San Juan Mountains - wikipedia San Juan Mountains San Juan Mountains San Juan Mountains seen from the San Juan Skyway. Highest point Peak Uncompahgre Peak Elevation 14,309 ft ( 4,361 m ) Coordinates 38 ° 04 ′ 18 '' N 107 ° 27 ′ 14 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.07167 ° N 107.45389 ° W ﻿ / 38.07167 ; - 107.45389 Coordinates : 38 ° 04 ′ 18 '' N 107 ° 27 ′ 14 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 38.07167 ° N 107.45389 ° W ﻿ / 38.07167 ; - 107.45389 Geography Country United States State Colorado, New Mexico Parent range Rocky Mountains The San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized ( the Colorado Mineral Belt ) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. Large scale mining has ended in the region, although independent prospectors still work claims throughout the range. The last large scale mines were the Sunnyside Mine near Silverton, which operated until late in the 20th century and the Idarado Mine on Red Mountain Pass that closed down in the 1970s. Famous old San Juan mines include the Camp Bird and Smuggler Union mines, both located between Telluride and Ouray. The Summitville mine was the scene of a major environmental disaster in the 1990s when the liner of a cyanide - laced tailing pond began leaking heavily. Summitville is in the Summitville caldera, one of many extinct volcanoes making up the San Juan volcanic field. One, La Garita Caldera, is 35 miles ( 56 km ) in diameter. Large beds of lava, some extending under the floor of the San Luis Valley, are characteristic of the eastern slope of the San Juans. Tourism is now a major part of the regional economy, with the narrow gauge railway between Durango and Silverton being an attraction in the summer. Jeeping is popular on the old trails which linked the historic mining camps, including the notorious Black Bear Road. Visiting old ghost towns is popular, as is wilderness trekking and mountain climbing. Many of the old mining camps are now popular sites of summer homes. Though the San Juans are extremely steep and receive a lot of snow, so far only Telluride has made the transition to a major ski resort. Purgatory Resort, once known as Durango Mountain Resort, is a small ski area 26 miles north of Durango. There is also skiing on Wolf Creek Pass at the Wolf Creek ski area. Recently Silverton Mountain ski area has begun operation near Silverton. The Rio Grande drains the east side of the range. The other side of the San Juans, the western slope of the continental divide, is drained by tributaries of the San Juan, Dolores and Gunnison rivers, which all flow into the Colorado River. The San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests cover a large portion of the San Juan Mountains. The San Juan Mountains are also distinctive for their high altitude plateaus and peaks. As a result, facilities in the towns and cities of the region are among the highest in the nation. Telluride Airport at an elevation of 9,070 feet., is the highest in the United States with regularly scheduled commercial service. Contents 1 Prominent peaks 2 History of the area 3 Gallery 4 Acceleration of snowmelt by dust 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links Prominent peaks San Juans in the fall of 2008, viewed from north of Durango Sneffels Range viewed from Ridgway, Colorado Red Mountain Pass Trout Lake near Telluride Twilight Peak Uncompahgre Peak seen from Slumgullion Pass Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride Note : This is only a partial list of