Music Pass Trip Report by Mike Downey

Route: Started from the Music Pass Trailhead and hiked up 3 miles to Music Pass, then hiked down the trail into the Sand Creek Valley another 3 miles to a little basin at the foot of Milwaukee Peak.

Pre-Hike: This was a hike I had been wanting to do with Ralph Mitchell for awhile before. Ralph is an 80 year-old man who loves to go climbing and is incredibly fit for his age. Previously we had wanted to do Greenhorn Mountain (12,347) a mountain in the Wet Mountains across the valley, but we decided to do Music Pass, which is one of the more scenic places in Southern Colorado, maybe even all of Colorado. The trip included Ralph, his wife, his granddaughter, great-granddaughter and I.

The Hike: We drove up to the Music Pass Trailhead without any trouble. If I remember right, we started sometime around mid-morning. There were quite a few people camped out at the trailhead, the popularity has increased quite a bit recently.

The 3 miles leading up the pass are a gentle stroll. The forest is very thick, with a few opening here and there from which to see the Wet Mountain Valley. The trail is an old road, so the two-tracks make it wide enough to walk side by side.

About 1 mile down from the pass, there is a little spring that we stopped at with lush vegetation and flowers growing around it. Conveniently there is an opening in the trees at this point, from which to see the valley. We ran into a huge group of horseback riders at this point, like 30 of them. I could tell most of them had never ridden a horse before.

Once we were about 300 feet beneath the pass, we just went off the trail to climb up to a little crest along the pass that serves as a great overlook to the Sand Creek Valley below and all the major peaks around. Our little group stopped here and went to picture snapping. The roar of Sand Creek below was amazing, the whole valley echoed with the sound of the many waterfalls below. Looking at the peaks I could see Mount Herard (13,350) to the south, Cleveland Peak (13,414) to the west, Tijeras Peak (13,604), Music Mountain, Pico Aislado (13,611) and Milwaukee Peak (13,522) to the northwest. Marble Mountain (13,266) was hidden away to the north. I could also see the basin where the two Sand Creek Lakes are.

After a little while, Ralph, his granddaughter and I decided to continue the hike down into the valley and go as far along the trail as we could. After another few hundred yards, we reached the official wilderness boundary which is marked by a large sign and a worn iron fence. At one point there was a gate here to block the cattle of nearby ranchers from entering the wilderness.

The hike down was nice (only we would have to struggle to get back up again). There is a few streams and springs along the trail here and many wildflowers. After a little over a mile the Music Pass Trail intersects the Sand Creek Trail which goes all the way to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. I also thought it would be interesting to hike down to the dunes one day, but it can be quite hot down there in the middle of the summer, so the timing is important. Maybe late may-early June would be the best time to do that.

The Sand Creek Trail crosses Sand Creek shortly after the junction. We knew we were close because we could hear the roar of the stream around the corner. The creek is an excellent place to fish at. This is prime Cutthroat Trout country. We saw a few people hiking up to go fishing. The lakes further up are usually the destination.

Somewhere along here, we lost the trail. The foliage was very thick (and probably even worse today). So we decided to navigate our way up to the basin at the north end of the valley, following Sand Creek. The bushwhacking was slow and tedious and there were places where we had to cross some wet meadows along the creek, getting our boots soaked in the mud.

After close to 2 miles of bushwhacking through the valley, we reached a little basin at the foot of Milwaukee Peak (13,522). The basin appeared to be a dry lake bed and Ralph said that he had scene it full before. A small stream flows through the center and cascades down the rock face on the other side. This is the point at which we decided to turn back. It was already getting to be late in the afternoon, so it seemed like a good idea. Besides, we had some people still waiting for us on top of the pass.

On the way backwe were able to find the trail, right as it branches off up to the Upper Sand Creek Lake. The trail was easy to follow back down and went right by the place where we had been confused before.

The climb back up to Music Pass wasn't too hard but as tired as we were from bushwhacking through the "jungles" we werent exactly in the mood. But in no time we were back on top and we cruised down to meet our other group members at the trailhead. This for me, was one of the more memorable trips in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Music Pass Thumbnails:

The Wet Mountain Valley through the trees from a vantage point along Music Pass Trail

Another shot of Wet Mountain Valley to East from near the top of the pass

Looking north from the trail towards Marble Mountain. The summit is nestled away out of sight

Music Pass with Mount Herard (13,340) in background

A view of lower Sand Creek Valley from Music Pass

View of Upper Sand Creek Valley towards Tijeras Peak (13,604) and Music Mountain (13,355) to the right

On the top of the pass with Ralph Mitchell and his family

Thats me on top with Tijeras Peak to my back

Roaring Sand Creek at the valley floor

A glimpse of Tijeras Peak above the valley floor

A small waterfall along Sand Creek near the Sand Creek Lakes

An open park at the end of the Sand Creek Valley where we ended our trip

About the Author

I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:

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