The San Luis Valley Outdoor Report for the week of Oct. 1, 2025
This week we’re without a guest. We had planned to have Aaron Laske, a local guide and outfitter on, but this time of the year is about as busy as it gets for the local San Luis Valley guides. We’ll have Aaron on soon enough.
In the meantime, Marty Jones catches us up on his recent bike adventures on the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota and the Katy Trail in Missouri. This past weekend he took part in the Chile Pepper Challenge ride for charity in El Paso, TX.
Then he and producer Owen Woods give an update on the deaths of two hunters who were killed by a lightning strike in the Rio Grande National Forest earlier in September.
Finally, you’ll hear from members of the 2-3-2 Partnership. The partnership is focused on wildfire protection and proactive awareness in two states, three rivers, in two states.
Tune in here, or wherever you get your podcasts. We hope you enjoy.
OUTDOOR CONDITIONS
The three month outlook from NOAA is showing October, November through mid-December bringing above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the San Luis Valley.
Much of Colorado is experiencing extreme drought, especially in some areas of the Western Slope.
We’ll continue to keep our eyes on the clouds and we know Cooper the Weather Dog will be sniffing out any snow in the forecast. For now, it’s looking like it’ll be a warm Halloween, which is on a Friday this year, by the way.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
TRUE PENITENCE CLIMBING FEST
The 5th Annual True Penitence Climbing Festival is Friday-Sunday, Oct. 3-5, at Penitente Canyon. The annual climbing festival and competition is hosted by the SLV Climbers Alliance and put on every year when the sun hits the rocks walls at Penitente just right. You can find more information on event details, how to sign up, how to volunteer and what routes the competition will take place on at SLVClimb.org.
To find out more, you can also listen to the latest episode of the Outdoor Citizen featuring SLVCA co-founders Angela Lee and Wes O’Rourke (joined by their baby, Skyeler) HERE, or wherever you get your podcasts.
A TRIFECTA CELEBRATION
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council has a “Trifecta Celebration” planned for Saturday, Nov. 8. It’s been 25 years since the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act; 25 years since the creation of a category of public lands called National Conservation Lands; and 25 years of council leadership by Christine Canaly. Now that’s a trifecta worth celebrating. The event is from 4-8 p.m. at Dunes Valley Distillery in Mosca. Let SLV Ecosystem Council know you’re coming by registering HERE.
OUTDOOR NEWS
GREAT SAND DUNES IN A GOVT SHUTDOWN
Parts of the federal government went into shutdown mode on Wednesday, Oct. 1, but many of the national parks – including the Great Sand Dunes – remain accessible to the public. The Valley’s wildlife refuges also remain accessible.
During federal government shutdowns, the roads, trails, and lookouts of the Great Sand Dunes will remain open. What’s suspended are any ranger-led programs, the visitor’s center and any requests for permits needed to experience the national park and preserve.
“The NPS will not issue permits, conduct interpretive or educational programs, collect trash, operate or provide restrooms, maintain roads and walkways (including plowing and ice melting) or provide visitor information,” according to the national park service contingency plan.
The National Park Service planned to furlough 9,296 employees, according to the contingency plan. The federal government is funded on a fiscal year cycle that operates between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30. Once Congress and the White House agree on funding levels for the new fiscal year, furloughed employees are expected to return to work the next workday.
“Furloughed employees are expected to monitor public broadcasts and the Internet, including but not limited to DOI.gov, for information and public notices relevant to any appropriation or continuing resolution for DOI passed by Congress and signed by the President. They will be expected to return to regular duty on the next workday immediately after the end of the lapse in appropriation.”
The National Parks Service under the Trump Administration has lost 24 percent of its staff since January, according to an estimate by the National Parks Conservation Association.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called on the Trump Administration to keep national parks open.
“We’re asking the Federal government to keep national parks open and staffed, or create avenues for the state to assist in keeping parks open and protected. National Parks are a major draw for visitors from around the world, and a major economic driver for Colorado’s rural communities. If Congress does not fund the federal government, I urge the Administration to prioritize the operations of the national parks so that they can continue to be enjoyed. Here in Colorado, we are evaluating all options, and are a willing partner if needed, to use limited State funds to keep our biggest park fully operational if necessary,” Polis said in a statement to Alamosa Citizen.
LOBATOS BRIDGE
The Lobatos Bridge Outdoor Classroom and Recreation Enhancement Project has been fully realized over the past three years, but it’s a project that has been in the works for more than 40 years.
The funding was secured over the past few years through the Great Outdoors Fund and Great Outdoors Colorado and other sources and donations. The Lobatos Iron Bridge is the southernmost bridge in Colorado that spans the Rio Grande and connects Costilla and Conejos counties. The section of river it spans is home to more than 10,000 years of human history as it served as a migration corridor.
All kinds of signs of ancient human life can be found on the canyon walls.
The outdoor class and recreation enhancement project was designed to increase a human presence at the historic site, but also to highlight to anyone who passes through how sacred the place is. It’s a place that has been used for outdoor recreation for millennia and hopefully will continue to be used for the very same.
The enhancements create a sense of place and a more welcoming environment to play around in the river.
San Luis Valley Great Outdoors Executive Director Mick Daniel talked about how this project fits into the greater goal of improving access to the Rio Grande. He said, “We want to ensure that people have access to get to the river. I think it’s just an incredible piece that sometimes we forget about: our attachment to water as people…. The ability to put your feet in the water and play is just an amazing thing.”
MORE WOLVES IN THE VALLEY
The San Luis Valley is continuing to see gray wolf movement. The latest activity map shows wolves made moves in Rio Grande and Saguache Counties throughout September.
Though their GPS-monitored activity shows movement in the watersheds of the Valley, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a presence of wolves. Colorado’s budding populations of wolves are covering large swathes of space as they adjust to their new home.
The establishment of a few new packs has put the number of wolves in the state over 30, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The number of wolves killed since the first reintroduction in December 2023 has risen to 11. The most recent instance was the “lethal removal” of a wolf in Rio Blanco County that had been preying on livestock. This wolf was the yearling from the Copper Creek Pack that evaded capture last year.
Over the course of two separate attempts to kill the wolf, CPW was finally able to track and kill it with a single rifle shot in early September. The Elk Fire caused wildlife officials to pause the search to focus efforts on the fire.
In its report released on Sept. 5, CPW said the case fits the legal definition for “Chronic Depredation” meaning “three or more depredation events caused by the same wolf or wolves within a 30-day period, provided there is clear and convincing evidence that at least one of the depredation events was caused by a wolf or wolves.”
It said clear and convincing evidence is stronger than a preponderance of evidence “when the physical evidence leaves no room for serious doubt that a wolf or wolves caused physical trauma resulting in injury or death to livestock or working dogs.”
HUNTERS KILLED BY LIGHTNING
A lightning strike in the Rio Grande National Forest killed hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stesko, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin has ruled. The two out-of-state hunters were in the South San Juan Wilderness area of Rio Grande National Forest looking for elk when a thunderstorm passed through the area and killed them instantly.
“It was immediate,” Martin said in a telephone interview with Alamosa Citizen. He said it appeared they were standing near each other under a tree when lightning hit and tipped them over and landed them on their backs.
The bodies were found seven days after families of the hunters reported Porter and Stesko missing to Costilla County authorities on Sept. 11. Martin said the two hunters, both 25, were the first to be killed by lightning in the county that he’s investigated in his 20 years as coroner.
The bodies were in good condition when Colorado Search and Rescue volunteers found them on Sept. 18, Martin said. They were discovered two miles from the Rio De Los Pinos trailhead on the Colorado side of the San Juan Wilderness area, according to Conejos County Sheriff Garth Crowther.
Martin said the two hunters were in camouflage in a lightly wooded area.
“It is very unfortunate and very lucky to find them,” Martin said.