San Juan Mountains, Colorado

The Rugged San Juans
* Near Gunnison, Colorado *
One of Colorado’s most panoramic features, is the rugged mountain chain in southwestern Colorado that is an integral part of the Rockies known as the San Juan mountains. They consist of very steep, highly mineralized stone composition slopes and are the heart of what is known as the Colorado Mineral Belt, most famous throughout history for its gold and silver mining. Because of the minerals, gold, and silver; towns, mining camps, and settlements populated these remote regions – some very notable places like Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. Through time, the mining industry saw its boom and declines. Large scale mining is uneconomical in the area even though its still prospected by individuals and smaller mines. The mountains saw a major environmental disaster in the 1990′s when the Summitville mine saw leaking from its cyanide-laced tailing pond. The area also has many extinct volcanoe calderas such as Summitville and the large 35 mile diameter La Garita Caldera. The floors of the San Luis Valley below are scattered with large beds of lava towards its eastern slopes. The mountains are heavily frequented by outdoor recreationists and tourists – from archaeology, to history, hiking, jeeping, boating, fishing, skiing, mountain climbing, ghost towns, snow and water sports. The San Juans see the Rio Grande rising from its east side, and the continental divide on its western slopes, which are drained by tributaries of the San Miguel, Dolores, and Gunnison Rivers which all flow into the Colorado River. The National Forests nestling the mountains are the San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests.