Box Canyon Spur Trail-Echo Basin

The Box Canyon Trail has a west trailhead about 1 mile south of the Transfer Campground on Forest Road 561. The trail runs east for 6.5 miles to a junction with the West Mancos Trail in the vicinity of the old mountain town of Golconda. The Box Canyon Spur Trail provides an access to the eastern part of the main trail from the Echo Basin area.

The Echo Basin Road is a north turn off of Highway 160 about 3 miles east of Mancos in southwest Colorado. Forest Road 566 continues where the pavement ends. It is about 7 miles the junction of Forest Road 566 and Forest Road 331, in the area known as the T-Down Park and corral. The Box Canyon Spur Trail begins two miles north at the end of Forest Road 331.

The trail is a closed extension of Road 331. It is about 1.3 miles through Aspen and Spruce Fir forest to the unmarked junction with the main Box Canyon Trail. There is a small creek crossing along the way with some views to the west. I turned east toward the canyon rim that overlooks Deer Lick Creek. After a few minutes there are good views toward Mount Hesperus and the LaPlata Mountains.

At the canyon rim, there is a good view up the West Mancos River with the mountains in the background. The Golconda area is visible, old fences and trails, and trail signs. I had trouble with the next segment, both descending to and ascending from the Deer Lick Creek canyon bottom area.
 

The trail turns south and stays along the rim, passing some old fences. I was looking for a switchback that descended, but either I missed it, or the trail is very overgrown. I followed a trail that was descending, but it seemed to go too far to the south. Eventually, the trail I was following fizzled out, but I was close enough to the canyon bottom to see the canyon bottom trail, and I thought I was back on the right track.

There were several beaver dams along the Deer Lick Creek including beaver lodge. The wildflowers were also good along the creek segment. The flies and mosquitoes were a nuisance along here also.

At the junction of Deer Lick Creek and the West Mancos River, the Box Canyon Trail appears to cross and turn upstream toward Golconda. I didn’t cross, but in mid July the crossing looked easy. It took me 2:15 hours to arrive at the banks of the West Mancos.

On my return hike, I followed the trail back up the Deer Lick Creek until there was a muddy creek crossing and thought that I had gone past turnoff to the main trail that climbs out of the canyon. There appears to be an unofficial trail that follows Deer Lick Creek until it reaches Forest Road 566 near Lucy Halls Park.

I tried climbing to the canyon rim through the forest and found a closed road trail on the rim that also led to Lucy Halls Park. At Lucy Halls Park, there is a rock marked staging area that I think hunters use in the fall. There are also some good views toward the mountains.
 

From Lucy Halls Park I followed the Forest Roads 566 and 331 back to my starting point. The return hike on the accidental loop took 3:00 hours for a total hike of 5:15 hours for about 10 miles. On the return I cut through the wildflower rich T-Down Park.

Box Canyon Trail-Transfer Campground

The Box Canyon Trail is part of the San Juan National Forest Transfer Campground network of trails near Mancos in southwest Colorado. The trailhead is about one mile south of the campground along Forest Road 561. The first segment of trail that descends into the West Mancos canyon is also part of the Rim Trail and Transfer Trail loop hike.

The 1 mile descent into the West Mancos canyon is about 500 feet of elevation change through a lush forest of Gambel Oak, Ponderosa Pines, Aspens, and a few Douglas firs. The roar of the West Mancos River can be heard all the way down. Follow the trail signs downstream at the bottom, including the one that sends horses to one river crossing and hikers to another.

The hiker crossing is large log with some upturned branches that provide some help with balancing on the rounded surface. In the middle of the primitive bridge there is a gap between the helpful branches that made me nervous for two steps. Not so bad in July but probably harder during the roaring spring runoff. The horse crossing looked to be shallower water but without a bridge.

Just past the bridge, the trail splits providing an option. I stayed to the left, staying north of Box Canyon Creek and heading for Gray Beal Springs, another 1.25 miles according to the trail sign. The climb to the mesa top has some views down the West Mancos Canyon with some glimpses of Mesa Verde.

This shady climbing segment has more Douglas Firs with some spruce visible deep in the Box Canyon. The other trail option leads toward Coyote Park on the south side of Box Canyon.

The mesa top area has a series of wildflower rich meadows with views toward Mt. Hesperus and the LaPlata Mountains. In early July, I didn’t see any flowing water in the area of Gray Beal Springs, just a dry creek bed. After these lush meadows, the trail looks like an old road and continues east.

The Box Canyon Trail is more or less parallel with the West Mancos Trail, but on the mesa top south of the West Mancos River. Both trails eventually arrive at the old mountain town of Golconda.

I went about 4 miles to the small Box Canyon Reservoir at 9280 feet elevation, about 1000 feet above the West Mancos River. There was another view of the LaPlatas, and very long distance views back to the west. I could see the Bears Ears way out in southeast Utah. I also saw a coyote near the reservoir, scampering along the edge of edge of the patch of Aspens.

 It took me 2:15 hours to reach the small reservoir and 2:00 hours to return for a total hike of 4:15 hours for about 8 miles. In early July, it was about 62 F degrees at 9:30 AM when I started and about 80 F degrees at the 1:45 PM finish. I carried and drank 3 liters of water.

It is possible to access the distant end of the Box Canyon Trail using the Box Canyn Spur Trail that begins in Echo Basin, east of Mancos, CO.