HERITAGE TOURS and ALPINE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS of the San Juan Mountains
From San Juan Publishing, - fine BOOKS and MAGAZINES about the area
TOUR DETAILS, including intenerary, lodging, meals, transport, costs, please click on tour of choice above. Apine photography • Fall color trips • Ouray and Silverton
tours • Mining History
• 4x Trails • Museums • Sunrise/Sunset • Storytellers
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 Molas Lake & the Genadiers, © Jim Baumgardt, Image Counts PHOTOGRAPH and
explore one of the west’s most historic and
spectacular alpine areas: the majestic San Juan Mountains. Experienced,
licensed back country guides transport you in four-wheel drive vehicles
into the San Juans where professional photographers and photo
journalists will work with you as you create unforgettable images of
wildflowers, waterfalls, magical aspens, mining relics, and some of the
most ruggedly scenic mountains in North America.
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Scenic Photography -
Fall in the San
Juans Dallas Divde in the Fall, © Kathryn Retzler FALL comes early and often stays late in
the San Juans. And it is undoubtedly the most spectacular seasons here,
when the shivering aspens turn gold and crimson and the sky is a deep
blue bowl above
snow-capped peaks. Even the worst images you shoot will be nothing
short of spectacular! There will be snow on the peaks, and it can even
be deep in places, so we plan our trips accordingly.
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Heritage - Town Tours of Ouray and
Silverton
 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 Retzler Tour the Red Mountain Mining District, and alpine passes of the Alpine Loop (weather and trails permitting.) Visit the Bachelor Syracuse Mine in Ouray and enjoy lunch in their outdoor pavillion, and tour the Old Hundred Mine in Silverton where you can also test your luck panning for gold. While you are touring the mining districts, look for current activity. Did you know that many of the mines in the San Juans have been reopened and are actively mining gold and other base metals at this time?) 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. |
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Juan Mountains
Mountain Trails Your scenic photography adventure may include many of the following trails (and more), some ascending to over 12,000 feet. Trails are chosen daily and depend on weather, season, and scenic variety at the time we head up to the mountains. Expect snow any time of the year, even on July 4th! July is waterfall season, and wildflowers bloom through the end of August, even in the snow showers that are common in early fall. Fall is, quite simply, breathatking. 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 Tour companies providing expert guides and 4x4 transport are San Juan Backcountry, out of Silverton, and Switzerland of America, out of Ouray. |
Museum
Tours OURAY's
history museum was
once the Miner's
Hospital.
Today the lovely stone building houses a glowing mineral collection,
re-creation of a mine shaft and mine office, furnishings from the Walsh
House (in Animas Forks, and once home of the infamous Hope Diamond),
and numerous static and rotating displays of Ouray's rich Victorian
history. 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 beautifully complete mining museum. |
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Sunrise
& Sunset Photo Shoots EXPERIENCE
the “golden hours” from behind
the lens of your camera.
Photograph (or just watch and enjoy) a blazing high mountain sunrise
and the rose blush of evening Alpenglow as it washes over the magestic
San Juans. Then click away the day with never-to-be forgotten images of
mountain scenery and charming Victorian towns.
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STORYTELLERS
and
tour guides will regale you
with facts and folklore as
you visit each town and the historic mining districts surrounding them.
Books on local lore are availabe in numerous locations and at the
museums and mine tours. OPTIONAL & CUSTOM TOURS RAIL HISTORY - explore the country where the narrow gauge traveled through the San Juan Mountains. Hike into Corkscrew to see the old turn table, then take a ride on a vintage steam train to Durango. Three days, Great for the man who loves trains! WATERFALLS-Eight straight hours of photographing waterfalls! Two days, Weekends only. ARTWALK AND SHOPPING TRIP - Durango-Silverton-Ouray. Includes galleries, specialty retail shops, lodging, lunch and evening cocktail hour included. Three days. A favorite for the ladies! PLEIN AIRE Painiting and Photo Workshop for working artists. Three days. Includes lodging and high country transport. Custom tours, schedules are flexible. Call for more details. 970 252-1595. |
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San Juan Tours, PO Box 1055, Ouray CO 81427 • E-mail: tours@sanjuanpub.com • 970-252-1595