Colorado residents think of the Sangre de Cristos as ”their mountains.” In contrast, the more publicized San Juans north of Durango, the Elk Mountains around Aspen and every inch of Rocky Mountain National Park are the ”tourist mountains.”
The Sangres, as the residents refer to the range, are a sort of state secret and a lot of residents would like to keep it as such.
There are many reasons for being possessive about these mountains. They are high, with eight 14,000-foot peaks, most notably Crestone Peak (14,294 feet) and Blanca (14, 345 feet). Both would look down on the more famous Pikes Peak. It`s also a long range, stretching for 100 miles from the state`s mid-section to the New Mexico border, where it extends an additional 150 miles. The range is packed with wildlife and shy of people. There are 86 alpine lakes, glaciers and the Great Sand Dune National Monument.
Getting to the Sangres isn`t difficult; it`s a 1 1/2-hour drive from Colorado Springs, 2 1/2 from Denver. The drive to the San Juans or Elks takes at least twice as long.
There are two main access routes from Denver or Colorado Springs. You may go through the Arkansas River Canyon on U.S. Hwy. 50 or drive over the Wet Mountains on Colo. Hwy. 96. Your selection depends on whether you want to be low in the canyon, or high in the mountains. Both routes are delightful.
Whatever course you take, the initial destination is the little town of Westcliffe, about six miles from the eastern escarpment of the range. There are five lodging establishments here: The Vivienda Parque Condos are the most modern and the Bear Track Ranch is the ”woodiest.” There are also a variety of guides available for those wanting professional introduction to the region. Other than backpacking through the range, probably the best way to see the area is by staying in the Alpine Lodge in the National Forest Service`s Alvarado campground, seven miles west of Westcliffe. The resort rents comfortable two-bedroom cabins ($40 a night) with kitchenettes. There is also a restaurant in the main lodge with decent food.
More important than housing is the resort`s location, at the intersection of four hiking trails leading into the mountain range. The resort owner, Lloyd Mackie, will be glad to suggest one of these trails for you. And he can arrange guides, pack animals and fishing gear. He usually knows where the fish are biting and on what bait.
The Rainbow Trail, which begins here, is among the most famous in Colorado. It`s a 14-mile loop that goes from the campground into the high mountain core and back. Residents often drive up and do the loop in a day. It`s not easy, but it`s worth the effort. You begin climbing to the high peaks through aspen forests that split the sun into golden shafts. Several miles ahead, you come to Venable Falls, a roaring cascade pouring through a split in a granite wall. This is a good place to rest and refill your water bottle in a calm pool.
After another hour of hiking, the aspen forest opens into an enormous glacial cirque–the heart of the Sangres. Eternal snow covers some peaks. Two lakes rest below. For backpackers this is a perfect campsite. For those making the loop in a day, the most thrilling hiking lies just above.
This is the Phantom Terrace, a foot-wide section of trail across the west face of the cirque. The drop-off is sheer and some people have fallen off the path, plunging 1,500 feet to their death. For any sure-footed person, the crossing should not be so dramatic. In fact, some people cross-country ski across this skinny section in winter.
From there the trail crosses a high ridge, overlooking the western San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes before turning back to Alvarado campground. Here golden eagles soar, hunting marmots in the boulder fields. The marmots whistle as you pass their rocky burrows. After a mile, the trail descends into another glacial cirque and from there tucks under the Aspen canopy for the last leg home.
Pack a picnic lunch, some rain gear and a camera. But don`t pack too much. People in good shape should be able to conquer the loop in six or seven hours.
You could reach the Great Sand Dunes by taking a trail branching off the Rainbow loop. But it would be extremely difficult to make it in a day. To visit the Sand Dunes, almost everyone–even local residents–drives.
It`s about a 70-mile drive south from Westcliffe, down Colo. Hwy. 69 to U.S. Hwy. 160. This road takes you over the Sangres by way of La Veta Pass. Outside of Fort Garland you turn north on Colo. Hwy. 150 and you will have your first sight of the sand dunes hunched against the mountains.
The Great Sand Dune National Monument covers 57 square miles, and what an incongruous sight it is. The piles of sand seem out of place with the mountains. Dunes rise to 1,200-foot heights. It`s totally dry, other than three creeks cutting through the sand that carry the water from the mountain above.
At the monument headquarters, there is a nature walk with tours provided by naturalists in the summer months. One of the most impressive aspects of the Great Sand Dunes is the light. During sandstorms, at daybreak or sunset optical effects are almost otherworldly.
There is a campground in the monument that can accommodate car campers or tent campers. The closest lodgings are in Alamosa, 30 miles west. Alamosa is the population center of the San Luis Valley and has 10 hotels, ranging from funky 1950s bungalows to the more contemporary. When choosing a local restaurant, try one that features the locally popular Mexican specialties.
Sangre de Cristo, incidentally, is Spanish for ”Christ`s blood.” Here Colorado`s old Spanish influences remain strongest. The Spanish names and the abundance of Spanish speakers signal this fact.
The historical remains and other aspects of the local scene make the Sangres very attractive, and very unusual: The area is not unlike a foreign land. Just another reasons the people around here prize this region so highly.
