Stewart Creek Trailhead

Location

Range: San Juan Mountains
Coordinates: 38.0246, -106.84124
14ers: San Luis Peak

Road Difficulty

2 (0=Paved, 6=Very Difficult 4WD)
Rough 2WD dirt to the TH. NOTE: There are two stream crossings along the road which may be difficult for 2WD vehicles in early summer or after heavy rainfall. Low-clearance vehicles not recommended.

Driving Directions

NOTE: Before reaching the trailhead, the dirt road crosses Pauline and Nutras Creeks. There are smooth, cement slabs to make the crossings easier but you will still need a good-clearance vehicle.

The directions shown here assume you are coming from the north. If you are coming from the San Luis Valley area, drive north on Colorado 114 to Dome Lakes, turn left onto the 15GG road and follow the directions from Dome Lake, below:

Take U.S. 50 to Colorado 114 which is 3.5 miles west of Parlin and just east Gunnison. It is approximately 47 miles to the trailhead from this intersection.
Turn south onto Colorado 114.
Drive 20 miles and turn right onto the NN14 road.
Now on dirt, drive 6.8 miles to Dome Lakes and turn right onto the 15GG dirt road (also known as FR 794 when you reach National Forest).
Drive 4 miles to reach a junction and bear right onto the 14DD road (FR 794).
Continue 12 miles on 14DD to reach a signed junction.
Follow the sign for the Stewart Creek trailhead by continuing straight on FR 794.
Drive 4.3 miles to the trailhead. There is parking for a few cars next to the trailhead and additional parking 1/4 mile down the road at the Eddiesville trailhead, which now has an outhouse.

Winter Access

Closed far away from the TH.

More Info

Parking: 1-5 Vehicles next to the trailhead, 10-25 vehicles 1/4 down the road at the Eddiesville trailhead.
Restrooms: Yes, at the Eddiesville trailhead
Camping: Dispersed camping along the road and near the Eddiesville trailhead.

