Lake City

Lake City is nestled in the valley of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and Henson Creek. The diverse, rural county of Hinsdale includes the headwaters of the Rio Grande, the vast meadows of the upper Piedra River, and the meandering Cebolla Creek that spills into the agricultural lands of the community of Powderhorn.  The Slumgullion Earthflow slid through 700 years ago, damming the Lake Fork and creating Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural lake in Colorado. Hinsdale County is 96% public land and home to several 13,000 and 14,000 foot mountain peaks, making the county unparalleled in its opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoyment.

Thousands of abandoned mining structures dot the hillsides. The Lake City Historic District is one of the largest in the nation. In fact, the Lake City Courthouse is largely unchanged from the September afternoon in 1877 when Susan B. Anthony spoke from its steps, and the famous 1883 trial of Alfred Packer, “The Colorado Cannibal.”The landscape is defined by trails created by three of the seven nomadic bands of the Ute tribe, Spanish explorers and prospectors in the 1600s, fur trappers in the 1830s, miners and settlers in the 1870s, Otto Mears, who blazed paths through the San Juan Mountains in the late 1800s, and by outdoor enthusiasts coming to the mountains in the post-World War II era.

These trails became 4×4 roads, railroad grades, scenic byways, and pathways for many kinds of travel. The community of Lake City offers a respite on your CDT adventure.