Blue Mesa Lake and Finding Secret Spots

This past weekend I drove to Blue Mesa.

I found a sweet little camping spot in the trees that was quiet, despite having other people around.

Blue Mesa is a reservoir in Gunnison county, and it’s enormous!

This spring it’s pretty low, which is sad and worrisome to see. But it was also greener than normal thanks to the spring storms we’ve had.

I camped overnight and then went into Gunnison for some breakfast, spending the morning lakeside in the back of the rig just reading, writing, and pondering life.

Perfection.

Then I headed back toward a “National Forest Access” sign I saw on the way in. It called to me when I first passed it, but I decided to save it for the way back. It was absolutely stunning to see the snow capped mountains in the back as I drove through rolling hillsides and lots of beautiful farmland.

Way in the back I found a peaceful, empty campground right along the river. I wasn’t planning to stay two nights due to some personal things this weekend and didn’t have enough food and drink on me to change my mind, so I spent the day before heading home and will definitely be back on an upcoming trip!

Pro tip for finding heavenly secret spots: have a naturally strong aversion to people, good instincts for the best back roads, and a love for meandering as long as it takes.