Cottonwood Pass picnic area

Gunnison National Forest

(map link)

I was down in the cloud covered valley nearish Taylor Park and decided to head up to the picnic area near the pass for breakfast. It's a much better view. It has a small use trail from the bathroom out to the edge of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, and, if you look closely, a little further either up or down the ridge line.

Taylor Park Reservoir still covered in cloud.

Looking back along the use trail toward Cottonwood Pass.

The ridge that is the usual, but certainly not only, end point for folks walking the trail by the picnic area.

I looked out over the congressionally designated wilderness and took it into my mind to go there, where there was a massive green shoulder of mountain above tree line.

The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness north of the picnic area.

Trail along the ridge was hard to find at first, but then there was a sudden very clear piece that happens to come from the old picnic area. This is the one shown on my Forest Service topo, accessed via a 4x4 road off the improved gravel road over the pass. (It's paved now and very clearly been rerouted in a few spots. The picnic access is also paved. Gunnison really needs to update their stuff.) There's even a sign post on the ridge, but the sign is gone.

Hey, look, there's a trail going my way.

This trail started dropping off the ridge on the wilderness side of the ridge, but it continued to be really good, so I continued to follow it. It got into a spot where the starts of a few streams were shown on my map and finally vanished. Someone had stacked a few rocks to mark the last visible spot. I had seen some more trail further along in the valley, though. The little streams were mildly difficult to navigate, but the section was short. Once past it, I had fairly easy cross country, then I really was on trail again, basically all the way to the shoulder.

The arrows point at spots where I could see trail from across the valley.

One of the Texas Lakes is visible. My map claims I should find the Continental Divide Trail there along the Texas Lakes Trail.

Arriving on the alpine tundra of the large shoulder of ridge that I aimed at.

I set to recording flowers, choosing one around me, then moving 20-30 feet and choosing another. The flowers changed from the edge to the ridge, so I missed my chance for a few.

Bluebells live near the edges.

Showy grasses. (Actually a buckwheat relative.)

Drier, rockier areas have flowers that form mats. (Alpine sandwort.)

A mat of pale alpine forget-me-not.

Butterflies too.

Of course, I had wanted to go to the shoulder to take in the undoubtedly grand view that could be had from it. I was looking out on grand peaks, some of which missed out on being 14ers by less than 100 feet. There's some 14ers too.

That one toward the left is Mount Yale and it is a 14er.

Past the end of the gully of North Texas Creek (centermost) are Emerald Peak (13.9k, apparent tallest), Iowa Peak (13.8k), and Missouri Mountain (14k). I think I missed Ice Mountain (13.9k) off the left.

No peaks missed in this one: the ridge, back to ridge, 360° view panorama.

So, how to go back? I had thoughts about dropping down the ridge, one way or another, to connect with the trail below (where OpenStreetMap suggested I would find the CDT following the South Texas Trail) and follow it to the pass, then ridge walk back to the start.

Somewhere down there, in the trees, is the South Texas Trail.

I wandered the ridge a little looking at it and decided to skip the first part and just walk the ridge back. The plants changed as I climbed, too.

The mountain view to the north gets more impressive with elevation.

At the top of the first peak, just 100 feet short of the high point of the ridge walk ahead.

At the top a prize. I suspect a Lewisia!

Still pondering the trail below. It crosses a creek that starts in that pond, but it's still in the trees.

At the top, I found myself in a common flight path of both commercial and military planes. If the planes are flying, does that mean thunder storms are unlikely in the near term?

Not a commercial flight.

Blue columbines among the rocks.

I was not alone on the ridge. I spotted a couple striding down the side toward the picnic area. The ridge itself has faint trail through the alpine tundra. Where there's faint trail, I get indecisive about following it. If it is going to turn into trail, it's best to follow it and leave the rest untrod. If it won't, it's best not to. Here, I suspect trails will form.

Looking down on Cottonwood Pass and the CDT as it closely follows the actual divide south of the pass.

Another panorama, this time from the high point.

Going down had more trail, but also a couple rocky peaks that were a little boulder hopping to get around. Some people went over. That seems a valid choice, too. I liked around. Mostly, it was just a walk like the rest of the trip.

Whipple's Penstemon seems to come in two different colors.

Looking down on the road changes that show that my Forest Service topo isn't so much wildly inaccurate as out of date.

These ones have tiny little spots all over their petals. (Matte saxifrage.)

Former signage on the ridge.

I decided to follow the strong trail down and see the old picnic area. It did go right there. There were more tables, now mostly decayed leaving only the concrete base. There were large grills for fires even though the area is above 12000 feet.

Two visions of the same butterfly on some Arnaca. These often sit with their wings together only showing the very dull side.

Bittercress beside the small pond on the way to the old picnic space.

Bits of a table and a grill at the old picnic area.

Then I found my way down the hill to the new picnic area where the plastic "wood" tables probably won't rot away very quickly and it's a little more accessible. It even has accessible tables and toilets. It could use some accessible ramps to get between those and the parking lot. Still a nice picnic area with a hidden hike possible.

*photo album*




©2022 Valerie Norton
Written 15 Aug 2022