John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints


Silverton, Colorado

Location

In the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. Photograph (51KB).

Silverton is on the San Juan Skyway.

Silverton is the northern terminus of the Million-Dollar Highway (photograph; 37KB).

Silverton is also the northern terminus of the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Photograph (25KB).

You have to take a very short minor and obvious diversion off US550 to run into Silverton. This is well worth doing. You can usually easily park in the main street.

Description

Silverton is a small town deep in the mountains. There is one road in and one road out. To the south US550 leads over the Molas Divide and Coal Bank Summit to Durango. To the north, US550 leads over Red Mountain Pass to Ouray. I believe there may also be an unpaved four-wheel drive road over the mountains to Lake City.

Silverton is very much an old-time western town, very touristy but in an honest way and well worth a look. It is most definitely not a ghost town, although the number of visitors rises and falls dramatically as trains arrive and depart.

The town is small, parking is no problem and you can easily wander round on foot. A brief stop is highly recommended, especially when a train is due in or out. The train stops on a railway line which runs down the middle of one of the streets.

The town's name comes from the fact that silver was mined in the area. The silver mining was the reason that the railroad was built and the town created.

In the Area


Colorado

Colorado Plateau

Grand Circle

Historical Places

Mountains

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Most recently modified 12-Aug-01