Camping around Silver Thread Highway

[Iwander]

We were planning on doing a loop trip starting on the Silver Thread Highway thru South Fork, Creede, Lake City for some camping, hiking and bicycling but are concerned if that area is all dead trees with the fires and spruce beetle? Has anyone been thru the area to give us a recent report? I know it's the new norm, but I'm looking for some camping with hiking areas where it wont' be hiking thru dead forest.
Thanks!

[La Plata View]

We drove part of that route (South Fork to Creede) a few weeks ago. The forests actually looked pretty good going that direction. But there are going to be patches where the Bark Beetle (BB) and wild fire has done it's damage. The BB has caused significant die off on the Blue Spruce over Wolf Creek Pass.