san juan national forest

Some resident herds move around. To see great Bulls snow must bring them down from the higher elevations.

Nice views and very clean.First time to see the range in the winter....snow capped mountains were beautiful. Sorry for the lace of snow this year but all in all a very beautiful place.

Peaceful and serene. Particularly beautiful when the aspen leaves turn a golden yellow. Great place to hike.

Colorado has some of the Nation's most spectacular scenic drives, but none is more spectacular than what I will call the "Grand Loop," a 200-mile drive that connects Durango to Silverton to Ouray to Ridgeway to Telluride to Delores and back to Durango. A word to "timid" drivers: The Loop is not scary. It is beautifully engineered and poses very little challenge. Any competent driver can easily handle this highway.Also, be sure to drive counterclockwise. In other words, drive from Durango to Silverton to Ouray, etc., rather than from Durango to Delores to Telluride, etc. This is going to be a long day but, fortunately, most of your time can be allocated to Silverton and Ouray, leaving you the balance of the day to drive back to Durango without the pressure of multiple stops. As you drive from Durango to Silverton, don't rush. Take advantage of every turn-out. You have the time. Enter Silverton, park, and walk up and down Main Street, taking time to enjoy a mining town that could easily be converted to a movie set. Return to your car and drive up and down the two streets that parallel Main Street and enjoy the unique architecture (the street to the north) and the Durango-Silverton R.R. (if it is there; the street to the south). If it is still morning, think about driving east of town for a trip to the Animas ghost town (a narrow gravel road for a short distance). Just outside of town, think about driving through the cemetery. Continue north to Ouray. Enjoy the many turnouts along the way. Stop at all of them. In Ouray, the Box Canyon Falls is a must-stop. Park and walk up and down Main Street. If you did not have lunch in Silverton, have lunch here. Continue north to Ridgeway. Turn left, drive through town, and follow the signs to Telluride. On the way, you may want to stop at one of several turnouts to photograph Mt. Sneffels, one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. Now you are driving "home," so do not worry if it is already mid- or late-afternoon. You have completed most of the tour. Continue following the signs to Telluride. Drive into Telluride and drive the length of Main Street. Enjoy the architecture and the high energy. But, don't necessarily stop. Telluride is a ski resort and, although it dates to the 19th Century, it is more "Aspen" than it is "Silverton." I rarely spend time in Telluride. Continue south to Delores. There are few, if any, important stops along the way. At Delores, take the "short cut" to Mancos on Colorado #184. From Mancos, return to Durango. This is a wonderful way to spend the day. Try to get underway by 8 (if days are "short") or by 9 (if days are "long," as they are in summertime). Budget most of your time for Silverton and Ouray and the many turnouts between Durango-Silverton-Ouray-Ridgeway. If you are running out of time (or daylight) by the time you get to Telluride, don't worry about it. Telluride is little more than a "drive by," and the road from Telluride to Durango is "easy." You'll be back in time for dinner.

We had the opportunity to see some beautiful parts of this National forest both on the Durango/Silverton railroad and by driving north east of Pagosa Springs to Treasure Falls. This was a bit of a drive from Durango but it was well worth it. We were lucky enough to be there in the fall and the colors were fantastic. Do yourself a favor if you're in Durango and get out of the downtown area and see this beautiful National forest.

Some 230 miles and a full day, but wow! We diid this with some snow on the roads and some clouds hiding peaks. This is a gem of a drive. An 8am start, 30 min. in Silverton, an hour in Ouray(16 degrees!), and lunch in Telluride returning on the San Juan Skyway. America is beautiful!

We went snowmobiling with snowmobile adventures at the ski area. It was an amazing trip, and the San Juan National Forest is unreal.

Super hiking trails around the area of Durango and the National Forest. Lot of interesting places to view. Sometime wild life can be spotted.

The San Juan National Forest has "national park" worthy mountains, hiking, climbing, scenery, and size without the crowds of a national park. The biggest problem is access because it is so big and remote, but that is good. The mountain climbing is awesome here!

Incredible views, snow was cleared for easy travel, not to be missed. The drive was easy and the elevation changes weren't too dramatic so it was fairly easy to acclimate. The nighttime craving can be a little tense if you aren't used to the conditions.

Beautiful scenery, deep blue lakes, mountains capped with snow and gorgeous aspens in the Fall. The Coal Bank Pass is particularly fine. Recommend the drive up to Silverton from Durango.

Some great views of Alpine scenery as you take the Million Dollar highway from Durango to Ouray via Silverton. Its a great road plenty of pull ins and overlooks as well as some heady drops into valleys below. Plan your gas.

We made the great circle as outlined in the title over a couple of days time in the fall. The scenery is absolutely fabulous. You travel over various altitudes and geography with some of the best sights to be seen. We only wished for more time to check out all the side roads that we could not travel. You see about the best Colorado has to offer on this circle route.Each town has things you will want to explore and time will get away from you. You can spend a day or more in any of several locations.Do your homework before you travel to learn what there is to see. For example, the first True Grit movie, with John Wayne was filmed in the ridgway area. Many of the old buildings are still there to be seen. Ask some locals, and you can find the meadow where he put the reigns in his teeth and rode shooting with both hands. This is just an example of what you may drive by if you have not done some homework first.I will not attach photos since there is a good representation here already on Trip Advisor

I am a traveller who loves the wilderness, and thats what the san juan is , great day hikes and longer ones , the cdt trail, and much much more

In colo get a hicker camper permit verry cheep insurance if u need help - trees And Fun camp out watch the fires, clean up after your self, check roads b4 driving on dirt roads