38°1′24″N   107°40′20″W  (38.023217, −107.672178) [ 6 ] , in the  San Juan Mountains  of  southwestern Colorado . It is about 40 miles (64 km) south of  Montrose . It is only 10 miles (16 km) northeast of  Telluride , but due to the severity of the landscape, the drive is about 50 miles (80 km). Ouray