Report: Big Dominguez Canyon, CO, March 2022

[JVD]

I managed to free up 4 days in a row a couple weeks ago and decided to go into Big Dominguez Canyon in western Colorado. I had been in the general area many times over the last four-plus decades but had not spent any time in the canyon itself. It is a wide canyon with a stream flowing over many small waterfalls and cascades, and I found the canyon and the stream mellow and deeply relaxing. It is not as dramatic as Colorado National Monument, Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness, or Mee and Knowles canyons, all of which are on the other side of the Uncompaghre plateau from the Dominguez canyons. Those are some really great places which have been described well here on BPL. Nevertheless, I found this canyon lovely, and it suited my aims just right.

Reports are that it is a popular place later in the spring and into the summer. On the Tuesday I started, I passed a dozen or more day hikers in the first couple of miles, but after that I saw only one couple backpacking in spite of it being Spring Break. There were more day hikers near the trailhead on Friday as I headed back to my car, but again, only one couple backpacking. That kind of solitude was a big part of what I was looking for.

I parked at the Bridgeport trailhead in the early afternoon and took off. Camping is not allowed in the first five miles. My first campsite was in a sandy wash about 15 feet wide, a bit away from the creek, and not far beyond the camping-allowed boundary (marked by a signpost). Though that campsite had been well-used, it felt clean and comfortable. I put up a tarp because some clouds were gathering, but rain never materialized and I was able to sleep out in the open all night. The next two nights were clear and I didn’t bother with my tarp. Those second and third nights, I walked off the trail and found flat spots with awe-inspiring views of the dark sky.

Both walking and sitting felt nourishing, and I found an easy balance. You can hike to a campground at the upper reaches of Big Dominguez Creek or do a loop over and down Little Dominguez Canyon (PMags, for example, has nice descriptions), but I wasn’t feeling that motivated. My guess is that I hiked in ten miles, but I’m not sure. One morning, I did follow a steep-walled side canyon to a small grove of tall fir trees. They seemed out of place in the pinyon-juniper-sage ecosystem and even a bit mysterious, and that drew my attention. In the middle of the firs was a small opening maybe 8 feet in diameter, very quiet save for the soft dripping of a nearby spring. It felt to me like a temple or an inner sanctum. At the least, I felt a profound stillness and depth there. After a while, I followed desert bighorn prints back down to the trail and the main creek.

One of the things I like most about backpacking, especially when I’m solo, is that the usual line between “mundane” and “sacred” blurs. Much of this trip was infused with a sense of what I’d call sacred – though I don’t want to burden an otherwise pleasant trip with what can be a heavy concept. But then, as usually happens, ordinary things began to take on that same feeling of being closer to the heart of things – laying in my sleeping bag under the night sky, watching the canyon walls, a flock of bluebirds or a gliding hawk, walking, and eating.

Eating! I had three hot meals early in the trip but switched to eating cold food the rest of the trip – happily, I’ll add. I didn’t miss hot food and the simplicity of not dealing with a stove and dirty pots suited me fine (though other times, I’m equally happy to have a hot meal and a pot to wipe out). The nights were around freezing (judging from some ice in my water bottles). I was warm enough in my WM Ultralite 20 bag and Borah Gear bivy with fleece pants, sox, and top and toward the end of the night, my down jacket. (I guess I sleep cold!) During the day, I shed my down jacket at camp and then my fleece and windshirt for a wool t-shirt. My Mariposa 60L pack worked well for my 22 pounds at the beginning of the trip.

One thing to note is that WAG bags are required. I reused one bag, though I had a second just in case. I wrapped the full bag in a small oven roasting bag and tied it all up, and it was only slightly smelly.

All in all, I recommend this trail if you’re looking for a relaxed trip, especially in the early spring.

[Edited to correct a typo]

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