Yule Creek

No matter how many photos I share of this place, it never gets spoiled.  Even last week, when there were a half dozen cars at the trailhead, we saw only one person on the trail (the trailhead serves two trails, and many take the less scenic one, for reasons that elude me).

a big ass panorama that you have to click to appreciate

old steam engine on the trail

Yule Creek in the Ragged Mountains

I know enough about this trail to avoid it early in the season.  It's north-facing and pretty shady, so it can hold a lot of snow well into June.  We were able to catch a glimpse of the mountains at the south end of the valley from about ten miles away last week, and could see they held lots of snow.  But after several days of warmth, I figured it was safe to try the hike.

stream or trail?

The beginning of the hike was wet.  What ought to have been a seasonal stream crossing the trail became a seasonal stream on the trail.  The top third of the hike alternated between shallow snow and easy hiking.  One place was deep and steep, and I prudently walked around it.

snow on the trail

Before too long I reached the overlook above Thompson Flats and was rewarded with one of my favorite views in Colorado:

the view 

Blogspot is very touchy lately, making photo uploads difficult (if not impossible), so you're seeing the black & white version instead of the color one, as that's the only one that would load.  Because it was mostly cloudy, I actually like the B&W landscape better.

The Yule Creek Valley in the Raggeds Wilderness

My home in the Crystal River valley is bordered to the northeast by the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness and to the southeast by the Raggeds Wilderness.  There are many fantastic trails in this under-traveled area.  My favorite is easily Yule Creek.  From just below the top of the quarry road south of Marble, Colorado, the trail climbs about 1,500 feet in the first mile and a half.  At this point, you're on an overlook above a beautiful hanging valley.

I call those three peaks "the Baby Bells," because of their resemblance to the Maroon Bells - the most photographed feature in the state.  The taller one on the right is Mt. Justice.  The wide area below is Thompson Flats.

If you descend to Thompson Flats, there's a stream crossing (which is running very high and fast this year).  I recommend a pair of water shoes, as I try my best to keep my shoes and socks dry for my hiking comfort.

From here, the trail is relatively easy for the next mile or two as it winds through wildflower meadows and past rapids and small waterfalls.  Eventually it climbs to Yule Pass.  At this point, some hikers will do an about-face and traverse the slope to Yule Lakes, whose exit streams crossed the trail along the way up.

Colorado's Yule Creek

Yule Creek, in the Raggeds Wilderness south of Marble, Colorado, is one of my favorite hikes. 

A relatively steep trail for the first mile, it moderates just before reaching an overlook above Thompson Flats.  The view there is one of the best you'll find.

The trail then descends a few hundred feet to cross the creek, and is quite easy to hike as it works its way up toward Yule Pass.  Many rapids and waterfalls along the way make it a very scenic hike with lots of photo opportunities

I had heard there was a trail from the quarry up to Thompson Flats, and so on our descent, we stayed on the east side of the creek and followed an easy trail down.  We didn't notice the crossing at first, and found ourselves bushwhacking around the willows and stinging nettle until we returned and crossed over to the west side for the rest of the descent.  When we reached the quarry, I recognized the area from taking visitors there.  Since I was last in the area, however, a private homeowner erected a barricade which we had to scale to get back on the quarry road and down to the car.