A month in the life: Gunnison National Forest

Gunnison National Forest //

It’s Thursday.  With the weekend upon us and no weddings or portrait sessions scheduled, it’s time to decide where we’d like to be and get settled.  The last couple of years, I’ve said that Thursday is the new Friday.  Dispersed campsites begin filling up Thursday afternoon, and for that reason, we try to avoid searching for a place to stay on a Friday or Saturday.  

Cottonwood Pass leads us out of Buena Vista and over to the west side of the Sawatch range.  The base of the pass delivers us to Taylor Park reservoir and a sprawling valley offering a plethora of camping opportunities.  Ever since visiting this valley ten years ago for a single night, I’ve wanted to return.  But for some reason, I had the idea that this area is far more remote than it actually is.  

When we reach the north end of the reservoir, where we could begin looking for a campsite, I am shocked by the number of RVs speckled throughout the valley.  It’s the kind of scene I’m used to seeing in the desert of southern Arizona.  Never in the mountains of Colorado have I seen this many campers in one area.  We are about an hour outside of Gunnison.  Do that many Gunnison locals recreate in this area?  Or perhaps they’re all full-time RVers like us, and word got out that this is the place to be this time of year.  My curious mind would love to know where all these folks are from and how long they’re here for.  

We continue several miles up the road, assuming that the deeper into the National Forest we get, the more likely we’ll be to find a place all to ourselves.  While the density of campers tapers off, many sites continue to be occupied as we travel further up the road.  At this point, we accept the fact that we won’t be getting as much solitude and privacy as we had anticipated this weekend.

Regardless of the unexpected population of campers, we come upon a beautiful little nook of a campsite right alongside Italian Creek.  The Sawatch Range is in full view to the east, and a small stand of pines frames camp to the north.  To the south, the valley stretches on, and we can see layers upon layers of mountains for miles.  But the very best feature of this campsite is that it’s far enough removed from the main road that we won’t have to contend with dust from the myriad of side-by-sides and dirt bikes going by.

The river basin gives the illusion that we’re situated lower in elevation than we are, but once again, we’ve found ourselves at nearly 10,000’.  I might spend the weekend craving a bit more oxygen.  But with views like these, it’s entirely worth it.