Creede, Colorado is a gorgeous little mountain town that sits high up (8,799 feet) in the San Juan Mountains (The Rocky Mountains) near the headwaters of the mighty Rio Grande River. It’s famous for being an old mining town, great fly fishing, gorgeous mountain vistas, and for having the world’s largest fork. While it only has around 250 people, it is still the most populous community in Mineral County. Kit Carson’s brother in law was one of the first Anglos in the area!

The downtown is beautiful and sits nestled in a canyon on the edge of the mining district. There are restaurants, coffee shops, outfitters for your adventure of choice, book, and gift shops.

About 27 miles west of downtown Creede is the North Clear Creek Falls Overlook and it is absolutely worth the drive. We went in the winter and the waterfall was frozen, which was an incredible sight to behold.

There’s also the nearby Weminuche Wilderness Viewing Area that shows you the popular for hiking and fishing spot.

You can also check out the famous mines on the Bachelor Loop Interpretive Site. If the road’s open you can drive through the mining area but in the winter, you’ll have to park and walk. The Last Chance Mine is a famous Creede Landmark and I was lucky enough to see it covered in beautiful snow and sunshine.

The mines were in use from 1890 to 1985 and produced quite a bit of silver. Since they’ve closed, the town’s population has plummeted. At one point, 10,000 people lived in Creede.

We went for Christmas and it was a perfect winter wonderland, especially the last day when a blizzard came roaring in.

Driving through the San Juan Mountains on 149 is beautiful in both warm and cold months but the snow covered mountains with the big horn sheep roaming around the Rio Grande was unforgettable.