About 25 years ago I horseback hunted 3rd season in that area on both sides of Red Creek Road with a group of guys from here who had grown up in Gunnison and Pitkin. Usually worked up Bull Gulch over across Red Creek and down off Dillon Mesa, past the Needles to meet a trailer at the parking lot by the bridge. About half way up Red Creek Road there was a trail they called Lions Head trail that coursed over a saddle and dropped into West Elk canyon. Don said he had ridden that trail down to the bottom one summer and had no interest in trying it during the winter. His wording was that his ol butt would be sucking blisters on the saddle before he got down that trail.
One day there were some guys who had got onto some elk on top but the elk had bailed off the edge before going down and they couldn't get them out. A local cowboy was charging them $500 apiece to pack them up that hill on his mules. Would hate to see what the rate is these days!
