In early October, Helen and I took a trip to the San Juan Mountains near Ouray in southwest Colorado. We backpacked along the Dallas Trail for five days and four nights, moving from hut to hut, so we didn’t bring sleeping bags or tents to keep our loads light. The leaves were turning red, and honestly, this post is more about fall than it is about the San Juan Volcanic Region.
We were a group of 7 and this is near the start of the hike.
Part of the route followed an old logging road.
This was our first hut and it’s called North Pole Hut. One of the peaks near here is called North Pole Peak. If you want to learn more about the hut experience, you can check out San Juan Hut here.
Each cabin had a separate outbuilding not far from the bedrooms and was very clean, modern and well maintained.
Northeast view of the Cimarron Range in the San Juan Mountains with Ridgway, Colorado, in the Uncompahgre River valley below.
The Sneffels Mountains loomed large to the south as we traveled from west to east, and early season snow created a dramatic backdrop for the changing aspens.
Detail of the Sneffels Mountains.
The average elevation of the hike was 10,000 feet, never straying between 11,000 feet and 9,500 feet.
Wild geraniums also joined in the colorful show.
Most of the hike was through aspen and conifer forest.
Early morning frost.
We finally reached Wilson Summit at 11,000 feet and were treated to some amazing views.
While enjoying lunch at the summit, take note of the once glacial valley in the distance.
Rain was a constant threat for the five days (forecast), but we managed to avoid any rain.
The third night we were at Ridgway Hut planning our route for the next day.
A particularly beautiful section of trail on day four.
Poplars everywhere.
Barn Hut, our fourth and final hut.
Near Burn Hut.
The roots and poplar leaves compete for sunlight.
We are approaching the final descent into Ancopagre Valley.
Across the road, the San Juan Volcano sits on a base of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, and we saw a mining shack at the contact point of the two types of rock.
A colorful descent – this time with rocks!
Descending below the San Juan volcanic rocks, the basement consisted of the Cutler Formation, a Pennsylvanian sandstone, shale, and conglomerate that had been detached from the ancestral Rocky Mountains.
A very coarse conglomerate channel lies within the mudstone and shale of the floodplain. It was a great trip with great people and perfect weather!