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Status Updates
2022-06-17 Posted By: TheSpaceForce Info: Concur with previous report: 2WD CRV easily accessed this TH. Water is about 2-3 inches deep in the stream crossings. Eddiesville privies are open & stocked.	2
2022-06-01 Posted By: thaisgaia Info: Dirty road to the TH is in great conditions. Made it to the TH with my 2WD w/ no problems.		3
2021-11-27 Posted By: RyGuy Info: The road is totally dry to the first creek crossing, then spots of snow all the way to the TH. Snow coverage in some areas is the whole road, but only an inch or two in depth. No issue with traction in a stock Jeep Wrangler. The usual iceflow that starts making the road hard to pass near the Nutras TH has started to form, but isn’t onto the road yet. Outhouse at Eddysville is open and stocked with TP.
2021-09-14 Posted By: thurs Info: Made it just fine in a fairly long wheelbase, low clearance minivan. The two crossings were a couple inches deep. Btw if you love rally racing you’re going to love this road.
2021-09-04 Posted By: GuiGirard Info: Road was in great condition (albeit a little muddy and slightly slippery) coming up Sep 2 and coming down on the 4th (100% dry by then). The road on the plateau gets so good for a while that it is easy to drive too fast on it, only to be greeted by hard-to-spot drains that have been partially eroded and will knock hard on the suspensions. I hit one very hard once and not again as I got more careful. With that in mind, it was a walk in the park for an Outback. I even saw a Tesla sedan parked at Nutras Creek trailhead on my way out. Why they were parked there is unknown, as the Nutras Creek trailhead is before the creek crossing, but it is still after the first creek crossing anyway, and a lot of the aforementioned tricky drains are before Nutras on the way up. I drove from Buena Vista through Monarch Pass, and the navigation from Google Maps was excellent throughout, took me through the dirt road cutoff out of Doleyville on US-50 to CO-114. These 16(?) miles of dirt road are superbly maintained. Past CO-114, the county road through the Cochetopa Wildlife Refuge offered me some of the most spectacular views I ever enjoyed anywhere in Colorado. Re gas: I filled up in Buena Vista, but the nearest pump coming this way is in Sargents along US-50. I was just under 3/4 tank when back in Sargents.
2021-08-21 Posted By: Carl_Healy Info: Way easier to get to than I thought. No problem with my RWD 2002 F-150. Both river crossings. I know high clearance vehicles are recommended but there was even a Hyundai sedan at the trailhead...	3	1
2021-07-31 Posted By: jakesoren10 Info: Great TH, 2 water crossings on the way there, nothing huge. Lots of miles of dirt roads to get here (fill up with gas before you leave Hwy 50) When you read that it’s very remote, it is VERY REMOTE.
2021-06-25 Posted By: chow Info: Road is nice and dry. No issues at all crossing creeks in a mid size SUV.
2021-06-18 Posted By: Verticality Info: No issues at all with a Subaru Forester. No snow on the road, summer conditions as previously reported. Long road to the trailhead but in great shape with no potholes or large rocks. Included three pictures of the two main creek crossings (Pauline Creek and Nutras Creek). Steel culverts at all the other creek crossings keep the rest of the road nearly always dry. Higher clearance recommended for late spring / early summer just for those creek crossings.	3
2021-05-29 Posted By: NatDog Info: Road is snow-free to trailhead. Creek crossings were no issue for my stock pickup. I saw several other pickups and suv’s beyond the creek crossings.	1
2020-10-12 Posted By: Hiker Mike Info: The first creek crossing has no water in and the second had very little both times I crossed. The roads are in mostly good condition with some rough areas. Bear in mind the roads aren’t that well marked and that can make navigation tricky in the dark
2020-09-12 Posted By: joemcglinchy Info: Road was dry and clear of snow. Creek crossings not bad, no more than 6 inches deep. No problem in an outback, saw some sedans at the trailhead.
2020-08-06 Posted By: sky_high Info: Road condition good. The only hesitation I’d have in bringing a small 2wd car are the river crossings. The river is down to a foot or less at both crossings, but the concrete is steep and slippery. Light traffic during the week, we only had 4-5 cars at the trailhead when I left. You can turn around at the bottom of the hill past the trailhead at the Eddiesville lot.
2020-08-01 Posted By: strayster2 Info: Backing up the previous report (mainly just adding this to post pictures of the creek crossings), this was easily and comfortably driven in a 2WD Hyundai. Maybe the easiest 2WD dirt road to a 14er trailhead I’ve driven yet.	2
2020-07-25 Posted By: CCU_Jim Info: Road easily passable with a 2wd Kia sedan. First creek crossing (Pauline Creek) has maybe an inch of water. The concrete slabs have shifted slightly to create some bumpiness, which was a bigger obstacle than the water itself. Second creek crossing (Nutras Creek) had maybe 2-3 inches of water, but very clean and smooth entry and exit points. This second crossing is only around 2.2 miles from the TH, and right after the Nutras Creek TH for Stewart. Other than the two creek crossings, which are negligible this time of year, road is in impeccable shape and can be driven by any vehicle. Earlier in the year when snowmelt is higher, you’d probably want higher clearance just for the two crossings.
2020-07-24 Posted By: mikewall45 Info: No problems getting up to trailhead in our 2011 standard Toyota Rav4.
2020-06-30 Posted By: mtngoatwithstyle Info:
2020-06-27 Posted By: Tartay Info: Road is in really good shape. The two streams are the only real "obstacles" on the entire 27 mile road and could probably be crossed by a sedan right now. No need for 4wd anywhere on the road all the way to the trailhead.
2020-06-27 Posted By: mtngoatwithstyle Info: In good shape.Creek crossings ok as long as it has not rained in the area.I noticed loads of dens from strippers/rodents by small TH area where cars park by the side of the road and wonder If they are chewing under the cars anything or being good.
2020-06-25 Posted By: Flyingfish Info: Road was being regraded today between 10 and 15 miles away from the trailhead. When dry the creek crossings are low enough for most cars. When it is raining though the creeks swell to over a foot deep which is enough for non-high clearance vehicles to be in danger of not being able to cross.
2020-06-14 Posted By: MountainBuhn Info: This road is extremely remote, but absolutely stunning. So it gives me apprehension to say no one should have issues getting there. No more trees. Creek crossings extremely shallow (see pic, 2nd crossing). Even for 2wd the ruts are low and as long as your tires can handle 27 miles of consistent washboard/rocky then you’re set.	1
2020-06-10 Posted By: KarenG Info: Drove in late in the day and the trees were cleared from the road.
2020-06-10 Posted By: CoHi591 Info: No problem at all getting to Stewart Creek TH in a Subaru Outback. Creek crossings minimal and all fallen trees can be easily skirted.
2020-06-07 Posted By: Aphelion Info: Creek crossings are shallow and should be easy for any vehicle that can manage the dirt road. However, there are a number of wind-blown trees partially (and in one case fully) blocking the road, necessitating driving half-off the shoulder or completely over a fallen trunk. Anything with Subaru-level clearance will be fine, but lower-clearance cars should stay away until these get removed.
2020-06-06 Posted By: greenonion Info: This is now maybe old news but could help as a reminder/warning. On Saturday 6/6 I was 5-6 miles from the Stewart Creek TH with an eye on doing San Luis’ NE ridge. The wind was howling on the way to the TH and there were A LOT of dead trees all around. I got to one downed tree across the road and was able to clear it just enough to drive a bit further to find another smaller one, then decided this was not a good idea to be in that area with that wind. As I retreated while heading out another one had fallen across the road and I had to clear that one. Was very glad none of those were bigger trees. Keep big wind in mind and what kind of trees are around when heading to THs and hiking in general. Also heard a few creaking among the many dead trees on parts of the Little Borwn’s Creek route up on Sunday. None fell there that I saw, and no treasure either.