Newlin Creek Trail

Newlin Creek Trail

Little waterfalls and fern-laced cliffs disguise the logging-road origins of this pleasant hike to an old steam boiler rusting in a meadow. Children enjoy the rock-hopping or balancing skills required at each of the many stream crossings. They are thrilled when they discover the historic treasure at the trail’s destination. Newlin Creek is centered in a historic oil-, coal-, and silver-mining area of the Wet Mountains. Members of the Gunnison Expedition of 1853–1854 named this range, located in south-central Colorado, after their rainy encounters there. Lumber was needed to fuel these industries of the late 1800s, which inspired Canadian entrepreneur Nathaniel F. Herrick to build a road up Newlin Creek. He then hauled a huge steam boiler and flywheel on his hand-built 5-foot-wide road. Water from Newlin Creek powered the boiler that ran the flywheel and saw. Unfortunately, Herrick’s untimely death shortly after he established his site led to its abandonment. Today, lunch in the meadow serves as an effective motivation for hikers.

See all Hiking in Colorado