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Trailhead: On Colorado 17, 6.7 miles north of Cumbres Pass or
.7 miles south of La Manga Pass, at the junction with FR 114, the Red
Lake Trail Road.
Parking: Excellent parking on the east side of Colorado 17 just
north of the trailhead.
Trailhead Elevation: 10, 200’
Yurt Elevation: 11,200’
Yurt GPS: 37 04 520N; 106 26 919
Mileage to the Yurt: 4 miles
Maps: Cumbres Pass, CO 7.5 min. USGS quad; Rio Grande
National Forest; For those of you wishing to ski out into the
South San Juan Wilderness, I recommend the Archuletta Creek, Co. and
Victoria Lake, Co. 7.5 min. USGS topo maps
Directions to the Grouse Creek Yurt- The trailhead for this yurt
lies 6.7 miles north of Cumbres Pass and .7 miles south of La Manga Pass
on Co. Highway 17 at the turnoff for Forest Road 114, the Red Lake Trail
Road. From this point head southwest following the blue blazes through a
smallish gap in the trees. This will soon open up into a large meadow
area. You continue west directly across this meadow up a small drainage
marked by the blazes. Follow this route up the drainage until it opens
into a long open meadow. Go straight across this meadow heading west and
ski up into the trees and soon after turn right onto a logging road.
This road is relatively easy to follow. At a little less than 4 miles
from the road you will follow the blue blazes to the left across a
meadow uphill until you intersect another logging road which you will
follow to the yurt. The trail is approximately 4 miles. The trailhead is
at an elevation of 10,160' and the yurt itself is at 11,200'. Therefore,
you should be prepared for a steadily climbing trail. For those with
routefinding skills there are alternative loops that can be skied back
to the highway. The trail as it is marked is the easiest route from the
road to the yurt. Click on Grouse Creek
Yurt Trail Map to see the topo map of the yurt trail.
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