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Bachelor Historic Loop
Bachelor Historic Loop in Creede.

Bachelor Historic Loop – Creede

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The seventeen-mile, Bachelor Historic Loop takes high into the hills above town, past Creede’s former mining district. Scattered around the stunning mountainsides are numerous old mines and ghost towns.

Imagine what life was like in Creede must have been like a hundred years ago. The Visitor Center has guide brochures that correspond to numbers on the Loop. There are sixteen official sites on the auto tour.

Bachelor Historic Loop Commodore Mine
Commodore Mine on the Bachelor Historic Loop.

It’s a 2WD drive road, that’s open year-round, though, in winter it’s often snowed in. The start is the most technical part, with a steep climb. Low gears are best.

Camping on Bachelor Loop

Free primitive car camping is permitted around many parts of the Loop. Most are public lands. The closest sites to Creede are on Rd 502 at the start of the Loop, and up in the hills at the end of the loop.

Bachelor Historic Loop Dispersed Camping
Dispersed campsite on East Willow Creek Rd, past North Creede.

Getting There

Take Main Street north toward the canyon. The beginning of the Loop is marked by a few informational displays at the junction of West Willow and East Willow Creek. The tour begins on West Willow Creek Road up the hill.

If you take a scenic detour to the right on East Willow Creek Rd, you’ll hit North Creede, the original townsite of Creede. Jimtown was where downtown Creede is today.

If you continue all the way down this Rd 502, you’ll pass camping spots and a dead-end at the Phoenix Mill site, which has been restored and replanted. It’s about 15 minutes.

For more on Creede’s mining history, check out the Underground Mining Museum, situated at the start of the loop. The old Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot hosts the Creede Historic Museum.

Beginning of Loop: Junction of West Willow & East Willow Creek.
Commodore Mine at the junction.
Dilapidated jail in North Creede, to the right at the junction.
An old home maybe.
Log shack.
North Creede is located on East Willow Creek Rd (#502).
Dispersed campsite on East Willow Creek Rd, past North Creede.
Road dead-ends at the Phoenix Mill Site.
Historic Colorado Mining Country.
Commodore Mine.
More Commodore Mine.
This steep section of road is called the Black Pitch.
Mining ruins and rumble are everywhere.
2012-10-10-Bachelor-Loop29
Midwest Mine.
Tunnel was dug in search of the Big Chief Vein.
2.3-mile detour back to the Equity Mine is high elevation.
Equity Mine was revisited b/w 1974 and 1988.
Equity Mine.
Park Regent Mine site after restoration.
This cabin is the only structure still standing in Bachelor City. The wild mining town peaked from 1892-1896, with 1,200 residents.
Bachelor City looked down to Creede and the Rio Grande Valley. At 10,500 ft, it was referred to as the "town in the clouds".
Church near the Bob Ford grave site.
Bob Ford Grave Site - slayer of Jesse James.
2012-10-10-Bachelor-Loop01-800x400

Details

Address: West Willow Creek Rd, Creede, CO 81130

Season: Year-round (May-October best)

Length: 17 miles

Fees: None

Road: 2WD, Low Gear, High Clearance

Website: fs.usda.gov/recarea/riogrande/recarea/?recid=28898

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