important peaks in the San Juans, listing peaks by prominence only. There are dozens more summits over 12,000 feet. The 28 peaks of the San Juan Mountains with at least 500 meters of prominence Rank Mountain Peak Elevation Prominence Isolation Uncompahgre Peak NGS 7003436500000000000 ♠ 4365 m 14,321 ft 7003130363000000000 ♠ 1304 m 4,277 ft 7005136890000000000 ♠ 136.9 km 85.1 mi Mount Wilson 7003434408000000000 ♠ 4344 m 14,252 ft 7003122651500000000 ♠ 1227 m 4,024 ft 7004532100000000000 ♠ 53.2 km 33.1 mi Mount Sneffels NGS 7003431540000099999 ♠ 4315 m 14,158 ft 7002929640000000000 ♠ 930 m 3,050 ft 7004253200000000000 ♠ 25.3 km 15.73 mi Mount Eolus 7003429425500000000 ♠ 4294 m 14,089 ft 7002665378000000000 ♠ 665 m 2,183 ft 7004404800000000000 ♠ 40.5 km 25.2 mi 5 Handies Peak NGS 7003428480000000000 ♠ 4285 m 14,058 ft 7002575462000000000 ♠ 575 m 1,888 ft 7004180000000000000 ♠ 18.00 km 11.18 mi 6 San Luis Peak NGS 7003427380000000000 ♠ 4274 m 14,022 ft 7002948842000000000 ♠ 949 m 3,113 ft 7004434100000000000 ♠ 43.4 km 27.0 mi 7 Vermilion Peak PB 7003423671900000000 ♠ 4237 m 13,900 ft 7002641604000000000 ♠ 642 m 2,105 ft 7004146000000000000 ♠ 14.60 km 9.07 mi 8 Rio Grande Pyramid NGS PB 7003421449999999999 ♠ 4214 m 13,827 ft 7002567232999900000 ♠ 567 m 1,861 ft 7004173100000000000 ♠ 17.31 km 10.76 mi 9 Mount Oso 7003417265899999999 ♠ 4173 m 13,690 ft 7002507187000000000 ♠ 507 m 1,664 ft 7003881000000000000 ♠ 8.81 km 5.47 mi 10 Tower Mountain PB 7003413244600000000 ♠ 4132 m 13,558 ft 7002503530000000000 ♠ 504 m 1,652 ft 7003862000000000000 ♠ 8.62 km 5.36 mi 11 Sultan Mountain PB 7003407621500000000 ♠ 4076 m 13,373 ft 7002569366000000000 ♠ 569 m 1,868 ft 7003739000000000000 ♠ 7.39 km 4.59 mi 12 Summit Peak NGS PB 7003405604800000000 ♠ 4056 m 13,307 ft 7002841248000000000 ♠ 841 m 2,760 ft 7004642300000000000 ♠ 64.2 km 39.9 mi 13 Dolores Peak PB 7003405259200000000 ♠ 4053 m 13,296 ft 7002594360000000000 ♠ 594 m 1,950 ft 7003802000000000000 ♠ 8.02 km 4.98 mi 14 Lavender Peak PB 7003403719800000000 ♠ 4037 m 13,245 ft 7002871728000000000 ♠ 872 m 2,860 ft 7004399100000000000 ♠ 39.9 km 24.8 mi 15 Bennett Peak PB 7003402605700000000 ♠ 4026 m 13,209 ft 7002531266000099999 ♠ 531 m 1,743 ft 7004275200000000000 ♠ 27.5 km 17.10 mi 16 Conejos Peak NGS PB 7003401700000000000 ♠ 4017 m 13,179 ft 7002582778000000000 ♠ 583 m 1,912 ft 7004131200000000000 ♠ 13.12 km 8.15 mi 17 Twilight Peak 7003401209600000000 ♠ 4012 m 13,163 ft 7002712622000000000 ♠ 713 m 2,338 ft 7003786000000000000 ♠ 7.86 km 4.88 mi 18 South River Peak PB 7003400939000000000 ♠ 4009 m 13,154 ft 7002746150000000000 ♠ 746 m 2,448 ft 7004353400000000000 ♠ 35.3 km 22.0 mi 19 Peak 13,010 PB 7003396726200000000 ♠ 3967 m 13,016 ft 7002545592000000000 ♠ 546 m 1,790 ft 7004153900000000000 ♠ 15.39 km 9.56 mi 20 Lone Cone PB 7003384610000000000 ♠ 3846 m 12,618 ft 7002692819999900000 ♠ 693 m 2,273 ft 7004149700000000000 ♠ 14.97 km 9.30 mi 21 Graham Peak NGS PB 7003382110000000000 ♠ 3821 m 12,536 ft 7002777545000000000 ♠ 778 m 2,551 ft 7004167800000000000 ♠ 16.78 km 10.43 mi 22 Elliott Mountain PB 7003376294100000000 ♠ 3763 m 12,346 ft 7002682752000000000 ♠ 683 m 2,240 ft 7003826000000000000 ♠ 8.26 km 5.13 mi 23 Cornwall Mountain PB 7003374618300000000 ♠ 3746 m 12,291 ft 7002531571000000000 ♠ 532 m 1,744 ft 7003837000000000000 ♠ 8.37 km 5.20 mi 24 Sawtooth Mountain NGS PB 7003370420000000000 ♠ 3704 m 12,153 ft 7002587350000000000 ♠ 587 m 1,927 ft 7004282800000000000 ♠ 28.3 km 17.57 mi 25 Chalk Benchmark NGS PB 7003366930000000000 ♠ 3669 m 12,038 ft 