In the Fall of 2007, I wanted to follow the changing colors of Fall from Montana's Glacier National Park to the mountains of northern New Mexico. While many of the areas were beautiful, the beauty of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, and, in particular, the area around Telluride, stood out.
Telluride, which began as a turn-of-the-century (late 1800s) mining community, is now a world-renowned resort. Its annoyingly-slow speed limits give you plenty of opportunity to soak in the atmosphere. There is no lack of accommodations in the area but, as you would expect in a resort community, they are quite expensive. As it is also quite isolated, other than car- or tent-camping, there are few alternatives in the area. Complete information on dining, lodging, and festival events may be found here.
The setting of the town is magnificent as it sits at the base of Telluride Ski Mountain and is surrounded by 13,000 foot peaks. During Fall, the Aspens turn glorious shades of yellow and gold.
I approached the area from the north (see map) so my route took me south on Hwy 50 from Grand Junction to Montrose. From there I took Hwy 550 south to Ridgeway. From Ridgeway, there are few wrong directions as they are all beautiful. You can continue heading south to Ouray and Silverton or head west on Hwy 62 then east on Hwy 145 as I did. Hwy 145 winds up a valley and its spur will end at Telluride.
The drive on Hwy 145 up the valley presents you with many side roads to explore. These roads, which are passable with 2WD vehicles, will quickly take you up into the high country. Don't be surprised if scenes, such as the one that I've used in the banner, will open up before you. Although beautiful during midday, most views will improve with the light of sunrise or sunset.
On October 3rd, during one such afternoon exploration, I discovered the above scene which presents a dramatic view of 14,017 foot Wilson Peak. This spot, off of Silver Pick Road, looks out over Silver Pick Basin. As I wanted to see it at sunrise, I parked my vehicle for the night. That evening I was treated to a herd of deer grazing around the stand of Aspen that you see on the right. My hopes for the morning rested on a weather forecast that showed an approaching storm. Of course, that can create dramatic skies and beautiful sunrises or completely obscure the mountains and you in a snow storm - at this altitude a real possibility. I was lucky this time.
As I continued my journey that afternoon, I took Hwy 145 8.9 miles south of Telluride to the dirt road turnoff for Alta, an old gold mining camp. I was very surprised to see this plaque as I didn't realize the historic significance of the location.
It reads "The Alta Townsite was the center of mining activity in the Alta-Gold King area from 1877 to 1948. L.L. Nunn, Nicola Tesla and George Westinghouse worked at this site with the first industrial use of alternating current electricity. A long distance electric transmission line was completed from the Ames power plant on the San Miguel River below on June 21st 1891. John Wagner operated the Belmont-Wagner mill at this site from 1917 until 1948."
Here is the area of the Ames Power Plant referred to on the plaque.
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