San Juan Mountains

Last updated
San Juan Mountains
Uncompahgre peak.jpg
Highest point
Peak Uncompahgre Peak
Elevation 14,321 ft (4,365 m)
Listing Mountain ranges of Colorado
Coordinates 38°04′18″N107°27′14″W / 38.07167°N 107.45389°W / 38.07167; -107.45389
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
San Juan Mountains
CountryUnited States
StateColorado, New Mexico
Parent range Rocky Mountains
The San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado SanJuanMountainsMap.png
The San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado

The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. Large scale mining has ended in the region, although independent prospectors still work claims throughout the range. The last large-scale mines were the Sunnyside Mine near Silverton, which operated until late in the 20th century, and the Idarado Mine on Red Mountain Pass, which closed in the 1970s. Famous old San Juan mines include the Camp Bird and Smuggler Union mines, both located between Telluride and Ouray.

Contents

The Summitville mine was the scene of a major environmental disaster in the 1990s when the liner of a cyanide-laced tailing pond began leaking heavily. Summitville is in the Summitville caldera, one of many extinct volcanoes making up the San Juan volcanic field. One, La Garita Caldera, is 35 miles (56 km) in diameter. Large beds of lava, some extending under the floor of the San Luis Valley, are characteristic of the eastern slope of the San Juans.

Tourism is now a major part of the regional economy, with the narrow gauge railway between Durango and Silverton being an attraction mostly in the summer and fall. Jeeping is popular on the old trails which linked the historic mining camps, including the notorious Black Bear Road. Visiting old ghost towns is popular, as is wilderness trekking and mountain climbing. Many of the old mining camps are now popular sites of summer homes. Though the San Juans are extremely steep and receive much snow, so far only Telluride has made the transition to a major ski resort. Purgatory Resort, once known as Durango Mountain Resort, is a small ski area 26 miles north of Durango. [1] There is also skiing on Wolf Creek Pass at the Wolf Creek ski area. Recently Silverton Mountain ski area has begun operation near Silverton. The range is also a popular destination for endurance sports like trail running and mountain biking; Silverton is home to the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run one of the most difficult and technical ultra-marathons in the world. [2]

The Rio Grande drains the east side of the range. The other side of the San Juans, the western slope of the continental divide, is drained by tributaries of the San Juan, Dolores and Gunnison rivers, which all flow into the Colorado River.

The San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests cover a large portion of the San Juan Mountains. The Continental Divide Trail, a long-distance hiking trail follows the crest of the San Juan Mountains. The Weminuche Wilderness, Colorado's largest wilderness area, with an area of 499,771 acres (202,250 ha) is in the San Juans.

The San Juan Mountains are also distinctive for their high altitude plateaus and peaks. As a result, facilities in the towns and cities of the region are among the highest in the nation. Telluride Airport, at an elevation of 9,070 feet, [3] is the highest in the United States with regularly scheduled commercial service.