7002600761000000000 ♠ 601 m 1,971 ft 7004116800000000000 ♠ 11.68 km 7.26 mi 26 Little Cone NGS PB 7003365400000000000 ♠ 3654 m 11,988 ft 7002561136999999999 ♠ 561 m 1,841 ft 7003970000000000000 ♠ 9.70 km 6.03 mi 27 Cochetopa Dome 7003339483800000000 ♠ 3395 m 11,138 ft 7002537058000000000 ♠ 537 m 1,762 ft 7003990000000000000 ♠ 9.90 km 6.15 mi 28 Horse Mountain PB 7003303330700000000 ♠ 3033 m 9,952 ft 7002575158000000000 ♠ 575 m 1,887 ft 7004224600000000000 ♠ 22.5 km 13.96 mi History of the area Hayden Geological Survey, 1870s Ore wagons, San Juan Mountains, circa 1900 ? Mining operators in the San Juan mountain area formed the San Juan District Mining Association ( SJDMA ) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight - hour day, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters. The new association consolidated the power of thirty - six mining properties in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan counties. The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike. Gallery 360 ° panorama of the southwestern San Juans, photographed from the Gold Hill Ridge of the Telluride Ski Resort. Ridgeline annotation indicates the names and elevations of 43 visible peaks Panorama of the San Juan Mountains ' Sneffels Range looking south. Acceleration of snowmelt by Dust Dust blown in from adjoining deserts sometimes accelerates snowmelt in the San Juans. Dust Accelerates Snowmelt in the San Juan Mountains 2005 ( Less dust ) 2006 ( More dust ) 2008 ( Less dust ) 2009 ( More dust ) See also Colorado portal Mountains portal Southern Rocky Mountains Sneffels Range Cimmaron Range Needle Mountains La Garita Mountains Cochetopa Hills La Plata Mountains Mountain ranges of Colorado References Jump up ^ Slothower, Chuck ( 25 Feb 2015 ). `` It is ' DMR ' No Longer ''. Durango Herald ( 26 Feb 2015 ). Retrieved 17 May 2016. Jump up ^ http://www.tellurideairport.com ^ Jump up to : The elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 ( NGVD 29 ) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 ( NAVD 88 ). National Geodetic Survey Jump up ^ Roughneck -- The Life and Times of Big Bill Haywood, Peter Carlson, 1983, page 65. Jump up ^ The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride 's War On Labor 1899 - 1908, MaryJoy Martin, 2004, page 201. Jump up ^ `` Dust Accelerates Snow Melt in San Juan Mountains ''. Earth Observatory NASA. July 4, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012. Further reading Bove, D. et al. ( 2001 ). Geochronology and geology of Late Oligocene through Miocene volcanism and mineralization in the western San Juan Mountains, Colorado ( U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1642 ). Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Lippman, P.W. ( 2006 ). Geologic map of the central San Juan Caldera Cluster, southwestern Colorado ( Geologic Investigations Series I - 2799 ). Reston, VA : U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. External links Widerange.org : Photos of the San Juan Mountains San Juan Mountains @ Peakbagger Southern Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger San Juan Mountains. Mountains of Colorado Book Cliffs Mount Garfield Elk Mountains Aspen Mountain Capitol Peak Castle Peak Cathedral Peak Chair Mountain Italian Mountain Maroon Bells Mount Owen Mount Sopris Pyramid Peak Snowmass Mountain Snowmass Peak Treasure Mountain Elkhead Mountains Black Mountain ( Moffat County ) Columbus Mountain Elk Mountain ( Routt County ) Hahns Peak Flat Tops Flat Top Mountain Sleepy Cat Peak