COME TO LIFE | Montrose, Ouray, Ridgway, Telluride Splendor Await Mountains of San Juan Lizard Head Pass Day 1 The San Juan Mountains encompass rolling hills of ranch country, plunging canyons and peaks so jagged it seems they were carved yesterday. Find these scenes and more in Montrose, Ouray, Ridgway and Telluride. The Gunnison River took thousands of years to carve Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose. For a look at its wonders, start at the Elk Creek Visitor Center on Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water. Winds captured by buttes make for prime sailing conditions, anglers find deep water filled with kokanee salmon and mackinaw trout, and boaters roam more than 41,000 acres. On the Morrow Point Boat Tour, float on a pontoon to the foot of the cliffs. Landlubbers stick to the 4-mile Curecanti Creek Trail, which passes through forests as it drops below the canyon’s rim. In the park itself, the astonishingly steep walls expose black metamorphic rock and are so sheer that hiking into the canyon is an ambitious undertaking. Instead, take a relatively flat walk from the South Rim Visitor Center. Peer across the chasm to Colorado’s tallest cliff, Painted Wall. As a basecamp for exploring the area, Montrose is a gateway to biking, hiking, rafting, hunting and fishing. You’ll be charmed by the town’s Old West feel yet surprised by modern eateries, breweries and shops. Visit the Water Sports Park on the Uncompahgre River for kayaking, tubing and swimming. West of Montrose, explore the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area’s red-rock canyons. In town, the Ute Indian Museum connects the past with contemporary Ute life and culture, and the Museum of the Mountain West offers an authentic peek at the Wild West. 122 1-800-COLORADO JOSH KING.
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2023: Page 122
