Backcountry with History
A trip to Colorado wouldn't be complete without a four-wheel-drive adventure. Visit the abandoned mining town of Summitville, a Gold mine town that was inhabited off and on from the 1870s til 1985. Many of the buildings still stand today!
Historical Tour
Take Hwy 160 southwest from South Fork for 7 miles, and turn left on Park Creek Rd/FSR 380. Here is an area where Multiple Use Management of the Rio Grande National Forest’s Resources can be seen. A long-term contract was awarded by the Forest Service in 1954 to harvest 62 million board feet of timber. Ranches from the San Luis Valley also graze their cattle and sheep in these meadows. The efforts of many fishermen are often rewarded along the banks of Park Creek. After about 15 miles along this road you will have two choices:
Option 1. Turn left on FSR 330 and in 3 miles you will reach Summitville. Gold was discovered here in 1870 by a group of Midwestern friends who found their way to this remote section of the San Juans. The secret of “Wightman’s Gulch” quickly leaked out, and the following summer brought hundreds of prospectors to what became the largest camp in the district at that time. By 1885 Summitville had over 2,500 staked claims and a population of around 700. A post office, school, daily newspaper, and at least 14 saloons allowed miners to live here year-round, enduring some harsh winters.
The boom faded in the later 1880’s and the town was nearly abandoned by 1894. Some mines were reopened in 1935 and a significant amount of copper was extracted during World War II. The area had a $2,000,000 shot in the arm in 1985 when mining resumed with a new process for extracting ore. However, the company filed bankruptcy and Summitville Mine is now closed and in the reclamation process, as a Superfund Site. Don’t drink the water!
Option 2. Stay on FSR 380 and travel through picturesque Elwood Pass (which can be very rough) towards another abandoned mine site, Stunner. Continue on FSR 380 and eventually reach Platoro, 41 miles off Hwy 160. To return, follow the same route or go back to Summitville and follow FSR 330 to CR 14 (Pinos Creek) toward Del Norte. (See map on page 12)