Front Range Kenosha Mountains Buffalo Peak Green Mountain ( Jefferson County ) Shawnee Peak Windy Peak Mummy Range Fairchild Mountain Hagues Peak Mount Chiquita Mount McConnel Mummy Mountain Ypsilon Mountain Never Summer Mountains Braddock Peak Iron Mountain ( Jackson / Larimer Counties ) Mount Richthofen Nokhu Crags Seven Utes Mountain Static Peak Rampart Range Blodgett Peak Cheyenne Mountain Devils Head Others Argentine Peak Badger Mountain Bald Mountain Bard Peak Bear Peak ( Boulder County ) Berrian Mountain Black Mountain ( Park County ) Chief Cheley Peak Eldorado Mountain Engelmann Peak Flagstaff Mountain Grays Peak Green Mountain ( Boulder County ) Green Mountain ( Jefferson County ) Grizzly Peak ( Summit County ) Hallett Peak Horsetooth Mountain James Peak Jones Mountain Lone Eagle Peak Longs Peak Lookout Mountain McCurdy Mountain Mount Alice Mount Audubon Mount Bailey Mount Bancroft Mount Bierstadt Mount Edwards Mount Evans Mount Guyot Mount Ida Mount Julian Mount Meeker Mount Morrison Mount Parnassus Mount Rosa Mount Silverheels Mount Sniktau Mount Zion North Arapaho Peak North Table Mountain Parry Peak Petit Grepon Pikes Peak Ptarmigan Peak South Table Mountain Specimen Mountain Taylor Peak ( Grand County ) Thirtynine Mile Mountain Torreys Peak Twin Sisters Peaks Waugh Mountain Williams Peak Gore Range Jacque Peak Meridian Peak Mount Powell Grand Mesa Crater Peak North Mamm Peak Laramie Mountains Greyrock Mountain South Bald Mountain Medicine Bow Mountains Clark Peak Mosquito Range Arkansas Hills Clinton Peak Dyer Mountain Horseshoe Mountain Mount Bross Mount Buckskin Mount Democrat Mount Lincoln Mount Sherman Pacific Peak West Buffalo Peak Park Range Mount Werner Mount Zirkel Rabbit Ears Range Elk Mountain ( Grand County ) Parkview Mountain Raton Mesa Fishers Peak San Juan Mountains La Garita Mountains San Luis Peak Stewart Peak La Plata Mountains Hesperus Mountain Lavender Peak Needle Mountains Arrow Peak Jagged Mountain Jupiter Mountain Mount Eolus Pigeon Peak Sunlight Peak Turret Peak Twilight Peak Vestal Peak Windom Peak Sneffels Range Dallas Peak Gilpin Peak Mount Sneffels Teakettle Mountain Others Bennett Peak Cimmaron Range Conejos Peak Dolores Peak El Diente Peak Elliott Mountain Gladstone Peak Graham Peak Half Peak Handies Peak HD Mountains Horse Mountain La Garita Caldera Little Cone Lizard Head Lone Cone Matterhorn Peak Menefee Peak Middle Peak Mount Oso Mount Wilson Niagara Peak Red Mountain ( Ouray County ) Redcloud Peak Rio Grande Pyramid Sharkstooth Peak South River Peak Sultan Mountain Summit Peak Sunshine Peak Tower Mountain Uncompahgre Peak Vermilion Peak Wetterhorn Peak Wilson Peak Sangre de Cristo Mountains Sangre de Cristo Range Blanca Peak Bushnell Peak California Peak Challenger Point Columbia Point Crestone Needle Crestone Peak Ellingwood Point Humboldt Peak Iron Mountain ( Costilla / Huerfano Counties ) Kit Carson Peak Little Bear Peak Methodist Mountain Mount Adams Mount Herard Mount Lindsey Mount Mestas Mount Zwischen Rito Alto Peak Tijeras Peak Wet Mountains Greenhorn Mountain Lead Mountain ( Custer County ) Others Culebra Peak Red Mountain ( Costilla County ) Sawatch Range Collegiate Peaks Emerald Peak Garfield Peak Grizzly Peak ( Chaffee / Pitkin Counties ) Henry Mountain Huron Peak Ice Mountain La Plata Peak Missouri Mountain Mount Belford Mount Blaurock Mount Columbia Mount Harvard Mount Hope Mount Oxford Mount Yale Peak 13,762 Winfield Peak Others Antora Peak Bill Williams Peak Carbonate Mountain Casco Peak Castle Peak Cronin Peak French