Willow Creek Trailhead

Location

RangeSangre de Cristo

Elevation8,850'

Lat/Lon37.98889, -105.66278

14ersChallenger Point, Kit Carson Peak

Road Difficulty

2 2WD, rough dirt, good clearance

Easy 4WD may be required because the road sometimes forms ruts and portions are a bit steep.

Driving Directions

Take Colorado 17 to the town of Moffat. On the south side of town, look for the sign for Crestone and turn east on the "RD T" road. Drive approx. 11.5 miles to Crestone. Continue straight and turn left on Alder Street. Drive through town a bit and turn right onto Galena. Follow Galena out of town and it turns to dirt. Now on Forest Service road #949, it's approx. 2 miles to the trailhead.

On-Site Info

ParkingRoom for ~30 vehicles.

CampingNot much dispersed camping in the area. If you're not packing in, consider sleeping in your vehicle.

Restrooms?Yes

Fees?No

Photos

Winter Access

Unknown

Trailhead added by BillMiddlebrook

Status Updates
Map


8/18/2017 Posted On: 8/19/2017 By: sibyllec Info: There is now a toilet at the trailhead.
7/2/2017 Posted On: 7/3/2017 By: speach Info: Easily made it to the trailhead in a Prius, which only has 5.5" of clearance. Mosquitoes are still insane right now. I suggest putting on bug spray before you exit the car, or at least immediately afterwards, and be quick with opening/closing the doors. Bring a lot of bug spray for the hike too, as the mosquitoes are present for the entire Willow Creek approach and beyond.
6/17/2017 Posted On: 6/21/2017 By: Yalegirl09 Info: The road is somewhat washboard but is accessible to 2WD. The swarms of mosquitoes are in full force. Just opening the car door let about 50-60 in. We used an entire bottle of bug spray.
5/14/2017 Posted On: 5/15/2017 By: Shattuck311 Info: Completely dry. Passable to 2wd. I got my Honda Fit up there no problem.
9/17/2016 Posted On: 9/17/2016 By: Roald Info: Easily doable in any passenger car. No clearance or AWD/4WD needed.
9/10/2016 Posted On: 9/12/2016 By: stoopdude Info: There were plenty of 2WD sedans at the trailhead. Right now I would rate this 'tough 2WD' instead of 'easy 4WD.' There are some bumps and dips in the road that should be avoidable or easily navigable by a decent driver in any car. A couple of the steeper stretches towards the end have the potential to be nasty if muddy, but everything was bone dry this weekend.
7/13/2016 Posted On: 7/15/2016 By: derekgraven Info: MOSQUITOES MOSQUITOES MOSQUITOES!!! Seriously the worst I have seen, and I grew up in the humid Midwest where they are everywhere. Literally swarms the entire 4 mile approach to the lake and even when you get there the only reprieve is when you are on the summits!! Plan accordingly, this really really sucked! Cool hike, but gets ruined dealing with the mosquitoes.
5/25/2016 Posted On: 5/25/2016 By: lodgling Info: As of the last few days, the road is smoove to the TH. No need for 4wd or high clearance for now.
9/27/2015 Posted On: 9/27/2015 By: sky_high Info: As the previous poster mentioned, the road is in worse condition than it was earlier in the season. There are quite a few dips and offset sections where clearance would help but is not absolutely necessary. Given that none of the road is steep I would recommend taking your time and really picking your line. I think just about anything can get up there with a good driver except maybe a low-riding hot rod; even saw somebody‘s Harley parked at the trailhead. Also, the bug numbers are down for the season, not like the hellacious mosquitos that were here this summer.
9/19/2015 Posted On: 9/21/2015 By: chicagostylehotdog Info: Made it to the TH in my 2009 Honda Civic. Scraped a couple times in soft dirt. The road is loose dirt/sand, and bumpy in 2-3 sections (just ruts, not rocky). If you‘re attempting in a passenger car, you may need to take a few sections faster than you‘d like to make it up the small steep sections, but otherwise it‘s doable. No scraping getting down as I was able to go a bit slower.
9/6/2015 Posted On: 9/8/2015 By: appleseeds Info: The road is passable in just about anything (I made it to the trailhead in a ‘97 camry. However, it does get pretty bumpy (not rocks, just ruts in the dirt) as you get near the end, with a particularly bumpy section maybe 0.5 miles from the trailhead as you drive up an incline. Keep your momentum going and stay toward the right there.			1
6/27/2015 Posted On: 6/29/2015 By: sky_high Info: Road in good condition. Even cars should have no problem (although a fish and wildlife truck ended up in a ditch at the trailhead somehow). Watch the sharp corners and beware the mosquitos!
5/24/2015 Posted On: 5/24/2015 By: mojah Info: Gate open, road dry. Can drive all the way to the crapper
5/23/2015 Posted On: 5/24/2015 By: bacon_on_top Info: Trailhead is still clear. Almost made it to the lake. Patchy snow from 9,800. Deep snow at 10,800
4/25/2015 Posted On: 5/18/2015 By: WillRobnett Info: Gate was open to summer TH. Dry trail up to 10,700.

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