Totally custom ART and PHOTOGRAPHY tours (from San Juan Publishing Group)
You tell us the images you want to capture with your camera or brush- we'll take you there.
We can help you with lodging and other activites as well.
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Pleine Aire for Artists |
Alpine Photography |
Townscapes Art & Photo- | People & Places |
We'll help you learn how to use your camera and show you how to manipulate and preserve your images with Photoshop.
To design your own custom tour, workshop, or lessons, E-mail today with your contact information including phone number and best time to call.
Dallas Divde in the Fall, © Kathryn R, Burke
OURAY- aptly known as the “Gem
of the Rockies” and Colorado’s “Little Switzerland
of America" nestles in a valley surrounded by snow-capped, 14,000-foot mountains. The
charming Victorian atmosphere and abundant, natural hot springs make
soaking under the stars the perfect end to a perfect day. The town is unique in the Colorado west in that it never suffered a major fire and the destruction of its downtown. Many of the brick buildings (such as the beautifully restored Beaumont Hotel) come from a brickyard once located near where the Ouray Hot Springs Pool is now. (Click here for more on Ouray.
SILVERTON. Step back in time to a Victorian mining town and its Notorious Blair Street. Listen to the melodic whistles of the 1880s narrow gauge trains that still steam into town. Listen to honky-tonk piano while you lunch in an old bordello; enjoy a delightful dinner theater presentation at a Victorian Hotel, and experience the old-west saloon atmosphere of these San Juan Mountain towns. Take a walk through history accompanied by working professional photographers on historic walking tours of Ouray and Silverton as you photograph the beautifully preserved buildings of both towns. (Click here for more on Silverton.)
Yankee Girl headworks in Red Mountain Mining District,
© Kathryn R. Burke
Western Colorado and the San Juans are also rich in railroad history. Four railroads once served Silverton which today is the northen terminus of the D&S Narrow Gauge. Ouray had narrow gauge service until 1950 when the last engine steamed out of town.
Your scenic photography adventure may include many of the
following trails (and more), some ascending to over 12,000 feet.
Choice of trails, terrain, vistas, depends on weather, season, and scenic variety at
the time we head out.
If going into the mountains, expect snow any time of the year, even on July 4th!
July is waterfall season, and wildflowers, although best in July, usually bloom through the end of
August, even in the snow showers that are common in early fall.
Fall, our most spectacular time of the year in Western, Colorado is... quite simply, breathatking.
Mountain trails offering scenic alpine vistas you may want to photograh and paint:
Howardsville - Eureka - Animas Forks
Cunningham, Clear Lake, Highland Mary Lakes
Yankee Boy Basin - Governor Basin
Dallas Divide-Last Dollar Road-Alta Lakes-Ophir (fall)
Alpine Loop: Silverton-Ouray-Lake City
Red Mountain Mining District - Corkscrew Gulch & Turntable
Ouray County Historical Museum & Town Tour
Silverton Mining Heritage Museum and Town Tour
Silverton Heritage Pass tour: mining, museum, mill
Indian Jewelry shops and galleries with lunch included
We can also arrange for fishing, horse-back riding, or other activities at your request.
SILVERTON'S museum was once the town jail, and still has a few jail cells intact if you want to spend a night behind bars. You'll also find collections related to mining. Behind the old jail is the fully restored Old Hundred Boarding house and a world-class mining museum.
Accomodations: Lodging, meals, transport
Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs, Ouray, Colorado is our recommended lodging. web sitte. 800-327-5080 Please contact them directly to book your stay, and be sure to mention you are with Burke's San Juan Photo and Art Tours when you book.
Jeep transport for most tours is provided by Switzerland of America Jeeps (SOA) in Ouray.Jeeps accomodate three or four persons in addition to our driver/tour leader. Pickup and drop off at your Ouray hotel as well as the jeep cost and box lunch for day trips is included in tour cost. Additionial charges apply if you wish to stay somewhere other than Ouray. When you reserve with us, please be sure to let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
Non-excursion options. If you are traveling with someone who prefers not to spend a day behind a camera or wielding an artistic tool, we can take them shopping, to museums, and definitely to lunch, or help them enjoy a multitude of non-excursion activities. Just tell us when you book.
E-mail: tours@sanjuanpub.com Be sure to give us a phone number and best time to call you.
Couple Caveats: Custom tours are just what the name implies. Totally custom-designed for the participants. We therefore require a non-refundable deposit at least 6 weeks in advance, with the balance due when you arrive. All day trips include lunch. All other expenses, including accomodations and meals, are at your own expense. Large groups (2 or more transport vehicles) require 3-mo. in advance reservation and include a welcome dinner and farewell breakfast.