Mountain Mount Antero Mount Elbert Mount of the Holy Cross Mount Jackson Mount Massive Mount Oklahoma Mount Ouray Mount Shavano Ouray Peak Park Cone Red Table Mountain Tabeguache Peak Tomichi Dome Spanish Peaks East Spanish Peak Huerfano Butte West Spanish Peak Tenmile Range Crystal Peak Fletcher Mountain Peak 10 Quandary Peak Uinta Mountains Tanks Peak Zenobia Peak West Elk Mountains Carbon Peak Crested Butte East Beckwith Mountain Gothic Mountain Marcellina Mountain Mount Emmons Mount Guero Mount Gunnison Mount Lamborn Needle Rock West Elk Peak Whetstone Mountain Others Bear Mountain Blair Mountain Cannibal Plateau Chalk Mountains Cochetopa Hills Dawson Butte Diamond Peak Flirtation Peak Granite Peak Grand Hogback Grannys Nipple Horsefly Peak Lead Mountain ( Grand County ) Mount Neva Powell Peak Storm King Mountain Terrible Mountain Ute Mountain State of Colorado Denver ( capital ) Topics Index Coloradans Elections Federal lands Geography Government Highways History Timeline Images Law Military Mountains Museums Public Defender Paleontology Rivers Symbols Transportation Tourist attractions Seal of Colorado Society Crime Culture Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports Regions Central Colorado Denver - Aurora - Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Eastern Plains Front Range Grand Valley High Plains High Rockies Mineral Belt Northern Colorado Northwestern Colorado Piedmont Plateau Roan Plateau Roaring Fork Valley San Luis Valley Sangre de Cristo Mountains South - Central Colorado Southwest Colorado Uinta Mountains Uintah Basin Western Slope Municipalities Akron Alamosa Arvada Aspen Aurora Boulder Breckenridge Brighton Broomfield Cañon City Castle Rock Centennial Colorado Springs Commerce City Cortez Craig Delta Denver Durango Englewood Erie Evans Fairplay Federal Heights Fort Collins Fort Morgan Fountain Golden Glenwood Springs Grand Junction Greeley Greenwood Village Gunnison La Junta Lafayette Lakewood Lamar Leadville Littleton Longmont Louisville Loveland Montrose Northglenn Parker Platteville Pueblo Salida Steamboat Springs Sterling Superior Thornton Trinidad Vail Westminster Wheat Ridge Windsor Counties Adams Alamosa Arapahoe Archuleta Baca Bent Boulder Broomfield Chaffee Cheyenne Clear Creek Conejos Costilla Crowley Custer Delta Denver Dolores Douglas Eagle El Paso Elbert Fremont Garfield Gilpin Grand Gunnison Hinsdale Huerfano Jackson Jefferson Kiowa Kit Carson La Plata Lake Larimer Las Animas Lincoln Logan Mesa Mineral Moffat Montezuma Montrose Morgan Otero Ouray Park Phillips Pitkin Prowers Pueblo Rio Blanco Rio Grande Routt Saguache San Juan San Miguel Sedgwick Summit Teller Washington Weld Yuma Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Juan_Mountains&oldid=794788419 '' Categories : San Juan Mountains ( Colorado ) Mountain ranges of Colorado Ranges of the Rocky Mountains Mountain ranges of Ouray County, Colorado Landforms of Hinsdale County, Colorado Landforms of San Juan County, Colorado Landforms of San Miguel County, Colorado San Juan National Forest Uncompahgre National Forest Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Čeština Dansk Deutsch Diné bizaad Eesti Español Français Italiano עברית Norsk Polski اردو Edit links This page was last edited on 10 August 2017, at 01 : 54. 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Question: where are the san juan mountains in new mexico
Answer: northwestern New Mexico; northwestern New Mexico; northwestern New Mexico; in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico