September 2016
“Box Canyon: A narrow canyon with nearly vertical walls and a flat bottom with only a single access from above or below.”
In the mid-1960s I caught my first trout on a fly near Creede, Colorado, just below Thirty Mile campground–on a stretch of the Rio Grande known as the Box Canyon. The name Box Canyon intrigued me then and so it did again 50 years later as I scanned the map looking for a stretch of the river where I could find some solitude….and big fish! The Box Canyon is a five-mile long section about 20 miles above Creede that is pristine and relatively untouched, primarily because the river veers away from Forest Service Road 520 that provides access to the upper Rio Grande River. I was champing at the bit to revisit this water, but this time wanted to probe deeper into this wild area where hefty trout reputedly hide. I find there are two ways to venture into the canyon–either hike down from Thirty Mile/River Hill Campgrounds or up from below, starting at the Texas Creek Trailhead near the San Juan Ranch. I would find both are worth the hike!