High Country
The San Juan Mountains, the Weminuche, Molas Pass, the Animas River, and the roads Otto Mears charged for before the state would build them.
- 01
Otto Mears Charged for the Road Before the State Would Build It
Russian-born entrepreneur Otto Mears built and operated a network of toll roads through the San Juan Mountains in the 1870s and 1880s, connecting mining camps the territory had no intention of funding.
- 02
The Weminuche Is Bigger Than the Town Will Ever Be
At 499,771 acres (USFS), the Weminuche Wilderness is the largest wilderness area in Colorado, and its eastern boundary reaches within a few miles of Durango.
- 03
Molas Pass at 10,910 Feet, and the Loop That Connects It
Molas Pass (USGS: 10,910 ft) sits on the San Juan Skyway, a 232-mile designated scenic byway that links Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway and Telluride.
- 04
On 5 August 2015 the Animas Turned Orange
On 5 August 2015, an EPA contractor breached the Gold King Mine above Silverton, releasing an estimated 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage into Cement Creek and then the Animas River.
- 05
Where the Colorado Trail Ends, at 6,512 Feet in Durango
The Colorado Trail runs 486 miles from Denver to Durango, terminating at the Junction Creek Trailhead on the west edge of town at 6,512 ft (USFS).
- 06
Purgatory, Engineer Mountain, and the Northern Approach to Durango
Engineer Mountain (USGS: 12,968 ft) rises above US-550 north of Durango and is one of the most photographed peaks in the San Juans from the highway; Purgatory ski area sits below its eastern flank.