Bear Creek
- 13.4 mi
- round trip
- 1,072 ft
- climb
- 8,984 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Bear Creek is a 13.4-mile out-and-back hike in Colorado's San Juan National Forest, within the Mancos/Dolores Ranger District. The trail starts at the Bear Creek Trailhead, and it rises from about 7,900 feet to about 9,000 feet, a climb of 1,072 feet one way. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is on natural surface. The trail is rated hard. It's open from June 1 through October 31, and the parking is at the Bear Creek Trailhead. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Cortez run from highs around 76°F in June to about 71°F in September, with July the warmest at 82°F. That station sits about 950 feet lower than the high point, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. The Little Bear Pack Trail starts just 0.2 miles away, and the Morrison Trail is about 1.4 miles off. Climbers can head to Carly Crag, roughly 3.6 miles away, and Transfer Campground offers camping about 7 miles out.
Local outfitters
- HTR Resorts23 mi away
- Alpen Rose RV Park23 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Little Bear Pack TrailHiking0.2 mi
- MorrisonHiking0.4 mi
- Morrison TrailHiking1.4 mi
- Hillside Drive in San Juan National ForestRock climbing3.3 mi
- Carly CragRock climbing3.6 mi
Transfer Horse CampCampingPhoto: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)7.1 mi- Transfer CampgroundCamping7.1 mi
- West Mancos RiverCanoeing9.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Best time to visit Bear Creek
Best months: April–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
35° / 22°
9 wet
Feb
38° / 24°
8 wet
Mar
47° / 30°
8 wet
Apr
55° / 35°
7 wet
May
65° / 44°
6 wet
Jun
76° / 54°
4 wet
Jul
82° / 58°
10 wet
Aug
79° / 57°
9 wet
Sep
71° / 50°
7 wet
Oct
58° / 40°
6 wet
Nov
45° / 30°
6 wet
Dec
35° / 22°
9 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cortez 8 Se, CO, 27.9 mi away at 8,034 ft. The station sits about 1,000 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
