Cumbres and La Manga Passes

We decided to take a drive back up to the Cumbres and La Manga Passes in Colorado to check out some camping sites listed in Don Wright's Guide to Free Campgrounds.

As we were driving north on SR-17, just before getting to Cumbres Pass, we spotted the train from the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad chugging it's way up the hill. Since it stops at the station at Cumbres Pass, we also stopped to take pictures. According to their advertisement, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR is America's highest and longest narrow gauge railroad. Since it's pretty much a full day trip, we'll have to wait until we no longer have Maxx to make the trip.

One of the campgrounds listed in Don's book is Trujillo Meadows on FR-118 just past Cumbres Pass heading north on SR-17. Although Don's book says the maximum RV length is 25', we found many spaces that would easily hold our 32' fifth wheel, as well as even larger rigs. There's a walkway and platform that overlooks a creek (or maybe it's the Rio de Los Pinos River from which Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is made) and canyon with a waterfall. This is a very nice campground that we'd definitely like to come back to at some time in the future.

Another area listed in Don's book was a dispersed camping area on FR-114. It's listed as La Manga Creek Dispersed Area in Don's book, and while FR-114 is along La Manga Creek, the sign out on SR-17 says Red Lake. We didn't go all the way to the end of FR-114, which ends at the Red Lake trailhead, but did see a few flat spots that would be suitable for RVs.

There are quite a few campgrounds and dispersed camping areas listed in Don's book along FR-250, but we didn't go that far north...we turned around at the dispersed camping area we'd stayed at earlier at La Manga Pass.