A snowy drive to Wheeler Geologic Area

[Jeremy P.]

Last week while near Creede, Colorado I decided to take my wife and kids toward Wheeler Geologic Area. Wheeler is a small area of uniquely sculpted volcanic ash inside the La Garita wilderness area. The road to Wheeler is 10 miles of gravel and about 14 miles of double track trail. Since the trail starts at about 10,800' and ends around 11,800', the recent storm in the area left a decent amount of snow on the ground. For the first couple of miles there were tracks in the snow from a couple other vehicles and an ATV, then after that we made fresh tracks until the end. There were a few tricky spots to navigate due to the snow but no major incidents.




We didn't have a chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked due to the snow and small kids, but what we could see will entice us to come back during the summer in order to explore some more, as there is a 4 mile path that loops around the area. The grey trees are from the extensive spruce beetle infestation in southern Colorado.





There is a small shelter cabin near the base of the formations


If you plan to visit this area, I would recommend an early start to have plenty of time to explore. There are also numerous spots on the trail where mud holes could become large and difficult during wet periods, so mid or late summer would be the best time to visit the area.