Cascade Creek Trail & Flume•San Juan National Forest

00:00     Title
00:15     Pinkerton Hot Springs
01:15     Molas Lake Park & Campground
04:40     Little Molas Lake Winter Recreation Area
08:15     Cascade Creek & Flume
12:50     Hermosa Creek Campground
17:10     Junction Creek Campground
19:05     Fin
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The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado are a prime time summer vacation destination. There is plenty of cool fresh clean mountain air, lots of rivers and lakes to splash around in and there are endless activities for outdoor adventurists. One of the most popular pastimes in the San Juan National Forest is 4×4 excursions. In fact, some of the most challenging Jeep trails in the world can be found in this neck of the woods.  

The 4×4 vehicle trails in the San Juan Mountains are National Forest Service Roads and old mining roads. These dirt trails are in mapping systems and a touring route can be plotted on a good GPS device. There are many local Colorado 4×4 websites that publish updates for Jeep trail conditions and closures, so plenty of information is available. The 4×4 touring websites also provide difficulty level ratings for each trail, so a driver does not bite off more than what can be chewed. The Jeep trails range from easy beginner level to a high difficulty level with plenty of dangerous moments. 

The easy Jeep trails are always best to start with when in an unfamiliar territory and the short Cascade Creek Trail is as easy going as it gets. This dirt road only goes a couple of miles uphill, but it can be too rough for an ordinary passenger car. A two wheel drive high ground clearance vehicle can handle this road, but a 4×4 is best when wet.

Basically, the distance on Cascade Creek dirt road is really the same as a short hike and for those who prefer traveling on foot, there is a large parking area next to the access point on the Million Dollar Highway. The Cascade Creek Hiking Trail actually goes much higher up the mountain than the Jeep Trail and following the old wooden flume uphill on foot can be done too. 

Both the hiking trail and the dirt road follow Cascade Creek uphill to a small parking area near a picturesque old wooden flume that is still in use.  For folks in a big city, a flume is something that is only seen at a water sports amusement park, yet these engineering marvels still have a practical purpose way up in the mountains. Controlling the water flow from the seasonal snow melt is necessary and the old historic mining operations also made use of flumes.

Cascade Creek is as picturesque as can be and endless hours can be spent doing the creekside nature walk. Following this trail will literally reveal one small cascade after another. The cool water provides relief from the heat and there is plenty of shade under the aspen and pine trees. Mid to late summer is the peak wildflower bloom season and there is plenty of wildlife to view. Dispersed camping is available near the paved highway, which is a nice option for exploring this picturesque wilderness area. This is reason enough to check out the Cascade Creek Trail and flume when touring the Million Dollar Highway!