San Isabel National Forest
Lewis Creek Trail #1331

The Lewis Creek Trail is a moderately difficult 5 mile hike through the northern Wet Mountains. Most folks who go here go here in the summer and fall.

Elevations:

• Trail beginning: 9,200'
• High Point: 9,200'
• Trail ending: 7,800'

Access: About halfway between Wetmore and Westcliffe on State Route 96, turn north on County Road 271 (Bear Basin area) and follow 271 northeast to CR 274 (at Willow Creek). Turn east on CR 274 and go to Forest Service Road 336. Follow FR 336 as it winds and twists its way to the western trailhead at the higher end of Lewis Creek Trail. The eastern (and lower) trailhead is at the end of FR 310, which climbs out of Hardscrabble Canyon about 3 miles southwest of Wetmore on State Highway 96.

Notes: This part of the Wet Mountains has some pretty fantastic granite formations. The rock itself is about 1.8 billion years old and what you see is what's left after eons of erosion and subjection to various Earth-shaping forces. This is wild and woolly country.

USGS Maps: Wetmore, Hardscrabble Mtn.