Prominent peaks

San Juans in the fall of 2008, viewed from north of Durango San Juans north of Durango.jpg
San Juans in the fall of 2008, viewed from north of Durango
Sneffels Range viewed from Ridgway, Colorado SWCO.JPG
Sneffels Range viewed from Ridgway, Colorado
Red Mountain Pass Red Mountain reflected in Crystal Lake (10 miles south of Ouray, Colorado).jpg
Red Mountain Pass
Trout Lake near Telluride LakeTell.JPG
Trout Lake near Telluride
Twilight Peak 16 21 2587 twilight peak.jpg
Twilight Peak
Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride Waterfalls in Tomboy, Colorado.jpg
Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride
Remains of an abandoned house in Eureka Remains Of An Abandoned House at Eureka, Colorado.jpg
Remains of an abandoned house in Eureka
Abandoned house in the ghost town of Gladstone Abandoned house in Gladstone, Colorado.jpg
Abandoned house in the ghost town of Gladstone
The 28 peaks of the San Juan Mountains with at least 500 meters of prominence
Rank Mountain Peak Elevation Prominence Isolation
1 Uncompahgre Peak NGS 4365 m
14,321 ft
1304 m
4,277 ft
136.9 km
85.1 mi
2 Mount Wilson [4] 4344 m
14,252 ft
1227 m
4,024 ft
53.2 km
33.1 mi
3 Mount Sneffels NGS 4315 m
14,158 ft
930 m
3,050 ft
25.3 km
15.73 mi
4 Mount Eolus [4] 4295 m
14,090 ft
665 m
2,183 ft
40.5 km
25.2 mi
5 Handies Peak NGS 4285 m
14,058 ft
575 m
1,888 ft
18 km
11.18 mi
6 San Luis Peak NGS 4274 m
14,022 ft
949 m
3,113 ft
43.4 km
27 mi
7 Vermilion Peak [4] PB 4237 m
13,900 ft
642 m
2,105 ft
14.6 km
9.07 mi
8 Rio Grande Pyramid NGS PB 4214 m
13,827 ft
567 m
1,861 ft
17.31 km
10.76 mi
9 Mount Oso [4] 4173 m
13,690 ft
507 m
1,664 ft
8.81 km
5.47 mi
10 Tower Mountain [4] PB 4132 m
13,558 ft
504 m
1,652 ft
8.62 km
5.36 mi
11 Sultan Mountain [4] PB 4076 m
13,373 ft
569 m
1,868 ft
7.39 km
4.59 mi
12 Summit Peak NGS PB 4056 m
13,307 ft
841 m
2,760 ft
64.2 km
39.9 mi
13 Dolores Peak [4] PB 4053 m
13,296 ft
594 m
1,950 ft
8.02 km
4.98 mi
14 Lavender Peak [4] PB 4033 m
13,233 ft
872 m
2,860 ft
39.9 km
24.8 mi
15 Bennett Peak [4] PB 4026 m
13,209 ft
531 m
1,743 ft
27.5 km
17.1 mi
16 Conejos Peak NGS PB 4017 m
13,179 ft
583 m
1,912 ft
13.12 km
8.15 mi
17 Twilight Peak [4] 4012 m
13,163 ft
713 m
2,338 ft
7.86 km
4.88 mi
18 South River Peak [4] PB 4009 m
13,154 ft
746 m
2,448 ft
35.3 km
22 mi
19 Peak 13,010 [4] PB 3967 m
13,016 ft
546 m
1,790 ft
15.39 km
9.56 mi
20 Lone Cone [4] PB 3846 m
12,618 ft
693 m
2,273 ft
14.97 km
9.3 mi
21 Graham Peak NGS PB 3821 m
12,536 ft
778 m
2,551 ft
16.78 km
10.43 mi
22 Elliott Mountain [4] PB 3763 m
12,346 ft
683 m
2,240 ft
8.26 km
5.13 mi
23 Cornwall Mountain [4] PB 3746 m
12,291 ft
532 m
1,744 ft
8.37 km
5.2 mi
24 Sawtooth Mountain NGS PB 3704 m
12,153 ft
587 m
1,927 ft
28.3 km
17.57 mi
25 Chalk Benchmark NGS PB 3669 m
12,038 ft
601 m
1,971 ft
11.68 km
7.26 mi
26 Little Cone NGS PB 3654 m
11,988 ft
561 m
1,841 ft
9.7 km
6.03 mi
27 Cochetopa Dome 3395 m
11,138 ft
537 m
1,762 ft
9.9 km
6.15 mi
28 Horse Mountain [4] PB 3033 m
9,952 ft
575 m
1,887 ft
22.5 km
13.96 mi
Hayden Geological Survey, 1870s Trail in the San Juan Mountains. Cunningham Gulch. Colorado - NARA - 517106.jpg
Hayden Geological Survey, 1870s

History of the area

Mining operators in the San Juan mountain area formed the San Juan District Mining Association (SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight-hour day, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters. [5] The new association consolidated the power of thirty-six mining properties in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan counties. [6] The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike.

