When I was at Red River recently, I picked up a map of the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest. Running through the unit are the Rio Costilla and Comanche Creek, both reputedly chock full of Cutthroat trout. I had also been told I should check out Little Blue Lake. Little Blue is in Rio Costilla Park, which is privately owned by the Rio Costilla Cooperative Livestock Association, and camping access closes to the public after Labor Day. Since August was drawing to a close, I had no time to lose. I packed up the camper and headed north.
I approached Valle Vidal from the east side, passing through the village of Cimarron. The access road is a 30 mile long gravel road, in good shape except for some washboarding. It being a weekday, I saw no one on the way in. This access road passes through part of Ted Turner's Vermejo Park Ranch. You can fish there for $550 per day (guide not included; minimum stay of two nights). Yeah, right. Although I truly appreciate the fact that Ted & Co. are restoring the land and wildlife, it irks me that over a half-million acres are off limits to all but the rich. I have the same ambivalence about all private waters. Reducing fishing pressure is great, but to do it by excluding the poor is not, IMHO. I'd rather see lower prices and a lottery. By comparison, the cost for camping and fishing at Rio Costilla Park was a bargain; $20 per day to camp and a $7 per day rod fee. The pressure is no doubt higher, but I still had Little Blue lake to myself for about four hours. Not bad. Camping in the Valle Vidal unit runs $12 to $16 per night, and is half-price with the Senior Access card.
Unlike many National Forest districts, Valle Vidal allows no dispersed camping. You must stay in one of two campgrounds; McCrystal or Cimarron. Cimarron is the more popular campground. I opted to stay at McCrystal on my arrival, and only one other campsite out of 60 was occupied that night. It does get more crowded on weekends and during hunting season. The unit also does not allow ATVs. Compared to the Lincoln NF, where I live, and which allows ATVs and dispersed camping, there is a very noticeable improvement in the overall health of the land. Although I would prefer a dispersed camp, I have to admit that this unit's policy has been beneficial.
Here's a view from my campsite at McCrystal. Are those Ted Turner's cattle? I could hear them and coyotes all through the night. The creek is McCrystal Creek. I didn't fish there, but I understand there are some Cutthroats in the creek.
The next day, I headed west through the Valle to Rio Costilla Park. I would return to fish Comanche Creek and the Rio Costilla in a couple of days. After paying the RCCLA fees, I headed up a four wheel drive road to Latir Lakes. These are nine small alpine lakes that had a reputation for holding large cutthroats in the 1980's (including the state record), but there was a die-off and the trout fishing hasn't really recovered since. When I got there, I saw other campers and anglers, so decided to head directly over to Little Blue Lake. I'm afraid I didn't even take any pictures, but the best fishing lake, Latir Lake #3, is a round tree-lined alpine lake, several acres in area.
Little Blue Lake is a tiny alpine lake at an elevation over 11,000 feet and up another steep four wheel drive road. I had the place to myself when I arrived in the late afternoon. The westering sun peeked through the clouds and lit the nearby slopes near the camping area.
The lake is only accessible by foot, down a short trail. I didn't measure it, but I'm guessing it wasn't more than a half mile to the lake. I walked down after setting up camp and cast near the shore where I saw a few rising fish. I caught and released a rainbow, then headed back to camp at sunset.
The next morning, I pumped up the float tube (yes, I remembered the accessories this time - fins, boots, waders and even the PFD), and toted it down to the lake. It was tons of fun kicking around the tiny lake, and if I held still long enough, even caught a few rainbows now and then. They are certainly stocked, although some were large enough to be holdovers. There was a good morning midge hatch, but I don't know if there's diverse enough aquatic life to sustain a large trout population here.
You can see how low the water level was. That's my Creek Co. float tube for scale. There are two other anglers on the right shore, which also gives an idea of the lake's size.
Camp at Midnight Creek, just before the rain started.
Midnight Creek
I fished the creek a little, but had no luck. There are trout there - Cutthroat or Cutbow. I watched one for a few minutes. It had a perfect lie under a bank with roots arching over it. You couldn't drift a fly near without getting it caught in the roots, but it was along a seam that brought food near. The trout would dart out, snatch a morsel from the surface, and dart back to safety, all in a second. It had a fine home.
The next day I went back to the Valle Vidal unit. I spent the day along the Rio Costilla and Comanche Creek. It was a fine day. There are many trout in these waters, but they are educated. There is a fair amount of fishing pressure, and the trout are hard to fool. I saw trout head for my fly and then veer off on most of my casts. Only when I could pull off a good dead drift did I get a hookup. The type of fly was less important than the presentation. Anything buggy looking seemed to draw their attention.
Small trout, big fly on the Costilla
A little bigger one from a Comanche Creek hole.
Comanche Point, where Comanche Creek joins the Rio Costilla
Looking toward Shuree Ponds. They are hidden in the distance. The pond levels were low and they were covered with algae. I did not fish there.
Driving over "the Rock Wall" you get a good view of the east half of Valle Vidal. The topography is less dramatic looking east, because the start of the Great Plains is not too far away.
Back at McCrystal camp, I took the short hike over to the Ring Ranch, which was active from the 1890s into the first half of the 20th century. It is now part of the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson NF. In 1890 Timothy Ring bought 320 acres for $3 per acre and started a cattle ranch. The ranch house is slowly being restored. The Ring family had seven daughters, and built on to the house until it had ten bedrooms. I'll bet it was a popular place with the local cowboys.
Baldy peak from the Ring Ranch
Baldy had a rip-roaring mining history.
The next day, I headed home. As I was driving back on the gravel road toward Cimarron, I stopped to take this panorama of the "Rock Wall" that separates the east side of Valle Vidal from the west, and bid a fond farewell to the Valley of Life.
If you like fly fishing, be sure to keep this beautiful place on your list.
