Let us know how it goes!!

Creede is in a beautiful region... lots of big wide pristine green landscapes around there. But as Scott F. mentioned, the Wheeler Geologic Area is a really unique spot. Scott Borger and I spent a few days in that surreal landscape last year... it's a very fun place to wander around with a camera... like Utah desert style formations but up around treeline! Here's a few photos I took there:
http://www.widerange.org/photo.php?id=584
http://www.widerange.org/photo.php?id=583

Thanks everyone for your help. I forgot all about the Wheeler Area and wasn't aware of the falls that are around there. Sounds like lots of opportunities. Hopefully we will have some good weather.