Neosho Mine Hike

Last week I had a few hours to kill before I had to go to work, so I decided that I would squeeze in a little day hike.  I want to explore new trails around Ouray and this seemed like a good fit for the amount of time I had available.  The trail begins just off of Camp Bird road just south of town.  In the beginning the trail is pretty steep and has many switchbacks, but after the first 45 minutes or so it reaches it's high point and levels off.  It has many great views of the city as you hike higher and higher.  After the official viewpoint the trail follows the curve of the mountain and heads up the valley.

Along the way there are a couple of creeks and some nice little waterfalls.  The snow pack was very low this year, so I imagine that these falls can get a lot bigger during years with more spring melt to feed them.

There were several points along the trail where the trees opened up to reveal some really nice views of the valley.

Close to the mine there is a small marshy area that spans a little valley.  There is even a little pond in the middle of the marsh.  I'm sure it was a convenient reservoir for water for the miners when they lived in this area.

The end point of the trail is an old antique shop and bunkhouse that were built near the Neosho mine.  There was still plenty of artifacts to be seen inside the buildings if you were brave enough to venture inside.  There was even an old mine cart and some track remnants right near the entrance to the main mine shaft which was a large black hole that appeared to go deep into the mountainside.  It was a pretty neat little site to explore and I decided to have a little lunch while I was there.

The scenery on the way back was just as beautiful as on the way up.  Across the valley you can see the tall waterfall that comes out below the million dollar highway.  That waterfall is bear creek plummeting into the valley below.

The hike took me about 3-4 hours total and still left me with enough energy to be able to work that afternoon.  Even though the trail gets steep in the beginning, the leveled off portion of the trail makes for a nice easy stroll through the woods.  Coming back down the steep part was a bit challenging at some spots, but I took my time and got back to the trail head just fine.