Wolf Creek (Mineral County, Colorado)

Last updated
Wolf Creek [1]
Wolf Creek (Mineral County, Colorado).JPG
The creek at Forest Road 648 (West Fork Road) on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass looking back towards the pass.
Location
Country United States
State Colorado
County Mineral County
Physical characteristics
Source 
  location Wolf Creek Pass
  coordinates 37°28′20″N106°48′33″W / 37.47222°N 106.80917°W / 37.47222; -106.80917
Mouth West Fork San Juan River
  location
Mineral County, Colorado
  coordinates
37°25′50″N106°53′36″W / 37.43056°N 106.89333°W / 37.43056; -106.89333 Coordinates: 37°25′50″N106°53′36″W / 37.43056°N 106.89333°W / 37.43056; -106.89333
  elevation
7,785 ft (2,373 m) [1]
Length8.3 miles (13.4 km) [1]
Basin features
Progression West Fork San JuanSan JuanColorado

Wolf Creek is a stream in Mineral County, Colorado. It is the creek for which Wolf Creek Pass is named. [2]

Contents

Source

The creek rises just to the west of the Wolf Creek ski area at the Continental Divide near the top of Wolf Creek Pass. From there it flows west, paralleling U.S. Highway 160 for several miles until it passes under the highway on its way to its confluence with the West Fork of the San Juan River near the bottom of the pass.

View from a US 160 overlook part way up the west side of Wolf Creek Pass, near the source Wolf Creek from US 160 overlook.jpg
View from a US 160 overlook part way up the west side of Wolf Creek Pass, near the source

See also

Related Research Articles

Minturn, Colorado Home rule municipality in Colorado, United States

Minturn is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,027 at the 2010 United States Census.

South Park (Park County, Colorado) high intermontane grassland basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado

South Park is a grassland flat within the basin formed by the Rocky Mountains' Mosquito and Park Mountain Ranges within central Colorado. This high valley ranges in elevation from approximately 9,000 to 10,000 ft. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River in Park County approximately 60 mi (100 km) southwest of Denver. It is the largest and southernmost of three similarly named high altitude basins in the Front Range of Colorado, the others being North Park and Middle Park. The largest town in the basin is Fairplay, with a population of 681.

Wolf Creek Pass mountain pass in Colorado

Wolf Creek Pass is a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. It is the route through which U.S. Highway 160 passes from the San Luis Valley into southwest Colorado on its way to New Mexico and Arizona. The pass is notable as inspiration of a C. W. McCall song. The pass is significantly steep on either side and can be dangerous in winter. There are two runaway truck ramps on the westbound side for truckers that lose control of their brakes.

U.S. Route 160 highway in the United States

U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at US 67 and Missouri 158 southwest of Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Its route, if not its number, was made famous in song in 1975, as the road from Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs, Colorado in C.W. McCall's country music song Wolf Creek Pass.

Middle Park (Colorado basin) high basin in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, United States

Middle Park is a high basin in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. It is located in Grand County, on the southwest slope of Rocky Mountain National Park, approximately 50 miles (80 km) west of Boulder.

Clear Creek (Colorado) tributary of the South Platte River in north central Colorado in the United States

Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 66 miles (106 km) long, in north central Colorado in the United States. The creek flows through Clear Creek Canyon in the Rocky Mountains directly west of Denver, descending through a long gorge to emerge on the Colorado Eastern Plains where it joins the South Platte. Clear Creek is unusual in that it is a stream named "creek" fed by a stream named "river". Fall River empties into Clear Creek along I-70 west of Idaho Springs, Colorado.

St. Vrain Creek river in the United States of America

St. Vrain Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 32.2 miles (51.8 km) long, in north central Colorado in the United States. It drains part of the foothills north of Boulder and the Colorado Piedmont area in the vicinity of Longmont.

Tennessee Pass (Colorado) mountain pass

Tennessee Pass elevation 10,424 ft (3,177 m) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The pass was named after Tennessee, the native state of a group of early prospectors.

North Fork South Platte River river in the United States of America

The North Fork South Platte River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long, in central Colorado in the United States. The river is located near the headwaters of the South Platte in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver, draining a rugged area of the Front Range just south of the basin of Clear Creek.

