Bachelor Loop (and Dispersed Camping) Creede, Colorado (part 1)

2022-05-15
Tara

So far in our travels, we have enjoyed every area of Colorado we’ve visited! Not surprisingly, the area surrounding Creede was no different. 🏔🤠 What a unique area!

Creede Colorado

Originally, we didn’t have Creede on our itinerary. When our plans changed, we decided to meet up with some friends who were staying at Mountain Views at Rivers Edge – RV Resort & RV Park. We were looking forward to seeing our friends and checking out this RV resort. (We will get into the details of this resort in our next location video.)

We left Granby, CO, and headed to Creede via US 40 west to CO 9 to US 24 E which turns into US Hwy 285 S. If you are unfamiliar, Creede is a very small town (population was 257 in 2020) and surrounded by the canyons, cliffs, and creeks of the San Juan Mountains. At 8,852 feet in elevation, this town was the last big silver boomtown of the 19th century. This historic mining town offers numerous restaurants and boutiques for shopping but maintains its traditional character. Note: there is only one small grocery store in the area, so plan ahead.

On our first night there, we drove into town for dinner and decided to eat at the Creede Hotel and Restaurant. (One of the only places open on a Tuesday) The hotel is the town’s oldest lodging and restaurant establishment and offers 4 rooms for rent during the summer months. The restaurant is open Mon-Sun for lunch and Mon-Sat for dinner. We were in awe of the downtown atmosphere! This city is literally surrounded by jagged mountains – it almost looks like the city was built into them! After dinner, we walked around for a while and took in more of the town’s history.

RV Friends

Once our friends arrived, the fun began! 😜 The first night, we just grabbed pizza at Pizzeria 8852. (They even offer a gluten-free crust, for those who need it) On the second day, we drove back into town with plans to check out the Underground Mining Museum. But first, we had to stop at the unique fire station next door! This station was built in the rocks and we’ve never seen anything like it!! Located at Main St. & Willow Creek Rd. (Willow Creek Canyon) inside a cave, it is the world’s only underground fire station and is often open for visitors.

Mining Museum and Fire Station

Next to the fire station is Creede Underground Mining Museum. The Museum is located completely underground – along with the Community Center. Construction of the museum began in 1990 and was blasted out of a solid rock cliff by 3 Creede miners and finished by a bunch of volunteers. At the time of our visit, they only offered self guided audio tours, but the website does say that they also have guided tours led by retired miners in the summer. Check the website for more details undergroundminingmuseum.com

Bachelor Loop and Boondocking Find!

Another activity we recommend while visiting Creede, is to take the Bachelor Loop Interpretive Tour. This is a 17-mile drive that loops through Creede’s historic silver mining district and ghost towns. The Loop’s route follows West Willow Creek, just outside of Creede. The east route (the way we went), is a road specified for four-wheel drive vehicles that follows East Willow Creek for the majority of the drive. If you do not have 4-wheel drive, it is recommended you drive the loop backward starting on the west side of town.

We spent all day exploring the Bachelor Loop and the different mines along the way. One of the most memorable is the Las Chance Mine lastchancemine.com The mine is open to the public during the summer months (closed on Wednesdays) and they offer mine tours. We didn’t have time to take one of their tours, but we would like to go back one day. On the drive back into town along the west side of Bachelor Loop, we came across an amazing dispersed camping area!! This large area of public land would make for some spectacular boondocking. The views from here were beyond description. Although the area isn’t market for camping, you can find it in several apps and websites. The best GPS coordinates we could get for you are 37°50'40.4″N 106°56'15.5”W.

There were several camping areas already marked with campfires and plenty of space to find your own spot. We felt comfortable saying that we would even be able to get to this area with our large rig! Just be sure to take the roads on the west side of town to get out there!

Our adventures in Creede are not even close to being over yet! In the next video, we will take you on an awesome 4×4 adventure, a crazy hike to Wheeler Geographic Area, and a ride to Lake City.

Have we mentioned that we love Colorado? 😜

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