Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nine miles southwest of town, immediately below Slumgullion Pass (11,361ft), the
USFS Slumgullion Campground offers 21 campsites for $10 per site. The
Wupperman Camp-
ground
( 970-944-2225; County Rd 33; campsites $15)
on Lake San Cristobal is a good option if
you want to be near the water.
Additional primitive sites are available by continuing east on Cebolla Creek Rd, where
rarely used trails enter La Garita Wilderness Area in the Gunnison National Forest's Ce-
bolla Ranger District.
Eating
Lake City Bakery
( 970-944-2613; 922 Hwy 149; snacks $4-6)
The best snacks in town come from this family-run
bakery just north of town. It is only open in the summer, but the pies and doughnuts are
delicious and always very fresh.
BAKERY
$
Information
Lake City/Hinsdale County Chamber of Commerce
( 800-569-1874, 970-944-2527;
www.lakecity.com
;
800
Gunnison Ave; 1-4pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri)
The chamber also acts as the USFS and BLM visitor
center, selling topo maps and offering free trail information. Booklets with maps of local
fishing spots are available for $1.
SLUMGULLION SLIDE
In AD 1270 a catastrophic earth flow moved almost 5 miles down the mountainside and dammed the Gunnison
River to form Lake San Cristobal, creating Colorado's second-largest lake. The land is still moving, but it has
slowed down; today the persistent flow that began about 350 years ago continues to advance between 2ft and 20ft
per year. This active section of the slide, whose name comes from the yellowish mud's resemblance to the watery
miner's stew, is mostly barren, and spotted in patches with forests of crooked trees. It's best viewed in the morn-
ing from Windy Point Overlook, south of Lake City off Hwy 149, at 10,600ft. Another good view is from the top
of Cannibal Plateau Trail (USFS Trail 464), the site where prospector Alfred Packer is said to have had his com-
panions for dinner. The trailhead is below Slumgullion Campground, off Cebolla Creek Rd.
