Wheeler Geologic Area Hike Guide
Wheeler Geologic Area is a hidden gem located in the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado. The approach to start this trail is a long hike or an even longer 4×4 drive. Hikers will be greeted with a steep trail that leads up to Hoodoos which are quite rare in Colorado, especially organized in this dramatic fashion. Hiking all the way around the Wheeler Geologic Area is not required to get some fantastic views of these unique formations.
Wheeler Geologic Area Quick Facts
Hike Rating: Wheeler Geologic Area ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 15-20 Miles RT (15 Miles RT to see the formation + additional distance depending on how much of the loop hike you do)
Elevation Start: 10,900ft
Highest Point: 11,367ft
Total Elevation Gain: 2,750ft+ (more elevation if you do the whole loop)
Estimated Time to Complete: 7-9 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Difficulty System Explained
Class: Class 1 What does this mean?
Season: June- November (expect snow outside of this period which closes road access)
Weather: Check the Weather Forecast
Directions to Wheeler Geologic Area
Trailhead: Hanson’s Mill Campground
Getting Here: From CO149 just outside of Creede, take Pooltable road. This road is dirt but should be passable for most vehicles to reach the hiking trailhead. Once on the road, drive for about 9 miles to reach Hanson’s Mill Campground on your right. Park here if you want to hike OR don’t have a high clearance 4×4. The hike starts across the road from the parking area.
If you have a high clearance 4×4, you can continue on this road for another ROUGH 14 miles to reach the start of the official hike trailhead. Note, that these 14 miles will likely take you a few hours to drive each way, depending on road conditions.
Parking: Most likely, you will never run into an issue with parking for this hike. At both locations “lower TH” and “upper TH” of the Wheeler Geologic Area, there is ample room for cars. The first parking area does have a non-plumbing restroom.
Fees: None as of 2024
Summary
Camping: The most obvious place to camp would be at Hanson’s Mill Campground or along Pool Table Road as there are plenty of spots for dispersed camping. If you are looking to turn this hike into a two day adventure, there are great spots to camp about 3-4 miles into the hike once you start working through the larger fields. Additional camping could be found closer to the actual Hoodoos as well. There are a few areas to filter water if needed for an overnight trek.
Dogs: This hike is dog friendly but a long day for most pups so bring lots of water and food. There are a few spots to filter water along the way if needed.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike, but the biggest optional part of the hike is the trail around the Hoodoos. We ended up hiking about a ¼ of it and I felt like I got the gist of the area. If you did want to extend this hike, you could continue up to Halfmoon Pass which would add an additional thousand ish feet of climbing and 5+ miles of hiking.
Trail X Factors: Exposure to Weather
The hike out to the Hoodoos is very exposed to any sort of storm that could roll through. There are some pockets of trees, but for the most part you are hiking in open fields. This also applies to a very sunny or hot day so pack and start your hike accordingly.
Hike Tip(s): Three miles in when you have to cross the first creek, head upstream for a bit to find a built “bridge” that consists of a handful of logs. This prevents you from getting your feet wet. This bridge was there as of the Summer of 2024 so please let me know if it does wash away in the future.
Best Views: This hike has spanning views from start to finish but of course everyone wants to see the Geologic area itself. In my opinion, the best views of the Hoodoos are found by taking the left part of the loop up to an obvious clearing. We did check out the old cabins as well but those were not anything special in my opinion.
Wheeler Geological Hike Route
Hiked about 1/4 of the loop around the Hoodoos.
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- Backpack (Summer)
- Food & Water
- Optional: Water Filter
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles – 120CM
- Optional: Headlamp
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod, Selfie Stick, GoPro 360, Drone, Insta360
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