Lower South Clear Creek Falls

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There are four waterfalls in the same area you will want to visit if you’re going to visit one of them.

The easiest of these to access is North Clear Creek Falls as it has a large parking area just a short distance from the main highway which runs between Creede and Lake City.

The next easiest of these four falls to reach is South Clear Creek Falls, as it is a short five minute walk or hike from the campground where the trail to it is found.

The less easier access of the four falls are the other two falls, and they are both within a short hiking distance from each other.

Also, they are both near the confluence of North Clear Creek with South Clear Creek, and they are both reached by a short hike from the east end of another campground.

These two falls are the Lower North Clear Creek Falls and the Lower South Clear Creek Falls.

They are both lower in that they are both further downstream from the other falls which are the easier of the four to access, North Clear Creek Falls and South Clear Creek Falls.

What makes these falls, Lower South Clear Creek Falls, the less interesting to view than any of the others, is that the trail takes you right to the edge of the top of the falls and the top of those falls is about all you can get a view of because there’s no hiking or walking very much further to either of the sides to get a better view.

With the other three falls, there are many different vantage points to view them and within easy hiking distances of other vantage points.

There also did not appear to be a trail to the base of Lower South Clear Creek Falls either which appears to me would be the falls best viewing point if you could find a way to reach it.

There appears to be just one vantage point to view these falls from the obvious hiking trail, and that means there wasn’t much of a view of the falls from the edge of that cliff and no hiking trail or obvious route down that cliff.

Getting to these falls you will find you’re only a five minute walk to the other nearby falls on the other of the two Clear Creeks, and they are quite a spectacular narrow canyon with a series of cascades and all sorts of different viewing points.

Once you’ve visited all four of the Clear Creek falls in the area, you’ll be able to do it again with less difficulty finding them, as I’ve done it several times and the first time, as most who visit North Clear Creek Falls, be aware that there are other falls in the area.

I’ve seen a water buffalo on two separate visits to the area.

I’ve painted landscape paintings at two of the falls, the upper ones, on different visits.

The nearest towns either direction from the falls is the town of Creede to the east or Lake City to the west.

Of the four sets of falls, they’re within two counties, Mineral and Hinsdale. They’re also within the Rio Grande basin.

Travelling by the main highway going several miles north from the falls you will cross the Continental Divide just beyond the dividing point between the Rio Grande National Forest and Gunnison National Forest.

There are at least two forest service campgrounds in the area of the falls. A map is always helpful in finding the hiking routes to the falls.