Directions

From US Highway 50 in the middle of Gunnison, turn north onto SH 135 and drive to Almont. Turn right onto FR742 and follow to Taylor Park Reservoir. At an intersection by the SE corner of the reservoir, continue north on FR742 on the east side of the reservoir for 6.5 miles appx. to the "Pieplant Cow Camp." Turn right onto FR742.3D which heads in a northerly direction to the old Pieplant Mill site. The Gunnison NF map identifies the road to Pieplant as FR742.3H and another source says 742.8F, but the road is actually signed (as of 2015) as FR742.3D. It is 3.8 miles up this road to the old mill site. Along the way, there is one gate to pass through. The road starts out fairly good and never really requires 4WD, but good clearance is useful for getting through potholes, mudholes etc. The road does get a little rough toward the end.

If coming from Buena Vista via Cottonwood Pass, follow Gunnison CR209 down west from the top of the pass to its intersection with CR742. Turn right (north) at 742 and drive 4.35 miles to the Pieplant turnoff on FR742.3D as described above.


Camping

At the Pieplant Old Mill site, there is ample, primitive camping available in several spots, either in the trees or on the edge of the large meadow. There are also any number of primitive sites on the drive in as well. Most of the forest up to the mill is lodgepole. A number of deer graze in the meadow evening and morning and the old mill site offers some spare time diversion. This was quite an operation in its day.
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