Telluride Panorama annotated metric3.jpg
360° panorama of the northwestern San Juans, photographed from the Gold Hill Ridge of the Telluride Ski Resort. Ridgeline annotation indicates the names and elevations of 43 visible peaks

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telluride, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. The first gold mining claim was made in the mountains above Telluride in 1875, and early settlement of what is now Telluride followed. The town was founded in 1878 as "Columbia", but due to confusion with a California town of the same name, was renamed Telluride in 1887 for the gold telluride minerals found in other parts of Colorado. These telluride minerals were never found near Telluride, but the area's mines for some years provided zinc, lead, copper, silver, and other gold ores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Miguel County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

San Miguel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,072. The county seat is Telluride. The county is named for the San Miguel River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Juan County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

San Juan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 705, making it the least populous county in Colorado. The county seat and the only incorporated municipality in the county is Silverton. The county name is the Spanish language name for "Saint John", the name Spanish explorers gave to a river and the mountain range in the area. With a mean elevation of 11,240 feet, San Juan County is the highest county in the United States and also has the two highest elevation houses in the United States; the ‘Bonnie Belle’ above Animas Forks at 11,900’ – 11,950’ elevation and an unnamed house above Picayune Gulch at 12,000’ elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouray, Colorado</span> City in Colorado, United States

Ouray is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 898 as of the 2020 census. The Ouray Post Office has the ZIP Code 81427. Located at an elevation of 7,792 feet (2,375 m), Ouray's climate, natural alpine environment, and scenery have earned it the nickname "Switzerland of America".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverton, Colorado</span> The only incorporated Town and county seat of San Juan County, Colorado, United States

Silverton is a statutory town that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The town is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains. The first mining claims were made in mountains above the Silverton in 1860, near the end of the Colorado Gold Rush and when the land was still controlled by the Utes. Silverton was established shortly after the Utes ceded the region in the 1873 Brunot Agreement, and the town boomed from silver mining until the Panic of 1893 led to a collapse of the silver market, and boomed again from gold mining until the recession caused by the Panic of 1907. The entire town is included as a federally designated National Historic Landmark District, the Silverton Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 550</span> Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 550 (US 550) is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. It is one of the roads on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powderhorn Wilderness</span> Protected area in southwestern Colorado, United States

The Powderhorn Wilderness is a 62,050-acre (251.1 km2) wilderness area in Hinsdale and Gunnison counties, Colorado, United States, located 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Lake City.

The San Juan Skyway Scenic and Historic Byway is a 236-mile (380 km) All-American Road, National Forest Scenic Byway, and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, and San Miguel counties, Colorado, United States. The byway forms a loop in southwestern Colorado traversing the heart of the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Skyway reaches its zenith at Red Mountain Pass at elevation 11,018 feet (3,358 m). Mesa Verde National Park was one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Silverton Historic District and the Telluride Historic District are National Historic Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run</span> Ultramarathon held in Colorado, US

The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is an ultramarathon 100.5 miles (161.7 km) in length, with 33,000 feet (10,000 m) of climb at an average elevation of over 11,000 feet (3,400 m). The race is held on a loop course on 4WD roads, dirt trails, and cross country in Southern Colorado's San Juan Range, US. The race is dedicated to the memory of the miners who settled in the area and who built the mining trails on which much of the race is run. The race is directed by Dale Garland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Grande Southern Railroad</span> Former narrow-gauge railway in Colorado, US

The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, routed via Lizard Head Pass. Built by Russian immigrant and Colorado toll road builder Otto Mears, the RGS operated from 1891 through 1951 and was built with the intent to transport immense amounts of silver mineral traffic that were being produced by the mining communities of Rico and Telluride. On both ends of the railroad, there were interchanges with The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, which would ship the traffic the RGS hauled elsewhere like the San Juan Smelter in Durango.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weminuche Wilderness</span> Protected area in southwestern Colorado, US

The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. The Weminuche Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1975, and expanded by the Colorado Wilderness Acts of 1980 and 1993. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town of Silverton, 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Durango, and 8 miles (13 km) west of South Fork. At 499,771 acres (2,022.50 km2), it is the largest wilderness area in the state of Colorado. Elevation in the wilderness ranges from 7,700 feet (2,300 m) along the Animas River to 14,093 feet (4,296 m) at the summit of Windom Peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idarado Mine</span> Mining operation in Colorado, U.S.

The Idarado Mine was a mining operation in the San Juan Mountains of Ouray County, Colorado near the now-ghost town of Guston, producing primarily lead, silver and zinc along with lesser amounts of gold and copper. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district. The remains of the operation are visible from the Million Dollar Highway, north of Red Mountain Pass, between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. The tunnels of the Idarado extend some 5 miles (8 km) west under 13,000 foot mountains to the Pandora Mill near Telluride, a trip of more than 60 miles (100 km) by highway.

Gold mining in Colorado, a state of the United States, has been an industry since 1858. It also played a key role in the establishment of the state of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Bird Mine</span>

The Camp Bird Mine is a famous and highly productive old gold mine located between Ouray and Telluride, Colorado. The mine is within the Sneffels-Red Mountain-Telluride mining district in the San Juan Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Garita Mountains</span> Mountain range in Colorado, United States

The La Garita Mountains are a high mountain range in the San Juan Mountains, a sub-range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The mountains are located in Saguache and Mineral counties in southwestern Colorado and are almost entirely managed as public land within the Gunnison National Forest and the Rio Grande National Forest.

Emil B. Fischer published six detailed maps of the San Juan area of southwestern Colorado between 1883 and 1898. A surveyor's son, he came to America around 1872. He moved to Durango in 1880 when the building of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway to the San Juan attracted widespread attention, then to Silverton. These maps aided silver and gold prospectors to file their claims; they enabled investors to locate mines and view their proximity to famous neighboring mines; and they encouraged tourists to visit the depicted mining regions and invigorate the local economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Garfield (San Juan County, Colorado)</span> Mountain in the American state of Colorado

Mount Garfield is a 13,074-foot-elevation (3,985-meter) mountain summit located in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. It is situated eight miles south of the community of Silverton, in the Weminuche Wilderness, on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains range which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains of North America. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Animas River. The peak can be seen from U.S. Route 550 and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over 4,300 feet above the river and railway in approximately one mile. It is set six miles west of the Continental Divide, one mile west of Electric Peak, and three miles east-southeast of Snowdon Peak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mears Peak</span> Mountain in the state of Colorado

Mears Peak is a 13,496-foot-elevation (4,114-meter) mountain summit located on the common boundary of Ouray County with San Miguel County, in Colorado, United States. It is situated six miles northwest of the community of Telluride, in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the Sneffels Range which is a subset of the San Juan Mountains, which in turn is part of the Rocky Mountains. Mears Peak is situated west of the Continental Divide, and 3.8 miles west of Mount Sneffels. Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 4,900 feet above the San Miguel River in approximately 5.5 miles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Peak</span> Mountain in the state of Colorado

Chicago Peak is a 13,385-foot-elevation (4,080-meter) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of San Miguel County with Ouray County in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated four miles (6.4 km) east of the community of Telluride, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the Sneffels Range which is a subset of the San Juan Mountains, which in turn are part of the Rocky Mountains. It is set above the ghost town of Tomboy, one mile (1.6 km) south of United States Mountain, and one mile northwest of Imogene Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,000 feet above Imogene Basin in approximately one mile, and the west aspect rises 2,000 feet above Savage Basin in less than one mile. Mining activity in the immediate area produced significant amounts of gold and silver.

References

  1. Slothower, Chuck (25 Feb 2015). "It is 'DMR' No Longer". Durango Herald. No. 26 Feb 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. "Hardrock 100 | Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run". hardrock100.com. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  3. "Welcome to Telluride Regional Airport - TEX - Sits atop Deep Creek Mesa and is North America's highest commercial airport. Provides airline information and flight schedules, as well as details for pilots". www.tellurideairport.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). National Geodetic Survey Archived 2011-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  5. RoughneckThe Life and Times of Big Bill Haywood, Peter Carlson, 1983, page 65.
  6. The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor 1899-1908, MaryJoy Martin, 2004, page 201.

Further reading