Palisade Campground River Trail

My wife and I walked the railroad from near the town of Creede to Wason Ranch. We turned back because the railroad crosses into Wason Ranch, which is personal property.

My wife and I walked the railroad from the Palisade CG to the Upper Coller State Wildlife Area.  We crossed over a river bridge that was dangerous because it was in bad shape, so rather than go back across it, we roadwalked along Hwy 149 until we could get back onto the tracks.

This trail is somewhat informal and unimproved.  It leaves from the Palisade Campground off Hwy 149 and goes along or on top of the old abandoned railroad tracks that were once used to haul mininng cargo from Creede to Denver.  The trail is nice in that it parallels the beautiful Rio Grande, but it's somewhat difficult to walk since the planks of the railroad track are not spaced the same as your stride. As a result, you end up looking down most of the time to focus on your footing so you don't trip or roll an ankle.  My wife and I hiked up the tracks from Palisade CG to Blue Creek, then turned around.  You could go further on the tracks if you wanted to.  Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours exercising in the beautiful Fall weather.