Full relaxation in my ARB Deluxe Room. Truthfully this is how I spent most of my time here. I didn’t have neighbors close by but 4×4 traffic would pass by me regularly. Often I would get a thumb’s up on my setup. I love that.
When this room is set up I use it for cooking and lounging. In my search for the perfect camp chair to lay around in I came across the Nemo Stargazer Luxury. Its a pretty rad chair and need to post a review on it. I do not sleep in the side room but you could. I always sleep in the van.
When I got to Silverton I needed to take it easy. After 3 punishing rides in Telluride my body was tired and also I threw my shoulder out swatting bugs! I know right!
I was able to get about 10 days of relaxation at this spot. I really loved this campsite.
A short hike down Mineral Road I came across Balder Mine. This was one of many mining relics in this area.
I was lounging at camp and heard a rustle on the other side of the road. Suddenly a man emerges wearing what looks like canyoneering gear. My mind started to boggle. I should have asked him what he was up to but he had quickly moved down the road to meet his friend before I could say anything. It turns out there is a bit of canyoneering along Mineral Creek. Upon this discovery I made my way down to explore and found this water fall that they must have repelled down.
I was also within hiking distance of Ice Lake and Island Lake and it was time to explore and get some excercise after sitting on my ass for a few days. I have seen pictures of these lakes for years and was excited to see them with my own eyes. Even though I knew the hike would be popular and crowded It was an incredible experience. Here is a panorama of Ice lake. What a beauty. Alpine lakes could be the most spectacular features on this planet.
Island lake with Ulysses S. Grant Peak in the background. What an stunning alpine lake! I had to sit here for a while soak it all in. Moments like these are to precious not to savor.
The hiking was spectacular. On my way to Island Lake after visiting Ice lake, I got a tip on a side trail for the way down. It turned out to be an excellent and made for a loop instead of an out and back hike.
This has to be one of my most scenic campsite of all time. Unfortunately in October of 2020 about 2 months after my stay here the entrance to the Ice Lake got burned by a forest fire. Sad, sounded like it was due to some careless campers that had a fire during a fire ban. Its going to be hard to continue using sites like these if people cannot respect our public lands.
Mineral Creek Road is an incredibly popular campground and I would camp here again. There are tons of sites and a good variety for everyone. Not sure how long this area with be closed due to the fire.
