Spirit Gulch

SUBMITTED BY:   San Juan Images (Barbara Lawson/Ray Turner)

GPS COORDINATES:   37.916, -107.704 Trailhead

                                        37.9266, -107.7103 Bottom of gulch

                                        37.9323, -107.7134 Upper gulch with optional mining road access

                                                                           to stunning flowers

                                        37.9302, -107.7081 Overlook of Red Mountain Mining district

ELEVATION:     10,680 to 12,060

DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM DURANGO: 59 miles north on US 550 to the Red Mountain Mining District Overlook at the old Idarado Mine site. You passed a gate at the start of a 180 degree switchback 1/10 of a mile before the turn off to the overlook. This is the trailhead. There is very limited parking near the gate, but there is always parking at the overlook.

ROAD CONDITIONS: (mark yes if applies)

       PAVED:        Yes

       GRAVEL:

       DIRT:

       ROCKY:

       OTHER:

ACCESSIBILITY: (Mark yes if applies)

       ANY VEHICLE:  Yes

       HIGH CLEARANCE:

       4x4 VEHICLE:

       OTHER:

BEST TIME OF YEAR:     Alpine flower season -- last two weeks of July through the first two weeks August. This is one of the later blooming basins.

BEST TIME OF DAY:    Morning golden hour through late afternoon

CAMERA EQUIPMENT / SETTINGS SUGGESTIONS:   This is flower heaven. You are going to want wide angle, macro, and normal lenses, a tripod, a polarizing filter and perhaps a soft graduated neutral density filter, depending on sky conditions.

HIKING INFO:   This is a 2.5 mile hike one way gaining 1500 feet of elevation on a well established old mining road. There are numerous lesser spur roads to interesting mining sites, but stay with the main road, always to the north.

OTHER NOTE WORTHY INFORMATION: