San Juan County, Colorado

Top Spots in and near San Juan County

Durango, Colorado
Summit 3 Peaks in the Chicago Basin

5.0

I tell people all the time that if they only do one hike in Colorado, this is it. You get a little taste of everything: Colorado history, wildlife, beautiful campsite views, 14ers, and the largest wilderness in the state.This itinerary assumes you’re hitching a ride on the train from Silverton. ...
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Durango, Colorado
Adrenaline Falls

5.0

0.43 mi / 279 ft gain

Adrenaline Falls is a popular spot for the locals to swim and relax during the warm summer months. The pool at the bottom of the falls is deep and popular for cliff jumping. To get to the waterfall, turn onto the North access to Lime Creek road. A high clearance 4x4 vehicle is recommended to ...
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Durango, Colorado
Crater Lake via Crater Lake Trail

5.0

11.73 mi / 2077 ft gain

Reaching this trailhead actually begins off of Andrews Lake - you will see signs for Andrews Lake off HWY 550. I will provide directions from both Durango and Silverton at the end. The trailhead is extremely well marked the entire way. The mileage from Andrews lake to Crater lake one way is 5.5...
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Durango, Colorado
Engineer Mountain via Cold Bank Pass

5.0

5.85 mi / 2293 ft gain

We were vacationing in the San Juan Mountains for 2 weeks. A local resident suggested the hike as a great place to see wildflowers. The "Engineer Mountain" sounded a bit too technical to be a scenic hike but we decided to hike like a local and this was one of the best hikes we did in 2 weeks. Ac...
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Durango, Colorado
Columbine Pass via Purgatory Flats

5.0

34.52 mi / 6932 ft gain

This hike begins at the Purgatory Flats Trailhead across from the Purgatory resort. The register is about a hundred yards from the Trailhead and is located next to a trail map. From here you will begin your descent down into the flats, which is roughly a 600-700 foot descent over the course of ju...
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Durango, Colorado
Camp at Little Molas Lake

5.0

1 mi / 40 ft gain

Little Molas Lake Campground is about 1 mile off of US Highway 550 on Molas Pass just North of and on the other side of the highway from the Molas Overlook. Pro-tip: there is also another campground nearby called Molas Lake Park & Campground, so it's important to distinguish which you are hea...
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Durango, Colorado
Hike the Colorado Trail: Little Molas Lake to Lime Creek

5.0

10 mi / 755 ft gain

To hike this section of the Colorado Trail, you'll begin from the Little Molas Lake Campground at around 10,895-ft. Little Molas Lake Campground is about 1 mile off of US Highway 550 on Molas Pass just North of and on the other side of the highway from the Molas Overlook, which is just South of S...
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Silverton, Colorado
Fly Fish the Animas River

4.0

While the Animas River runs for miles in the San Juan National Forest, a beautiful (and accessible) stretch runs right through Silverton, CO. Here, you can fish, hike, or chill. The river is fast with very few pockets for the trout to hide; however, if you search around enough, you'll find a fish...
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Durango, Colorado
Hike Goulding Creek

4.0

5.9 mi / 2122 ft gain

This trailhead is only about 15 miles from Durango on Highway 550. Look out for Glacier Club/Tamarron on your right, and soon after (about a mile) there is a small dirt turn-off on the opposite side of the highway. There is one other turn off on the west side of the highway in this stretch, but i...
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Durango, Colorado
Camp at South Mineral Campground

4.8

Some general notes: South Mineral Campground does not take reservations - all sites are first come first served. There are an assortment of designated areas along South Mineral Road where dispersed camping is allowed so there is plenty of camping in the canyon on all but the busiest days, but y...
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Durango, Colorado
Backpack to Island Lake

5.0

8 mi / 3000 ft gain

From the Ice Lakes basin Trailhead, this 8 mile round trip trail with 3000 feet of elevation gain will bring you to the Ice Lakes Basin with an abundance of beautiful lakes, especially Island Lake and Ice Lake. We camped on a little shelf above Island Lake, but you can camp anywhere you find a ni...
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Durango, Colorado
Upper Ice Lake

5.0

6.74 mi / 2464 ft gain

From the Ice Lakes trailhead begin hiking through a meadow that quickly enters the forest and begins to climb. The trail will climb ~1,600 feet in the next two miles. As the trail climbs there is a scenic waterfall just over .5 miles, it is worth it to scamper up for a closer look (at ~1.0 miles ...
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Durango, Colorado
Climb Fuller Peak

3.0

Begin by hiking the Ice Lakes Trail for 3.5 miles, which will take you to Ice Lake. From here, you can identify the obvious, delta-shaped mountain to climber's left, known as Fuller Peak (13,761ft). Hike cross country, directly toward the base of the North Ridge (right skyline), walking past Full...
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Durango, Colorado
Explore Clear Lake

5.0

The road to Clear Lake offers wonderful views of the South Fork Mineral Creek, and the San Juan Mountains. Some people make the 9-mile round-trip hike with 2,600 feet of elevation gain, others drive as far as their vehicle will allow and hike from there, and some make the drive all the way up. It...
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Ophir, Colorado
Ophir Pass Road

5.0

9.93 mi / 1696 ft gain

Ophir Pass Road is a point-to-point trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Ophir, Colorado.
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La Plata County, Colorado
Soak at Pinkerton Hot Spring

5.0

The Million Dollar Highway in Southern Colorado is a scenic mountain drive with many beautiful sights. Pinkerton hot springs is located on the side of the highway just outside of Durango, Colorado. There is a small pullout area for parking with a plaque explaining the history of the area and th...
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