Little Cimarron Road (10/17/2016) & Alpine Plateau Road (10/21/2016)

I had noticed Little Cimarron Road several times, but had never taken it.  Checking the map, I saw the road went into the mountains about fifteen miles before ending at a trailhead.  Even though it doesn't go anywhere, I had to cross it off my list, and I hoped there would be some good scenery.

Since this area is mostly National Forest, I was surprised at the number of cabins and houses along the road.  Some appeared to be strictly for hunting, but others looked like permanent residences.  Some folks like to get away from it all and enjoy their privacy.

Right away, a small herd of mule deer crossed the road in front of me, jumping the fence to reach the road.

The mountain scenery was pretty good, although the fall color had long since disappeared.  I made a mental note to return next fall because there were lots of aspen trees.

One spur road apparently leads toward High Mesa, one of the more significant mountains.  I didn't have time to take that road, but I plan to next trip here.

On another day, I made a plan to visit Lake City, one of those quaint mining towns that has somehow held on these many years since there was active mining.  To get there by highway is about 110 miles, but driving across the Alpine Plateau knocks about 40 miles off the distance.  Of course, I wanted to drive the plateau just to see what it's like.

Right away it became apparent that temps on the plateau were a bit colder than down below.  The creek contained quite a bit of ice.

Twenty-seven miles long, the road passes a wide diversity of scenery.  Large aspen groves, thick pine forests and lovely mountain views join with a few large ranches to offer a bit of everything.

I'll pick this up again in the next posting.