The Alpine Loop Scenic Byway
Lake San Cristobal to Sherman

The turnoff from State Highway 149 (the Silver Thread Scenic Byway) is about a mile below the outlet of Lake San Cristobal. Once you reach the outlet, for the next 3 miles or so, you'll be driving alongside a large, beautfiful blue lake in the heart of San Juan Mountain splendor. The road is paved all the way to the west end of Lake San Cristobal, then it turns to gravel and heads up the canyon carved into the mountains by the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.

The property through here varies between private land and BLM land so be mindful of the signs (BLM land is public and we can hike around on it all we want). This is also a BLM restricted vehicle access area: each road (or 2-track) leading off the main road has signs on it letting you know if ATV's or mountain bikes or 4WD vehicles are allowed or not (hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing are allowed everywhere on public land). This area sees a lot of human traffic so the adverse impacts of too many vehicles in the wrong places can be a serious problem.

The Sherman townsite is about 12 miles in and that's where most of the private land ends. Sherman was named for Sherman Williams, a prospector who arrived in the area in 1875. He found good "color" and word got out. By 1881, the town of Sherman boasted 100 citizens, a general store and the Sherman House: a hotel that provided "Good accommodations for Travelers, Liquors, Wines, St. Louis Beer, and Cigars." The prosperity lasted maybe 20 years and then the ore bodies all petered out. Today, all that's left of Sherman is a few broken down log cabins, all on private property. The turn-off to Sherman is well-signed but there isn't much to look at, although the road does give access to the Cataract Gulch Trailhead. It looks like the county also plows the road as far as Sherman in the wintertime because there's a sign at the intersection saying "No winter maintenance beyond this point."