Earlier this month, Scott and I spent a long weekend in Lake CIty, Colorado. Scott had been there with friends years ago and since I’ve known him he’s talked about how it is one of his favorite parts of the state. I had never been before, so we decided to take a few days to check it out, hike and get out of Denver. Lake City is in the only incorporated municipality in remote Hinsdale County which is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, 2024. It is located in the southwestern part of the state in a valley in the San Juan Mountains. It was about a 5 and half hour drive from Denver. Known as the most remote town in the lower 48, it’s not the most popular mountain town, but it’s well worth a visit especially if you like outdoor adventures. 

We left on a weekday morning and drove to Buena Vista another beautiful mountain town which is roughly halfway and stopped and had lunch. We’ve been through Buena Vista a few times when we’ve been camping nearby and we didn’t want to deal with the small downtown area where all the tourist go to eat and parking can be a headache. Although, if you do decide to eat downtown you should definitely save some room for ice cream at Louie’s on Main Street. Both times I’ve been it’s been some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had and they have a ton of flavors.

This time we tried a Mexican restaurant near the highway called Casa Sanchez 3. I had the mole enchiladas and it was very flavorful and some of the best I’ve had, filled with shredded chicken, dried peppers, chocolate, almond, bananas, and melted cheese. Scott got the Mexican enchiladas which were three corn enchiladas filled with shredded chicken, one cooked in salsa verde, one in queso, and one in red salsa. He said they were all delicious! We both asked for extra beans instead of rice and they came out in a rich tomato sauce, covered in cheese cooked till the edges were brown and crispy. We both agreed we could have just had a plate of the beans and been happy. We will definitely eat there again the next time we find ourselves down that way. 

Just west of Salida, we turned west onto Highway 50 and drove through Gunnison and some small towns before we got to Lake City. We had found an Airbnb right in town for $130 a night. Benjamin the host has a few units all in the same area of town; we stayed in Backcountry Basecamp 4. Most of his other units were cheaper, but we chose this one because it had a little more room to spread out and a king sized bed. We really liked the eclectic decor; the walls were painted red and there were original paintings, colorful hanging lights, and a Romanian mask, and a Cthulhu paper towel holder to name a few. It had a bit of a Lovecraftian vibe which was right up our alley. The bed was comfortable and the kitchen was the most well stocked I’ve ever seen in an Airbnb (tons of tea, hot chocolate, coffee, creamer, sweetener, etc.). We really appreciated the full size coffee maker. From our Airbnb which was on the northern edge of town, we were able to walk anywhere in town within 10-15 minutes.

Like most places in North America, the San Luis Vally where Lake City is located was originally home to Native Americans who used the area as summer hunting grounds. In an effort to prevent growing hostilities between the Utes and the Americans in the area, the leader of the Tabeguache tribe, Chief Ouray and his buddy, Kit Carson fostered the Kit Carson Treaty which was ratified in 1869. This treaty essentially moved all of the San Luis Valley Utes to a reservation of 16 million acres on the Western side of the Continental Divide where they were turned into unwilling farmers, unable to leave the reservation to hunt, and their children were forced to attend white schools where they were stripped of their language and culture. This was all done to make way for white prospectors. In 1873 the Utes ceded 3.7 million acres of this land to the US government for mining with the Brunot Agreement. In 1881 these same Utes were force marched to reservations in Utah. You can read more about this part of Colorado history here.

The area was rich with minerals and the discovery first of silver and later gold, miners flooded Lake City which grew to between 3,000 to 5,000 residents during the boom years of 1876 and 1877. This boom subsided by 1879 and most of the town, made of quickly constructed wood structures burned down in a fire in 1879. The town, most of which still stands today was rebuilt using brick and stone and saw a rebirth with the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. By 1890 twenty mines were shipping out ore. Immigrants from England, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Germany, and Italy arrived and served as cheap labor on the railroad and in the mines. The largest group were the Italians who arrived initially to build the railroad and stayed on as miners. They mostly kept to themselves, living apart in an area south of Henson Creek called “Little Rome.” They had their own newspaper, La Verita (The Truth) and were members of the Western Federation of Miners. 

The mining companies had little patience for the union demands and decreed that all single men must live in a company boarding house. The forced move isolated the men from the community and meant higher rents and less than ideal living conditions. This prompted a strike on March 14, 1899. The strike had been well planned and the 100 or so, mostly Italian miners had been buying and stealing firearms from the Lake City Armory in preparation. Faced with armed protestors and an empty armory, the sheriff wired the governor who sent out 326 state militia groups. No blood was shed and the strike ended after two days with all of the miners being fired and ordered to leave Hinsdale County. Single men had a week to evacuate and families had six weeks. Following that event, all advertisements for miners stated, “Italians need not apply.”

