The Willow creek is a tributary of the Colorado River in north central Colorado and Grand County and is a small waterway, flowing only 35 miles.

The creek rises in the northwest area of Grand County, in the Arapaho National Forest near Gravel Mountain, southeast of Willow Creek Pass which is on the Continental Divide.

From the source, it flows first westward until it crosses under SH 125 and then flows in a general southward direction, enters Willow Creek Reservoir and shortly after joins the Colorado river three miles northeast of Grandby, Colorado.

35 miles (56 km)

40.245833, -105.993056

40.1190510 -105.920830

Up early after sleeping good, dress, drive across the street to the w-mart for coffee but only stay long enough to drink one cup. Then I pack out, start the jammer, drive to IH 80 and head west. In a couple of hours, I have driven through the Continental Divide Basin and arrive at the exit for Saratoga. I drive the short distance to the hot springs but do not get in the pool but instead take a hot shower in the dressing room. I put on clean clothes, head back out to the jammer and continue south on SR 130, cross into Colorado on SR 125 and continue south through Walton, then Rand and finally climb up to Willow Creek Pass.

On the down side, as I drive along Willow Creek, I keep an eye searching for any moose that might be browsing in the water on the green bottom growth. At about ten miles above the junction with US 40, just above Cabin Creek road, I see a juvenile standing in the water with his head under the water surface, but I pass up the spot and have to drive about a half mile downstream before finding a spot to turn around.

When I return back to where I spotted him there is another woman taking photos and he is still knee deep in the creek. I park, grab my camera and begin taking photos. Soon others stop to take photos but nearly nothing stops this yearling from getting his fill of the tender green water plants. His being a yearling tells me that he could have been the calf that was nursing last summer during my first visit here.

The sky is just beginning to illume, a wanning crescent moon hangs one hand above the ridge of the mountain and it is no where near as cold as I had thought that it might be this morning. Rising, I start the jammer, then get out to open the tail gate to retrieve and don my blue jeans. Soon after I am driving slowly down on the pacific side of the pass along Willow creek with one eye on the road and the other eye scanning for moose.

In no time, I spot two young bull moose standing in Willow creek and when I stop the jammer, one runs for cover but the second moose seams to be enjoying the water plants he is eating. After grabbing my camera, I begin snapping photos, following this moose up out of the creek onto the opposite bank and downstream.