Last summer when leaving our campsite near St. Elmo, we drove back toward Buena Vista. My wife offered to drive so I could try to spot the grade to the right of the road in Chalk Canyon. I got a glimpse near Chalk Lake and there was a parking area and some trails nearby. We pulled in and I was able to get some video and photos of the grade. I would have loved to have climbed up there, but due to time constraints we just couldn't do it.
The video below includes the footage and photos I got from the area. Later I realized that this, if I am correct, is the spot on the grade referred to as Cascades, where a number of famous photos were taken. Towards the end of the video I was able to locate the approximate sites in Google Earth of the two famous shots from 1883. I wish I could have taken them from the grade myself instead of using Google Earth!
There is a walkable trail called The Narrow Gauge Trail that allows one to hike some or all of this section. I have seen some photos that a rock slide has blocked part of it.
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