The San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado is an area of incredible beauty with many mountain peaks reaching 14,000' and meadows and lakes at or above timberline around 11,000'. Meadows are abundant with wildlife, small lakes, creeks and wildflowers. The terrain is incredibly rugged.
Much of the early development of the region was based on extraction of natural resources. Abandoned mines and rundown buildings are everywhere. The small towns that dot the landscape celebrate and preserve their rich mining heritage while continuing to clean up the damaged environment. The economic driver of the region is now tourism with the natural beauty of the area drawing skiers, hikers, offroad vehicles and river rafters. The trails and jeep roads are not well marked or maintained. As a result, the backcountry areas are not terribly overcrowded.
From the south, Durango, Colorado is the gateway to the San Juan Mountains. Highway 550, also known as the Million Dollar Highway, takes you north over several high altitude passes and through the mountain towns of Silverton, Ouray and Ridgway. Many visitors also come to Silverton via the historic Durango to Silverton Railroad.
Ice Lakes Basin is one of the premier backcountry areas near Silverton. Lower Ice Lakes Basin, at 11,300', is an incredibly beautiful area of lush green meadows dotted with lakes and ponds and fed from above by a delightful babbling creek. Yellow Bellied Marmots run and hide all over the meadows.
Upper Ice Lakes Basin at 12,300' is a barren but beautiful landscape surrounded by 13,000 peaks. When I visited in early June, the upper lakes were still partly frozen but a few of the early wildflowers were in bloom. I can just imagine what this place looks like in late July and August when the wildflowers really take off.
Further north on the Million Dollar Highway is another lovely but difficult hike to Columbine Lake. Columbine Lake is a 5 mile hike that takes you up to 12,800' on a "seldom used" trail. The lower part of the hike climbs steeply through the trees. After leaving the trees, the trail climbs steadily to a pass. After the pass, the trail is somewhat sketchy as you travel over loose talus slopes and snowfields. The lake itself is in the arctic alpine zone with no trees, a few wildflowers and tufts of grass. In June, the lake was still partly frozen. The trail section from timberline to Columbine Lake has some of the most stunning high elevation scenery in the San Juan Mountains.
The Colorado Trail is Colorado’s premier long distance trail stretching almost 500 miles from Denver to Durango. The southern segment of trail from Molas Pass to Durango passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the San Juan Mountains. This is an area of rugged, alp-like mountains that are considered the state's most stunning. Starting high above the town of Silverton and sandwiched between two high-alpine passes, this segment is a hiker's paradise. The scenery includes meadows of wildflowers groves of aspens, waterfalls and awesome views of Engineer Mountain (so high, engineers once used it on their surveys).
Near Ridgway, pretty Lower Blue Lake, at 10,940', is nestled in a scenic bowl beneath a cirque of jagged peaks. This is a moderate 6.3 mile round trip hike, gaining 1590' along the way. The lake is dominated by Dallas Peak 13,809' to the southwest and Mount Sneffels 14,156' to the east. Steep scree slopes spill down the cirque's rugged walls to the southern and western shoreline of the lake. Marsh marigolds populate the wet boggy areas around the lake.
Much of the early development of the region was based on extraction of natural resources. Abandoned mines and rundown buildings are everywhere. The small towns that dot the landscape celebrate and preserve their rich mining heritage while continuing to clean up the damaged environment. The economic driver of the region is now tourism with the natural beauty of the area drawing skiers, hikers, offroad vehicles and river rafters. The trails and jeep roads are not well marked or maintained. As a result, the backcountry areas are not terribly overcrowded.
From the south, Durango, Colorado is the gateway to the San Juan Mountains. Highway 550, also known as the Million Dollar Highway, takes you north over several high altitude passes and through the mountain towns of Silverton, Ouray and Ridgway. Many visitors also come to Silverton via the historic Durango to Silverton Railroad.
Ice Lakes Basin is one of the premier backcountry areas near Silverton. Lower Ice Lakes Basin, at 11,300', is an incredibly beautiful area of lush green meadows dotted with lakes and ponds and fed from above by a delightful babbling creek. Yellow Bellied Marmots run and hide all over the meadows.
Upper Ice Lakes Basin at 12,300' is a barren but beautiful landscape surrounded by 13,000 peaks. When I visited in early June, the upper lakes were still partly frozen but a few of the early wildflowers were in bloom. I can just imagine what this place looks like in late July and August when the wildflowers really take off.
Further north on the Million Dollar Highway is another lovely but difficult hike to Columbine Lake. Columbine Lake is a 5 mile hike that takes you up to 12,800' on a "seldom used" trail. The lower part of the hike climbs steeply through the trees. After leaving the trees, the trail climbs steadily to a pass. After the pass, the trail is somewhat sketchy as you travel over loose talus slopes and snowfields. The lake itself is in the arctic alpine zone with no trees, a few wildflowers and tufts of grass. In June, the lake was still partly frozen. The trail section from timberline to Columbine Lake has some of the most stunning high elevation scenery in the San Juan Mountains.
The Colorado Trail is Colorado’s premier long distance trail stretching almost 500 miles from Denver to Durango. The southern segment of trail from Molas Pass to Durango passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the San Juan Mountains. This is an area of rugged, alp-like mountains that are considered the state's most stunning. Starting high above the town of Silverton and sandwiched between two high-alpine passes, this segment is a hiker's paradise. The scenery includes meadows of wildflowers groves of aspens, waterfalls and awesome views of Engineer Mountain (so high, engineers once used it on their surveys).
Near Ridgway, pretty Lower Blue Lake, at 10,940', is nestled in a scenic bowl beneath a cirque of jagged peaks. This is a moderate 6.3 mile round trip hike, gaining 1590' along the way. The lake is dominated by Dallas Peak 13,809' to the southwest and Mount Sneffels 14,156' to the east. Steep scree slopes spill down the cirque's rugged walls to the southern and western shoreline of the lake. Marsh marigolds populate the wet boggy areas around the lake.
This gallery contains some of my favorite San Juan Mountains images that are available as downloads and fine art prints. To view the gallery, click here or on the photo collage above. When you are in the gallery, click on a thumbnail to enlarge an image. To navigate the images click on the arrows. To see the captions click on the (i) symbol.
