The Delta to Nucla Road Over the Uncompahgre Plateau
I don't take this trip very often and when I do I wonder why I don't do it more. It's scenic and gets you out of the summer heat and you never know what kind of wildlife you might see.
Well today was one of those days I decided to take the trip. I had to scope out some hunting land I might be listing, and I felt up for a scenic adventure so I took the trip over to Nucla. If you do take this trip, please remember there isn't anything in Nucla. It's a great little town with cute houses, but there aren't really any services. Leave for this trip with a full tank of gasoline.
I start off taking Highway 348 west out of Delta. That will take you to the Delta/Nucla Road. From there it's simple. Stay on county road 503. There are no stoplights and just a few turns, but a couple of wooden signs will guide you. It's a dirt and gravel road.
For a backroads mountain trip, I consider this one fairly easy. Although there are long stretches with dropoffs on one side of the road. So you might want to take this into consideration if you have passengers that don't like heights.
At first you pass through fairly level country, but this quickly changes to canyon country. Then you will start to notice the trees are getting bigger. Before you know it you are in the aspen and pines. The temperature is cooler. At this point you are on the top of the Uncompahgre Plateau. There are several forest service campgrounds on top. You could take a few days and camp and explore the plateau.
Once on top the road is pretty straight. You will run into a few other cars and campers on the road. Stop at the first intersection you find. You will want to stay left. The signs will direct you. I don't recommend traveling off course unless you have a map. At the second intersection you will go to the right. Now you will start to drop off the plateau. The road swtichbacks down and it's about 20 miles into Nucla. As you are heading down look in front of you. Those are the San Juan Mountains over by Telluride and Rico. Look to your right and you'll see the La Sal Mountains near Moah, Ut. You are that close to Utah! The picture below shows the La Sal Mountains, but there's haze in the air from western wildfires and you can't see them that well.
From Nucla you have a few options. You can extend your scenic tour by taking Highway 141 south to Norwood or north to Gateway, or you can head to Bedrock and from there to Moah. I explored the country around Nucla, and then headed back the way I came.
In the spirit of The Hobbit (a favorite book of mine) I should have titled this one..."There and Back Again".
I've lived on Colorado's Western Slope for over 24 years. I love this area and all it has to offer, and I enjoy sharing what I know about my home. As a REALTOR®, I also love to share my expertise in this area as well. If you need any real estate information for Montrose County, or Delta County, Colorado...please give me a call.
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