Hiking in the San Juan Mountains
The San Juans in southwest Colorado are the state's biggest and most remote range, with basins full of wildflowers, waterfalls, mining roads that double as trailhead access, and a monsoon season that sets the schedule.
11 trail guides in the San Juan Mountains
Blue Lakes Trail
Three stunning alpine lakes nestled in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness beneath 14er Mount Sneffels and neighboring 13ers Dallas Peak and Gilpin Peak. One of Colorado's most scenic high-alpine destinations.
Bridal Veil Falls
Colorado's tallest free-falling waterfall drops 365 feet from a hanging valley. The trail follows a historic mining road with spectacular mountain views.
Ice Lake Basin
A spectacular hike to a pristine turquoise alpine lake surrounded by colorful peaks and abundant wildflowers. One of Colorado's most beautiful destinations.
Highland Mary Lakes
A scenic hike through historic mining territory to a series of alpine lakes with dramatic views of the surrounding San Juan peaks.
Engineer Mountain Trail
Steep climb from Coal Bank Pass on Highway 550 to the summit of Engineer Mountain. Wildflowers in July, distinctive layered rock formations near the top, and full San Juan panorama from the summit.
American Basin Trail
One of Colorado's most famous wildflower hikes. The basin explodes with color in mid-July through early August. Trailhead at the end of a rough 4WD road from Lake City. Also the standard start for Handies Peak (14er).
Yankee Boy Basin Trail
Short hike from the Yankee Boy Basin parking area through one of Colorado's premier wildflower basins. Also the standard approach for Mount Sneffels (14er). Best in mid-July when wildflowers peak.
Imogene Pass Trail
Famous Imogene Pass connects Ouray and Telluride at 13,114 feet. Most use it as a 4WD road, but hikers and runners do it as a brutal mountain pass crossing. The Imogene Pass Run is held here every September.
Ouray Perimeter Trail
Loop around the town of Ouray with views down to the streets and out to the surrounding peaks. Passes Cascade Falls, Box Canyon, and a series of viewpoints. The classic Ouray locals' hike.
Vallecito Creek Trail
Day-hike or backpack approach into the southern Weminuche Wilderness following Vallecito Creek. Less crowded than the Pine River. Excellent for shorter day-hikes from the Vallecito Reservoir area.
Hermosa Creek Trail
Long valley trail through the Hermosa Creek Wilderness, popular as a backpack or a mountain-bike shuttle. Hikers usually do a 6-10 mile out-and-back from either trailhead. Aspens turn early September.
Hiking the San Juan Mountains: what to know
Five towns divide up the range. Ouray sits at the base of Yankee Boy Basin and the Ouray Perimeter Trail, and its Blue Lakes trailhead on Dallas Creek Road reaches the most photographed lakes in the range. Silverton is the base for Ice Lake Basin, Highland Mary Lakes, and the Alpine Loop roads. Telluride has Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado's tallest free-falling waterfall, at the end of its box canyon, and the Imogene Pass road that connects it to Ouray. Lake City is the quiet way into American Basin and the Handies, Redcloud, Sunshine, Uncompahgre, and Wetterhorn trailheads. Durango, lower and warmer, has Engineer Mountain, Hermosa Creek, and the Vallecito Creek entry into the Weminuche Wilderness.
Roads matter more here than anywhere else in Colorado. The famous basins are at the end of shelf roads that start as gravel and end as 4WD. A stock SUV reaches the lower Yankee Boy, Ice Lake, and Blue Lakes trailheads; Imogene Pass, upper Yankee Boy, and the Nellie Creek road to Uncompahgre want real clearance and a driver who has done it before.
The monsoon is the other rule. From early July through August, storms build over the peaks by early afternoon almost every day, sometimes earlier. The wildflower peak in Yankee Boy and American Basin falls in the same window, so the pattern is a dawn start and a noon turnaround. Snow blocks the high basins until early July most years, and the aspen along the Million Dollar Highway and Lizard Head Pass turn in the last week of September.
The range is far from everything; Durango is the closest airport and Ouray is a six-hour drive from Denver. Plan to stay. Silverton and Ouray have campgrounds in town, and dispersed camping lines the South Mineral, Cunningham Gulch, and Cinnamon Pass roads.
14ers in the San Juan Mountains
14 Colorado fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet) stand in this range.