San Juan Forest Snapshots

This video features several unique San Juan National Forest attractions along the Million Dollar Highway between Durango and Silverton!

One of the most popular roadside attractions along the Million Dollar Highway is Pinkerton Hot Springs, which is about 10 miles north of Durango, Colorado. Pinkerton Hot Springs is a strange roadside oddity that looks so out of place, that it is easy to think that it belongs on another planet! All it takes is one glance at the colorful limestone percolator mound to be captivated.

The Molas Lake Park & Campground is a fee area and this is a popular destination, so it is best to make reservations ahead of time. There also are several San Juan National Forest primitive campsites nearby that present boondocking options. All it takes is one look at the photos to see why Molas Lake Park is such a desirable vacation spot, because this is one of the most picturesque high elevation landscapes to be found anywhere in the entire west!

The Molas Pass Winter Recreation Area is located on the Million Dollar Highway (U.S. 550) about 6.5 miles south of Silverton. This official San Juan National Forest Recreation Area is easy to spot and there is ample roadside parking. The Molas Pass Recreation Area features camping next to Little Molas Lake, snowshoe trails, cross-country skiing and a gradual downhill slope that is perfect for sleds. This lake can freeze over, so be sure to pack the skates.

Cascade Creek is as picturesque as can be and endless hours can be spent doing the creekside nature walk. Following this trail will literally reveal one small cascade after another. The cool water provides relief from the heat and there is plenty of shade under the aspen and pine trees. Both the hiking trail and the dirt road follow Cascade Creek uphill to a small parking area near a picturesque old wooden flume that is still in use. For folks in a big city, a flume is something that is only seen at a water sports amusement park, yet these engineering marvels still have a practical purpose way up in the mountains. Controlling the water flow from the seasonal snow melt is necessary and the old historic mining operations also made use of flumes.

The Lower Hermosa Creek Campground is closed for the winter and open all summer. Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding on the Hermosa Creek Trails is what most of the daytime visitors come here to do, so this destination can be more like a day use area than a campground, especially on weekends. This may be surprising, but even when busy there are usually a few empty campsites available on any given day, because the primary focus is on the trails.

The San Juan National Forest surrounds Durango and the Junction Creek Campground is located just west of the historic downtown area. All it takes is following a few side roads to find this little campground that sits high above the city. Many trails run through this area and this is a mountain biker’s paradise. The Junction Creek Campground is also where access to the Colorado Trail can be found.

00:00 Title
00:15 Pinkerton Hot Springs
01:15 Molas Lake Park & Campground
04:40 Little Molas Lake Winter Recreation Area
08:15 Cascade Creek & Flume
12:50 Hermosa Creek Campground
17:10 Junction Creek Campground
19:05 Fin