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specifically for recreational mineral collection. People come here to explore its 220 acres for abundant and beautiful hexago- nal quartz crystals.
Seven excellent campgrounds along Highway 73 ensure you can nearly always score a good campsite. I've stayed at Lodge- pole and Grasshopper camp- grounds and found both very restful. Grasshopper even has horseshoe pits.
As you proceed through the Pioneers, side roads and trail- heads beckon you to the back of beyond. Hiking and mountain biking in this rugged country are simply spectacular. If you are looking for challenging hiking, or even an easy stroll through the wildflowers, opportunities along the Pioneer Route are nearly unlimited.
The East Pioneers offer some challenging hiking. For an easier, one-way hike take Gold Creek Trail #152 to Trail #140, north to Trail 117 ending at
Lodgpole Campground (about a four mile loop). You could drop a bike at Lodgepole and cycle back to your car on the main road. For a much more ambitious loop, set aside several days to backpack or horseback ride the Pioneer Loop National Recreation Trail #750, from Lacy Creek to Pettengill Creek. This will take you through the heart of the West Pioneers Wilderness Study Area, nearly 150,000 acres set aside by Congress in 1977 to protect its wilderness character. Head up nearly any side creek from the main road and you will find immense wet meadows up to four miles long. These are gifts of the glaciers that shaped this coun- try and left moraines near the mouths of the canyons. Over time the creeks have carried down sediment from
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