While we were there, we took a short drive out of town to the Ute-Ulay Mine which is now a ghost town. There was a mine where you could take a tour during the summer months (we were there after Labor Day, so it had just closed for the season). There were some interesting plaques talking about the history of the area, the mines, as well as the miner’s strike. Lake City would be a completely different place if these Italians had been allowed to stay. At the very least there would have been some good Italian restaurants!

Today, Lake City attracts hikers looking to add another fourteener to their list (there are five in the area) and off-road enthusiasts looking to drive their OHVs (Off Highway Vehicles) along the Alpine Loop scenic byway. Nearby Lake Cristobal which the town is named after also attracts campers, boaters, and anglers. It is the second largest lake in the state. Lake City is a very small town. The population for 2024 is just over 400, but that’s just counting permanent residents, not all the Texans who flock to their vacation homes for brief stints every summer. Every other house had an American and a Texas State flag. The joke in town is that Lake City is the furthest city north in Texas. The town has no stoplights, one (very well stocked) general store, a small park, a couple museums, and a few restaurants. 

We went to the Lake City Brewing Company twice during our stay. They have a small, rotating selection of locally brewed beer along with some pub grub. The first time there Scott got the Slumgullion Stout, an oatmeal milk stout served on nitro which he said was a solid stout. I had multiple pints of the Redcloud Scotch Ale, named after one of the local fourteeners, it was listed as caramel malt made with three earthy hops, slightly sweet with a dry finish. It was smooth, not very sweet, and strong (7.3ABV). We also tried the Strawberry Feels which was a light, refreshing blonde ale that was not too sweet or tart. We were tired from the drive so we camped out there for a while and had some food and talked to the bartender, a young local guy named Ben. We had the pretzel with beer cheese, the bratwurst plate, and the hummus. They all had good flavor, but the cook was a little too heavy handed with the salt (maybe to get you to drink more beer). We should have tried the deviled eggs which are their specialty. 

Ben had just graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and was back in town working during the summer. He had grown up there  and his mom owned a campground just outside of the city. We were curious about how many people actually stayed in town during the winter because we had seen quite a few signs advertising ice climbing. Apparently the area is popular in the winter for this as well as snowmobiling, snow shoeing, and ice fishing. He said that most of the locals leave during the winter if they could since it can get down to 30 below in the coldest months and that he’s seen 3, 4, 5 feet of snow! He may have been exaggerating, but Lake CIty is one of the coldest places in Colorado with and average January low of 0 degrees. 

The next day we weren’t moving very fast after all the beer the night before, so we had breakfast at our Airbnb, then we took off for a hike on the Cataract Gulch Trail which is about 16 miles outside of Lake City in the Handies Peak Wilderness. When we got to the trailhead we saw quite a few signs stating the bears were active in the area which made me nervous, but fortunately Scott had remembered to bring our bear spray!

The beginning of the hike was beautiful with a lot of tree coverage. We had to walk across a couple of streams using two logs and the trail was pretty steep, so, since we weren’t feeling overly ambitious we only managed about an hour before we headed back to the car. Then we drove around Lake Cristobal and fantasized about having one of the houses right on the lake, then we headed back to town.

We had lunch at the Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill, a casual, local hangout named after Alferd Packer. Most people in the state have heard of the infamous Alferd Packer, known as the “Colorado Cannibal” who was a prospector and self-proclaimed wilderness guide. In the winter of 1874 Packer was hired to lead a group of prospectors through the San Juan Mountains. That was a particularly harsh winter with deep snow drifts and sub-zero temperatures and the men were unable to fish in the frozen lakes and rivers or find any wild game. It is believed that by the time the men reached Slumgullion Gulch they were near starvation, forced to even chew their own boots for food. So, it was suspicious when Packer showed up alone at the Los Pinos Indian Agency near Saguache looking well fed and spending freely with money from more than one wallet. He said that he had lost his companions in the wilderness, but a search party later found their bodies which showed signs of being murdered and cannibalized. Packer never accepted blame for the murders and died of a stroke in Littleton, Colorado in 1907 where he is buried.

We had (beef) burgers for lunch which were so good that we went back and had a pepperoni pizza for dinner. The inside is pretty small; just a short bar and a handful of tables, so both times we sat outside on the patio which was comfortable and good for people watching. There was a fire pit set up with chairs surrounding it for cooler nights. Like many small, resort towns there aren’t enough staff for all of the tourists that come through in the summer, so most of the workers seemed to be young, temporary workers from Europe. We also found this to be true a couple of years ago when we did a New England road trip. 

Overall, for such a small, remote town there is a lot to experience and see in Lake City. We enjoyed the majestic mountains, the immense, cobalt freshwater lake, the quaint town, the local people, and the compelling history of the area. Another highlight were the deer that we saw walking through town as if they owned the place. While I’m not sure we’ll make it out that way again, I’m glad we made a trip. So, if you’re looking for a place to get out of the city for a few days, year-round, I would definitely recommend Lake City.