Silverton Magazine - Silverton, Colorado
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Regional Attractions Alpine Loop Scenic Byway Anasazi Heritage Center Arches National Park Aztec Ruins National Monument Black Canyon of the Gunnison Canyonlands Chaco Canyon Chama, NM Cumbres Toltec NGRR Crested Butte, Colo. Durango, Colo. Hovenweep National Monument  Mesa Verde World Heritage Park Moab, Utah Montrose, Colo. Ouray, Colo. Ridgway, State Park San Juan Skyway Silverton Train Telluride, Colo.

START here and EXPLORE the Four Corners Area. Many of the American west's most scenic spots as well as numberious National Parks and Monumnets are all within an easy drive of Silverton. Two historic steam railroads are close by, one steaming daily into Silverton. The Alpine Loop, connecting Silverton to Ouray and Lake City offers a chance to explore the region's rich mining history. The more extensive San Juan Skyway circles around Silveton, which sits at the center (and the top!) of that lovely drive, encompassing mountains topping 14,000 feet. Story by Samantha Tisdel Wright All content © San Juan Publishing Group, Inc, All rights reserved. IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE to base your stay in southwest Colorado: Silverton, the friendliest, quirkiest, most exquisitely unpretentious and lovely little mountain town this side of the Continental Divide. Silverton has always been a magnet for those with dreams as big as the mountains, a high tolerance or even a craving for isolation and the ability to enjoy not just the wiles but also the idiosyncrasies of small-town life. The atmosphere of the old west is palpable here—you can catch a whiff of it in the heartrending wail of a D&SNGRR steam engine announcing its presence in Animas Canyon, a dust devil whirling its way up “Notorious Blair Street” and the mute mining ruins balanced astonishingly on the mountainsides.. There’s a strange sort of schism about this place. First, the larger-than-life storybook legends about the honest-to-goodness people who ripped this town and its wherewithal out of the earth, as fiercely as a dog yanks a bone from an unsuspecting hand: the railroaders, road-makers, miners, masons, madams. Then, the community as it now stands and continues to evolve, its tininess delightful, yet sometimes crushing. Finally, the vast, gorgeous wildness that surrounds, humbles and inspires us, as it must have done a century and indeed a millennia ago.. You may wish to introduce yourself to Silverton by taking our Walking Tour. Once the stomping grounds of soiled doves, silver kings and railroad giants, Silverton reveals a glimpse of her rowdy, magnificent youth within the historic structures that still stand all around town—some with original furnishings and fixtures. Sense the past looming doggedly about these buildings, as you explore the unique shops, hotels and restaurants that now inhabit them. Once in Silverton, you are superbly situated to strike out and explore a greater swath of the San Juan Mountains and Four Corners region. Ouray, Telluride, and Lake City—mining boomtowns-come-alpine playgrounds that sprang into being alongside Silverton in the 1870s—are all day-trip destinations accessible both by highway and a breathtaking network of four-wheel drive roads. To the north, in the shadow of the Cimarron and Sneffels Ranges, lie the former railroad and ranching communities of Ridgway and Montrose. Just down the Animas River to the south of Silverton lies another world, a magical nook of our nation rich in Spanish and Native American heritage, with the red-rock dreamscapes of Canyonlands, Arches National Park, and the Grand Canyon all mere hours away. Take time to interrogate the landscape of the Ancestral Puebloan people (Anasazi) at places like Mesa Verde, Towaoc, Aztec, Hovenweep, and Chaco Canyon.   And then, return to this place that is hugged by mountains, steeped in history, blessed by the wild beauty of her surroundings and the hardy charisma of her inhabitants. Return to Silverton, Colorado. Return, and linger…. Top: Aztec Ruins, Aztec, NM. ©James Burke Middle: Ouray Hot Springs Pool & Park. ©James Burke Bottom: On stage with Music in the Mountains, Durango, Colorado

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The Silverton Magazine. Copyright 2000-2010 Published by San Juan Publishing Group, Inc., Colorado No part of this publication may be reproduced in any means whatsoever without written authorization from SJPG.  (Plagerizers will be hung from the yardarm and fed to the mountain sharks!) Queries for re-print rights, email [email protected]

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