Isolated and picturesque, Creede, at 8,854', is in Mineral County where 95 percent of the land is national forest or wilderness. Prospector Nicholas Creede discovered silver here in 1889 and one of his mines, the Amethyst, produced $2 million one year. What attracted hundreds of miners also brought crooks: "Soapy" Smith opened the Orleans Club to separate miners from their riches. He was eventually banned from Creede which was also home to other famous westerners, including Calamity Jane and Bob Ford, the man who shot Jesse James in the back. Today, the old mining town atmosphere still exists in restaurants, shops and the Creede Repertory Theater. North Creede, Spar City, and Bachelor are all ghost towns located within 14 miles of Creede.

The Wheeler Geologic Area, 24 miles northeast, is a photographer's dream: unusual volcanic rock formations have earned it the name City of Gnomes.

From the Rio Grande Reservoir, 30 miles away, to Creede, people raft and fish for the plentiful German brown trout along the Rio Grande headwaters. Colorado's upper Rio Grande from the Rio Grande Reservoir above Creede through Wagon Wheel Gap and South Fork to Del Norte is "a high-country angler's paradise...an undiscovered paradise," according to American Angler, the magazine of fly fishing and fly tying. The Bachelor Historic Loop, a 17-mile ride through the unique silver mining district and two ghost towns, and the Silver Thread Scenic Byway, which runs from South Fork through Creede northwest to Lake City, are two ways to enjoy the backcountry without crowds. Along the Silver Thread Scenic Byway, State Highway 149, are some of the most majestic valleys in all of Colorado - the distances between mountain peaks appears vast and mesmerizing.

Creede is near: Lake City & Wagon Wheel Gap