Willow Creek Falls is a 35-foot horsetail waterfall on Willow Creek in Saguache County, Colorado, in the high basin above the town of Crestone. It lies above the end of the Willow Lake Trail and is a documented nesting site for the black swift.
The falls
Willow Creek slides over the rock in a horsetail, maintaining contact with the cliff face as it descends. The height is now given as 35 feet, still unconfirmed on the ground; an earlier survey listed 120 feet. The mapped position sits at about 11,815 feet.
Getting there
The approach starts at the South Crestone (Willow Creek) trailhead, reached from Crestone by Galena Avenue; the last 2 miles of dirt road are a hard drive for two-wheel-drive and easy for four-wheel-drive. The Rio Grande National Forest manages Willow Lake Trail #865 at 4.81 miles, climbing from 9,200 to 11,600 feet. Measurements indicate 4.8 miles one way with 2,759 feet of gain, graded as intermediate to difficult. The falls sit above the trail's documented high point of 11,598 feet, and the route from the trail to them is not documented.
When to go
Winter outings encounter deep snow and frozen waterfalls along the route, as observed in February 2021.
On site
The trail crosses streams, switchbacks up a talus headwall and finishes with a short scramble over boulders before the lake. Dogs must be leashed. A Forest Service wildlife evaluation documented black swifts nesting at the falls in August 2001.
Nearby
Macey Falls is about 2.2 miles away, Dry Creek Falls about 3.9 miles, and Venable Falls about 5.7 miles. The nearest town of any size is Center, about 32.1 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.