Monday, September 3, 2012

Zapata Falls

Snowmelt from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains flows across the San Luis Valley to one of the longest rivers in the country: The Rio Grande.  Along its journey is Zapata Falls, a secluded 30-foot waterfall sheltered in a rocky crevasse.
Like most waterfalls, you have to work a bit to reach the prize.  We maneuvered over slippery rocks to get to the falls.




The falls themselves are located inside a large notch in the cliff face.
On the day we visited the falls, there was an Eagle Scout project going on.  Along the most treacherous area of the hike to the falls, the scouts were placing anchors for a cable that could be used for a handrail.
After our hike to the falls we back-tracked a little bit to find the trail going to Zapata Lake.  The lake is another four miles up the mountain.  We walked for a couple of miles and found a beautiful, cool spot to rest before we headed back down the mountain.  We’ll save the hike to the lake for another day.

Teri

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