Hinsdale County |

Downtown Lake City and Town Park
Lake San Cristobal Overlook
Hinsdale County Courthouse
County boat dock at Lake San Cristobal
View of Lake San Cristobal from Wupperman Campground
Moose at Deer Lakes
Ute-Ulay Historic Mine and Townsite Buildings
Deer Lakes Area

Welcome

Hinsdale County, Colorado, is the most remote area in the United States' lower 48. Our beautiful county is covered by mountains, including multiple 14 and 13,000 ft. peaks, and contains one of the most roadless areas in the country. The continental divide crosses the county twice, and Hinsdale County is home to three national forests (Rio Grande, GMUG and San Juan) and Bureau of Land Management lands. With a total area of 1,123 square miles, our county is made up of almost 96.5 percent public land.

The county is home to 774 residents. The only town in Hinsdale County is Lake City. With a population of 374 (at an elevation of 8,671 feet), Lake City is also the county seat.

Whether you are a resident, part time resident or visitor, and whether you come to Hinsdale County to live, work or visit, it is our job to make your experience more enjoyable. Our website is designed to provide information about County government and the community in which we live.

Backcountry Updates

Current Streamflow Conditions

Click HERE to follow current stream flow conditions in the waterways around Lake City through the USGS monitoring program. Scroll down to #1402002 UPPER GUNNISON for several area sites.

Lake City sites include:

Avalanches in the High Country

The following map indicates avalanches that came down along the Alpine Loop in March 2019 that affected roadways (CR 20 and 30) and waterways (Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and Henson Creek).

Stay Informed

Monitor the Hinsdale County Emergency Facebook page for up-to-the-minute emergency notifications or information.

To receive emergency alerts, download the CodeRED app, or register here.

2019 Avalanches

Hinsdale County experienced extremely heavy snowfall during the winter of 2018 - 2019, resulting in an unprecedented number of avalanches that came down along the Alpine Loop during March, 2019. These avalanches deposited massive amounts of snow, trees, large rocks and dirt along County Road 20 and 30 (Engineer and Cinnamon pass roads) as well as in the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and Henson Creek. Because of debris in the waterways and the impending melt off of the massive high country snowpack, concerns of flooding promted an emergency declaration and extensive assistance from State of Colorado emergency resources. Thousands of feet of debris was removed from the waterways by a specialized contractor. The Town of Lake City was prepared for possible flooding with a massive sandbagging effort and construction of an earthen berm along Henson Creek. Guages were placed on area bridges to monitor water levels. A historic dam on Henson Creek was modified to prevent a debris jam.

High water peaked in early July, and thanks to the efforts of Hinsdale County, Town of Lake City and its many partners, there was no real flooding in Lake City. Hinsdale County Road and Bridge Department finished clearing high country roads of deep snow and repaired roadways damaged by high water, allowing passage by mid-July.

The dozens of avalanches that came down in the back country left thousands of fallen trees and burn scar-like topography along the Alpine Loop. During July's rainy season, there is still the potential for high water events because of debris being pushed into the water ways. Anyone recreating near or in high country streams should be careful of changing weather conditions and fast moving water.

Hinsdale County Road and Bridge Department are currently working to remove sandbags from critical town infrastructure. An area in town will be designated for dumping of sand bags by residents and business owners who picked up bags.