Best Hikes Near Silverton, Colorado

Silverton is half the size of Telluride and twice as hard to reach. The town sits on the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Durango, surrounded by 13,000-foot peaks in every direction. The hiking here ranges from short waterfall walks to multi-day Continental Divide traverses, with very little in between.

Ice Lake Basin is the headline destination, and it's earned the attention. The 7-mile round trip with 2,400 feet of gain from South Mineral Campground climbs through wildflower meadows to a hanging basin filled with the most aggressively turquoise lakes in Colorado. The lake color comes from glacial flour suspended in the meltwater. Parking at the trailhead fills by 7 AM in summer. Use the South Mineral Creek road (Forest Road 585) to reach it; passenger cars can make it in dry conditions.

The Ice Lake Basin trail has been heavily impacted by overuse in recent years. The trail crews ask hikers to stay on trail strictly, pack out all waste including toilet paper, and skip the upper basin if running late on a thunderstorm-risk afternoon.

Continental Divide Trail sections accessible from Silverton (via Stony Pass, 12,588 feet) provide some of the most remote ridge walking in Colorado. The road up Stony Pass is high-clearance 4WD only.

Animas Forks is a ghost town at 11,200 feet, 12 miles north of Silverton on a dirt road. Hiking from Animas Forks accesses Cinnamon Pass, Engineer Pass, and the upper Animas River basin. The famous Alpine Loop scenic byway connects Silverton with Lake City through this terrain.

Highland Mary Lakes (about 5 miles round trip, 1,400 feet of gain) is the harder local lake hike: a chain of high alpine lakes accessed from the Cunningham Gulch Trailhead south of town.

For shorter days, Molas Lake (just south of town on US 550) has shoreline trails and a paid campground with good acclimatization camping at 10,600 feet.

Silverton's altitude is unforgiving. The town itself is higher than the summit of most ski resorts. Sleep here for at least two nights before attempting any 14ers in the area. Read our altitude sickness guide and consider our Durango trail guide for additional access information.