Curecanti National Recreation Area

Curecanti National Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state's premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.

State Highway 82 is an 85.3-mile-long (137.3 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. Its western half provides the principal transportation artery of the Roaring Fork Valley on the Colorado Western Slope, beginning at Interstate 70 (I-70) and U.S. Highway 6 in Glenwood Springs southeast past Carbondale, Basalt and Aspen. From there it continues up the valley to cross the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. On the Eastern Slope, it follows Lake Creek past some of Colorado's highest mountains to Twin Lakes Reservoir, where it ends at US 24 south of Leadville.

Black Creek (Toronto) river in Canada

Black Creek is a river in the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. It flows from the city of Vaughan in Regional Municipality of York to the Humber River in Toronto. Black Creek is smaller than most of the waterways in the Greater Toronto Area.

Colorado State Highway 9 highway in Colorado

State Highway 9 (SH 9) in the U.S. state of Colorado is a 138-mile-long (222 km) state highway through central Colorado. SH 9's southern terminus is at U.S. Route 50 (US 50) near Cañon City, and the northern terminus is at US 40 in Kremmling. SH 9 is part of the Gold Belt Byway from US 50 to High Park Road and Colorado River Headwaters Byway from US 40 to Trough Rd.

K-99 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway runs 234.473 miles (377.348 km) from Oklahoma State Highway 99 (SH-99) at the Oklahoma state line near Chautauqua north to Nebraska Highway 99 (N-99) at the Nebraska state line in Summerfield. K-99 connects Emporia with several smaller county seats to the south and north, including Sedan, Howard, Eureka, Alma, and Westmoreland while passing through the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. When K-99 was first designated it was K-11, but was renumbered to match SH-99 in Oklahoma.

Rio Chama

The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about 130 miles (210 km) long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about 50 miles (80 km), from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about 51 miles (82 km), and from Abiquiu Dam to its confluence with the Rio Grande is about 34 miles (55 km).

Virginia State Route 39 state highway in Virginia, United States

State Route 39 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 59.17 miles (95.22 km) from the West Virginia state line near Mountain Grove, where the highway continues as West Virginia Route 39, east to U.S. Route 11 in East Lexington. SR 39 connects Lexington with several communities formed around hot springs in Bath County. In Rockbridge County, the state highway passes through the town of Goshen and Goshen Pass, a gorge formed by the Maury River.

Colorado State Highway 67 highway in Colorado

State Highway 67 (SH 67) is a 71-mile-long (114 km) state highway encompassing five distinct segments in south-central Colorado. SH 67's southern terminus is at SH 96 in Wetmore, and the northern terminus is at U.S. Route 85 in Sedalia. It traverses the former route of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad through Phantom Canyon as a county road and carrying part of the Gold Belt Byway.

Colorado State Highway 94 highway in Colorado

State Highway 94 is an 85.5-mile-long (137.6 km) east–west Colorado state highway that goes east beginning from US 24 just east of Colorado Springs and ending at U.S. Highway 40/U.S. Highway 287 in rural Cheyenne County west of Wild Horse. The highway serves Schriever Air Force Base and the towns of Ellicott, Yoder, and Rush, where it then crosses through rural country. It also serves the Punkin Center area where it comes to a junction with SH 71. It then passes through more very rural country until it reaches a stop at US 40/287 west of the unincorporated town of Wild Horse.

U.S. Route 26 in Oregon Section of U.S. Highway in Oregon, United States

U.S. Route 26 (US-26) is a major cross-state United States highway with its western terminus in the U.S. state of Oregon, connecting U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast near Seaside with the Idaho state line east of Nyssa. Local highway names include the Sunset Highway No. 47, Mount Hood Highway No. 26, and John Day Highway No. 5 before continuing into Idaho and beyond.

Grape Creek (Colorado)

Grape Creek is a tributary of the Arkansas River that flows through Custer and Fremont counties in South-Central Colorado. The creek drains much of the Wet Mountain Valley, located between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Wet Mountains in Custer County.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wolf Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  2. "Tales told with markers". The Colorado Magazine. Vol. 47 no. 3. 1970. p. 240. Retrieved 2019-08-24.