Creede Colorado is a very cool place to visit.  It’s an old mining town that has really stepped up to tourism and becoming a destination vacation place.  How is that possible you say?  Well, aside from seeing old mines from the 1800′s, there’s fishing.  One thing about this part of Colorado – being located at the head waters of the Rio Grande river, there is excellent fishing!  And, the locals support this activity with shops, guides, and well, fish!

We don’t fish.  But we do like adventures to Colorado’s little “treasure towns” as we call them.  Mining back in the 1800′s was the main stay of this place and the possible resurgence of it is promising.  This summer, the town was active with tourists and fishermen.  There are nice little restaurants, outdoor shops, tourist shops and great scenery.

There are several *very* cool things to see in Creede, but I would have to say that the Underground Fire Station is one of my favorites.  There are new fire trucks BUT there are also vintage ones.  This was a nice surprise for us.  They are well kept and a great photo-op for the family.  Right next door is a mining museum where you can take a tour of a once active mine.  If you’ve never done this before, I highly recommend it.  It is really something to comprehend what the miners had to endure to make a living back in in the day.

Probably my favorite encounter was at the Last Chance Mine.  A fairly easy 4 wheel drive trip up Bachelor Loop road, there’s an unexpected attraction once you get to the end of the road.  Jack Morris will greet you (weekends only) and is an exceptional narrator on the history of the mine and how he came to own it.

The *very* cool thing about The Last Chance Mine is that Jack has refurbished and built a couple of  circa 1860′s mining “shacks” that you can spend the night/weekend in!!!  There are tons of original artifacts from the mining days all around the premises.  Also a great find are the rocks and jewelry.  I saw so many pieces that it was truly hard to make up my mind on which to buy.

Make the drive up to The Last Chance Mine.  Definitely make the drive to Creede.  It’s a Colorado Treasure!!

Visit Doug Niedermiller Photography our other website to view photos of Creede and other great Places.

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Map of Creede Colorado.