North Clear Creek Falls is a waterfall in
Hinsdale County, Colorado
Hinsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 788, making it the second-least populous county in Colorado. With a population density of only , it is also the least-densely populated ...
, located within the
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...
. North Clear Creek is a tributary of the
Rio Grande. The waterfall flows over a deck of Nelson Mountain tuff, solidified ash from a volcano in the
San Juan volcanic field
The San Juan volcanic field is part of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. It consists mainly of volcanic rocks that form the largest remnant of a major composite volcanic field that covered most of the southern Rocky Mountains in t ...
that erupted about 27 million years ago.
Overlook
An overlook area with a parking lot and a short trail is located about a half-mile from
Colorado State Highway 149 on a paved county road. Visitors can observe and photograph the waterfall from the overlook site. It features picnic tables and a vault toilet. The site is wheelchair accessible and features a trail to the top of a nearby bluff.
Climate
The
Santa Maria Reservoir weather station is roughly 3 miles (4.83 km) south of North Clear Creek Falls. Santa Maria Reservoir has a
subarctic climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfc'').
{{Weather box
, location = Santa Maria Reservoir, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 2006-2020 snowfall: 9687ft (2953m)
, single line = Yes
, Jan record high F = 55
, Feb record high F = 56
, Mar record high F = 60
, Apr record high F = 67
, May record high F = 73
, Jun record high F = 84
, Jul record high F = 83
, Aug record high F = 80
, Sep record high F = 79
, Oct record high F = 73
, Nov record high F = 63
, Dec record high F = 53
, year record high F =
, Jan avg record high F = 48
, Feb avg record high F = 50
, Mar avg record high F = 54
, Apr avg record high F = 61
, May avg record high F = 68
, Jun avg record high F = 78
, Jul avg record high F = 79
, Aug avg record high F = 76
, Sep avg record high F = 74
, Oct avg record high F = 67
, Nov avg record high F = 59
, Dec avg record high F = 48
, year avg record high F = 79
, Jan high F = 34.8
, Feb high F = 36.4
, Mar high F = 41.8
, Apr high F = 47.6
, May high F = 57.9
, Jun high F = 68.1
, Jul high F = 72.5
, Aug high F = 69.7
, Sep high F = 64.3
, Oct high F = 54.8
, Nov high F = 42.9
, Dec high F = 33.8
, year high F =
, Jan mean F = 18.3
, Feb mean F = 19.9
, Mar mean F = 26.8
, Apr mean F = 33.2
, May mean F = 42.3
, Jun mean F = 51.1
, Jul mean F = 56.4
, Aug mean F = 54.3
, Sep mean F = 48.5
, Oct mean F = 38.7
, Nov mean F = 28.0
, Dec mean F = 18.0
, year mean F =
, Jan low F = 1.7
, Feb low F = 3.4
, Mar low F = 11.7
, Apr low F = 18.8
, May low F = 26.6
, Jun low F = 34.1
, Jul low F = 40.2
, Aug low F = 38.8
, Sep low F = 32.6
, Oct low F = 22.6
, Nov low F = 13.1
, Dec low F = 2.1
, year low F =
, Jan avg record low F= -16
, Feb avg record low F= -15
, Mar avg record low F= -7
, Apr avg record low F = 5
, May avg record low F = 15
, Jun avg record low F = 25
, Jul avg record low F = 33
, Aug avg record low F = 32
, Sep avg record low F = 22
, Oct avg record low F = 8
, Nov avg record low F = -5
, Dec avg record low F = −16
, year avg record low F = −19
, Jan record low F = −29
, Feb record low F = −20
, Mar record low F = −13
, Apr record low F = -2
, May record low F = 4
, Jun record low F = 21
, Jul record low F = 27
, Aug record low F = 28
, Sep record low F = 14
, Oct record low F = -5
, Nov record low F = -16
, Dec record low F = −23
, year record low F =
, precipitation colour = green
, Jan precipitation inch = 1.09
, Feb precipitation inch = 1.14
, Mar precipitation inch = 1.05
, Apr precipitation inch = 1.55
, May precipitation inch = 1.02
, Jun precipitation inch = 0.83
, Jul precipitation inch = 2.31
, Aug precipitation inch = 2.97
, Sep precipitation inch = 2.13
, Oct precipitation inch = 1.51
, Nov precipitation inch = 0.91
, Dec precipitation inch = 1.05
, year precipitation inch =
, Jan snow inch = 15.3
, Feb snow inch = 16.1
, Mar snow inch = 14.6
, Apr snow inch = 10.3
, May snow inch = 5.3
, Jun snow inch = 0.0
, Jul snow inch = 0.0
, Aug snow inch = trace
, Sep snow inch = 1.2
, Oct snow inch = 5.6
, Nov snow inch = 12.0
, Dec snow inch = 20.0
, year snow inch =
, source 1 = NOAA
[
{{cite web
, url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00057450&format=pdf
, title = Santa Maria Reservoir, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals
, access-date = November 3, 2023
]
, source 2 = XMACIS (snowfall, records & monthly max/mins)
[
{{cite web
, url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
, publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
, title = xmACIS
, access-date = November 3, 2023
]
References
Landforms of Hinsdale County, Colorado
Waterfalls of Colorado
Tourist attractions in Hinsdale County, Colorado
Rio Grande National Forest