Burke's San Juan Photo & Art Tours
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.


Pleine Aire for Artists
Alpine Photography
Townscapes Art & Photo- People & Places
We also offer Hand-crafted WORKSHOPS and private LESSONS on Digital Photography and Photoshop Imaging taught by professional photographers.
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.
Scenic Photography-Alpine Adventure


Molas Lake & the Genadiers, © Jim Baumgardt, Image Counts

PHOTOGRAPH, PAINT, and explore one of the west’s most historic and spectacular alpine areas: the majestic San Juan Mountains. We'll get you there - in four-wheel drive vehicles, and the rest is up to you. Capture unforgettable images of wildflowers, waterfalls, magical aspens, mining relics, and some of the most ruggedly scenic mountains in North America.

Scenic Photography - Unforgettable Images

Dallas Divide in the fall
Dallas Divde in the Fall, © Kathryn R, Burke

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. 

Townscape Tours - Ouray and Silverton - Capture the history

Ourayn Colo 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 CO

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.)
Heritage - Mining History

Yankee Girl, Red Mtn Mining District
Yankee Girl headworks in Red Mountain Mining District,
 © Kathryn R. Burke


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.
San Juan Mountains Mountain Trails

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


Non-excursion Guided tour options:

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.

Museums and Other things to see and do

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 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.

Burke's Custom San Juan Photo & Art Tours  •  PO Box 705 - Ridgway, Colorado 81432 
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.


Copyright San Juan Publishing Group Inc. All Rights reserved. Web-site design Kathryn R. Burke