Wild Flower Falls

In Southwestern Colorado, the San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains providing infinite photographic... more

by Scotts Scapes

Title

Wild Flower Falls

Artist

Scotts Scapes

Medium

Photograph

Description

In Southwestern Colorado, the San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains providing infinite photographic opportunities for ScottsScapes and Scott Hansen. The San Juan Mountains & National Forest includes approximately 1.8 million acres of federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and was central in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. The scenery ranges from high desert mesas and canyons to high alpine peaks and meadows. The area features a National Forest scenic byway, the San Juan Skyway and a Bureau of Land Management 4WD scenic byway, Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway. Visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, alpine and nordic skiing, horseback riding, and camping. Come and enjoy the natural splendor of the San Juan Mountains and your public lands!
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 that closed down in the 1970s. Famous old San Juan mines include the Camp Birdand Smuggler Union mines, both located between Telluride and Ouray.

Uploaded

August 12th, 2013