Uncomp. Wilderness: backcountry campsite options between Uncompahgre and Matterhorn (Upper East Fork area)?

[rdp32]

I am planning a backpacking trip in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in mid-July (Day 1 is the approach from the East Fork TH; Day 2 is a side trip to Wetterhorn Peak) and am trying to figure out where to plan on camping the first night. I have three main criteria (spectacular scenery is of course also a bonus):

1. flat--I don't sleep well on lumpy terrain or slopes
2. decent water nearby--I'm an experienced backpacker and comfortable with filtering/purification, but I would like to avoid water contaminated by mining or herds of sheep
3. somewhat protected from the elements (it will be on the first night of a trip, so I trust the weather forecast more than I would later in the trip--it doesn't have to be completely below treeline)

Does anyone know if there are decent campsite options (for these criteria) in the general area highlighted in red? Ideally, the region I marked as "C" will have something, as that would make Day 1 do-able but also situate us well for Day 3, in which we will head over to the Middle Fork trail and Wetterhorn Basin). This trip will be mid-week, so I'm not too worried about competing with others for campsites. The spots marked "A" and "B" look relatively flat on the map, but are also higher/more exposed and make for a tough first day (and I'd be more worried about marmots and such gnawing on the stuff we leave at camp while we climb Wetterhorn).

Screenshot 2025-06-14 140831.png (1.08 MiB) Viewed 601 times

Thanks in advance for any info!

[cottonmountaineering]

of all those options i would pick C

A and B are quite high and you wont sleep as well above treeline, there is a lot of human activity around A and B as well

all of the water around there has some mining contamination or sediment due to the nature of the surrounding rocks

[Scott P]

I'd also say C. A and B are at passes above timberline and are likely to be windy. You'll have to worry about lightning too.

B has a snow bank that usually last all year round, but it was a really dry year. It should be there in July though and could be used as a potential water source. Just don't eat/drink the pink snow.

[rdp32]

of all those options i would pick C

A and B are quite high and you wont sleep as well above treeline, there is a lot of human activity around A and B as well

all of the water around there has some mining contamination or sediment due to the nature of the surrounding rocks

All of the water there has mining contamination?!? How do people go backpacking there? (I guess they just drink the water anyway and deal with it later in life?)

In any case, if we go (questionable if the water there is bad), we'll definitely plan on C (or even earlier) rather than A or B. Thanks cottonmountaineering and Scott for the input

[cottonmountaineering]

of all those options i would pick C

A and B are quite high and you wont sleep as well above treeline, there is a lot of human activity around A and B as well

all of the water around there has some mining contamination or sediment due to the nature of the surrounding rocks

All of the water there has mining contamination?!? How do people go backpacking there? (I guess they just drink the water anyway and deal with it later in life?)

In any case, if we go (questionable if the water there is bad), we'll definitely plan on C (or even earlier) rather than A or B. Thanks cottonmountaineering and Scott for the input

yes, i would say in general most of the water high up in CO has some contamination, try to find springs and dont drink rusty water

[mtree]

Its hard to guess the water quality. Just because there was mining in the area doesn't mean its contaminated. Depends on the type of operation. For milling operations you can consider the water downstream as dangerous. If it was a big mining excavation you'll likely see loads of tailings and possibly mounds. Another bad omen. But small bores, tests, and even some hard rock drilling may not have any risk. The trick is figuring out where and what existed nearby. Many abandoned mines are hidden in the trees. I'm sure there are maps out there spelling out various claims, ores, and even named mines. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of mining activity in that area of the San Juans. I'm not sure about the areas you've circled so you should research more.

As for contamination from livestock, unless its an active area, I wouldn't worry as long as you purify the water. (Good luck finding a fresh spring.) I've filtered water in many areas where there were no major activities nearby. Just don't agitate the sediment!

[MidsizeAl]

The water quality in that area is among the worst I've ever experienced. You can literally smell the acid in Matterhorn Creek. The higher up you go, the better it generally appears (B & C), but that's also where we spotted the most sheep. I typically go light on water and just bring along my filter, but when I asked about the water in this area last year, people cautioned me against filtering. We did WH/Unc in a day and ended up bringing some extra liters, stashing them between the two peaks for our return trip. I was glad we did.

[Roca]

If you look on google earth at northern end of your area C, right at tree line there are some tent structures - this is a pretty good camp spot.
I found a lot of small tributaries where the water at least looked and tasted ok, but yeah the major creeks look like death.