South Mineral Creek

Steep creeking, Class V. This is a great run to do laps on for park-and-run fun. It is set in a steep, twisting gorge and is best run when Lime Creek is flowing. Combine it with a Lime day or run it on your way to Durango from points north.Just above Mineral Creek Campground, scout the 1/2 mile gorge. Be careful because the runnable section is bookended by class VI sections. Look for a 20′ falls visible from a large clearing as you drive up the road. This lies about 1/3 of the way into the run. After this comes Shish-Ka-Bob, a large slide with a possible hidden log (hence the name) on the left and a big pool on the right.

Below lies the Cauldron which is usually clean, but always warrants a decent scout, followed by a a few hundred yards of boatable water before the Class VI begins.

Directions: Drive approx. 2.5 miles up U.S. Highway 550 north of Silverton, CO to the Forest Service, South Mineral Rd. Go 5 miles to the Campgound (you’ll pass another campground on the left before this one). Continue above the campground to start your scout, 4×4 is recommended.

Gauge:

Visual, but you can estimate based on the Mineral Creek at Silverton gauge (less than half).