Piedra Falls
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Overview
editPiedra Falls is located at the end of East Toner Road (#637) in the San Juan National Forest[1]. It is located in the southwest region of Colorado. To get to Piedra Falls, take Highway 160 West from Pagosa Springs to Piedra Road and make a right. Travel 17 miles to Middle Fork Road and make another right turn. Take Middle Fork for 2 miles until you reach East Toner Road, and then make another right. Head east for another 8 miles until you reach the dead-end, where you will hike approximately 1/2 mile upstream to the base of the fall.
| Piedra Falls | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | Pagosa Springs Colorado, United States |
| Coordinates | 37.479°N -107.102°W |
| Total height | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
| Watercourse | East Fork Piedra River |
History
edit
Piedra Falls waterfall flows down from two volcanic cliffs off the Toner Mountain and Davis Mountain range[2], with an elevation of approximately 8400 feet. The Toner Mountain range is part of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado[3]. The San Juan Mountains are highly mineralized and were part of the gold mining industry in the early 1900s[4]. These same Mountains were once volcanic and extended over much of the southern part of the Rocky Mountains[5]. The San Juan Mountains is what form the southern part of the Rocky Mountains[6]. The Rocky Mountains were formed millions of years ago.
Geographic
editPiedra Falls is made up of the East Fork Piedra River and Middle Fork River[7]. These rivers are found deep in the San Juan Mountains[8]. The Middle Fork River is the larger one and flows southwards eventually forming the Piedra River after about a 12 mile journey. The East Fork River starts in a small lake and flows southwest about 11 miles, where it flows down from two cliffs - making up Piedra Falls.
References
edit- ^ "Piedra Falls Trailhead". Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ "Latitude and Longitude". Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ Blair, R., & Bracksieck, G. (Eds.). (2011). The Eastern San Juan Mountains: Their Ecology, Geology, and Human History. University Press of Colorado.
- ^ Bove, Dana J. (2001). Geochronology and Geology of Late Oligocene Through Miocene Volcanism and Mineralization in the Western San Juan Mountains, Colorado. U.S. Geological Survey. ISBN 9780607974867.
- ^ LIPMAN, PETER W; STEVEN, THOMAS A; MEHNERT, HARALD H (1970-08-01). "Volcanic History of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, as Indicated by Potassium–Argon Dating". GSA Bulletin. 81 (8). doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[2329:VHOTSJ]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0016-7606.
- ^ "San Juan Mountains". Wikipedia. 2017-08-10.
- ^ Read, C. B., Wood, G. H., Wanek, A. A., & Mackee, P. V. (1949). Stratigraphy and Geologic Structure in the Piedra River Canyon, Archuleta County, Colorado (No. 96).
- ^ Lipe, W. D., Varien, M., & Wilshusen, R. H. (Eds.). (1999). Colorado prehistory: A context for the southern Colorado River basin. Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists.