RV Resort Ownership Sites and Wheeler Geologic Area (Creede, CO Part 2)

2022-05-29
Tara

We are lucky to have our friends Scott & Christina still with us for our next adventure near Creede, CO!

In this one, we continue exploring the area and get out on an ATV to a spectacular (and VERY difficult to get to) location! 😳

Mountain Views at Rivers Edge RV Resort

First, we wanted to share a little bit about the RV resort where we stayed! Mountain Views at Rivers Edge RV Resort and Campground has amazing views of the San Juan mountains and was a great park with a large community of owned sites. They also have a smaller section of rental sites for daily, weekly, and even monthly guests.

Throughout our travels last summer and fall, we were looking at different options for a future home base. This RV resort had some nice options (some were REALLY nice), so we wanted to share the details with you…

We met with Devin, who is the grandson of the man who originally started this RV resort. Devin, along with his dad and uncle, now runs the park. He explained how the resort is laid out and how they are developing a whole new section of available lots on the other side of the Rio Grande River! Yep…you can get a site on the river and build a cabin to your liking. The future lots and current lots are available in different sizes and prices, so you will have to reach out to them for more details. Their website also offers more details.

Creede Adventure Rentals

Another benefit of staying at Mountain Views is that Creede Adventure Rentals is right across the street! We KNEW that we wanted to get out on a 4-wheeler and check out Wheeler Geologic Area and Scott & Christina were game to go with us! They rent Kawasaki Mules at Creede Adventure Rentals and they also have trailers you can rent (you cannot ride ATVs on the roads in that area).

It was only an 8 mile drive on CO 149 to get to our starting point – a gravel parking area by Wagon Wheel Gap interpretive site. This is a parking area used by many people out on ATVs and is easy to find. Pool Table Road is right across the street and the road we needed to take to get to Wheeler. This is a good gravel road that climbs to an elevation of 10,840 feet in about ten miles and ends at the site of the old sawmill referred to as Hanson’s Mill.  Up to this point, most regular cars and trucks would have no problem traversing this gravel road. However, car travel ends at Hanson’s Mill and the 4×4 road begins.

Things to keep in mind, if you want to take this same trip…

  • It is a long day! – we’re talking 3 hours to get to Wheeler and then 3 hours to get back. And that’s just travel time.
  • Bring everything you might need with you because there are no facilities after Hanson’s Mill.
  • Bring lunch, snacks, water, sunscreen, rain gear, etc with you, and be prepared to bring all trash back with you as well.

Wheeler Geologic Area

We finally got to the resting point where everyone parks and takes a break before hiking up to see the geologic area. We were all ready for some lunch and to stretch our legs!

What we were totally unprepared for is the hike to get to the viewpoint of Wheeler. We THOUGHT we heard the guide say that it is an easy 0.3 mile hike, however it was more like a 3 mile round trip hike! It was also a fairly strenuous hike because it was uphill and we were already up very high in elevation. The trail is also not very well marked and kind of confusing to figure out which way to go. If you follow the way we went, you will get there the fastest.

There is a trail that takes you up and around the whole area of Wheeler, but we were running out of time (and energy) to do that. We made it to the scenic overlook but did not have a chance to stay for too long because we still had a 3-hour drive to get back. But, the little bit of time we did get to spend there was amazing!

When looking online for details about Wheeler Geologic Area and the trails to get to it, there is not a lot of information online. The websites we found most useful are:

We mention in the video that we marked the coordinates of the resting area where we had lunch.
Those are 37° 52'20″N 106°47'15″W.

Plan for a long and exhausting day, but one that is totally worth it! It was made even better by sharing the experience with our friends!!

Next up in our adventures…we take a surprisingly amazing motorcycle ride to Lake City and explore that little mountain town!

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