Vallecito Creek Trail

Vallecito Creek is the quiet back door into the Weminuche Wilderness: a valley trail that starts at a campground on Vallecito Reservoir and runs 20 miles north to the Continental Divide. The first 4 miles make a day hike through a granite canyon and creekside meadows, with the option to keep going as far as your legs and permit-free camping allow. It sees a fraction of the traffic of the Needle Creek side because there is no train and no fourteener at the end.

The trail leaves the north end of Vallecito Campground and follows the creek on the flat for about 0.6 mile, an easy stretch that families walk on its own. It then enters the wilderness and climbs the west wall of the canyon on switchbacks, gaining most of the day's elevation in a mile, with the creek loud in the granite gorge below and a couple of spots where the trail is cut into the cliff.

Above the gorge the valley opens. The trail drops back to creek level, crosses the first bridge, and rolls through meadows and stands of ponderosa and aspen with the creek beside it. The meadows around 4 miles, at roughly 8,800 feet, are the natural turnaround for the 8-mile day, with campsites for anyone staying. The October 2025 flood washed away the Middle Bridge about 5.5 miles up; the first bridge and the twin bridges survived, but the Forest Service says the creek is no longer passable there and does not expect a replacement soon, so trips beyond that point mean a ford or a turnaround. Beyond, the trail continues past the Johnson Creek junction at about 10 miles, the link to Columbine Pass and Chicago Basin, and on to Hunchback Pass and the Divide.

From Durango, take Florida Road (County Road 240) 17 miles, turn left on County Road 501 for about 9.5 miles through the community of Vallecito, then left on County Road 500 for about 3 miles to the Vallecito Campground entrance at the north end of the reservoir; trailhead parking is on the left, about 45 minutes from town. The trailhead parking lot is just outside the campground entrance; day hikers should not park in the campground loops. There is no fee for the trail. The campground charges a fee and takes reservations, and it is the obvious place to sleep the night before.

Dogs are allowed on leash in the wilderness. The flat first half mile is fine for any kid; the canyon-wall section above it is narrow with drop-offs and is the reason the trail is not marked kid-friendly here, though steady older children manage it. Bears are active around the campground and the lower valley; hang food or use a canister. The creek is not safe to ford in June. Backcountry camping needs no permit, but the usual wilderness rules apply: 100 feet from water, groups of 15 or fewer. Bayfield, 30 minutes south, has a grocery and gas; Durango has everything else. The Chicago Basin guide covers the fourteener side of the same wilderness.