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Trip Highlights:

• Hike remote trails with beautiful aspen groves to high alpine passes with endless views.

• Breathe the rarified Rocky Mountain air as you hike remote trails beneath 14,000-foot peaks in the Colorado high country.

• Indulge in pleasures from the Old West, from Victorian hotels and saloons to ghost towns left over from the gold mining days.

Majestic snow capped peaks, expansive alpine meadows, tumbling waterfalls, and charming Victorian hotels beckon hikers to explore the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado; home of Ryder- Walker Alpine Adventures. From bubbling hot springs and historic hotels, to the outposts of bank robbers and miners gone “mad”, Colorado mountains over a mother lode of scenic hikes and colorful towns.

Ryder-Walker’s hiking adventure offers an exciting exploration of the region’s most spectacular trails. From remote valleys filled with beautiful Aspen groves to high alpine passes replete with endless views, we hike beneath the shadows of the resident fourteen thousand-foot peaks as we thread our way through the San Juan mountains. Hiking days are as challenging as you wish, and the scenery is breathtaking. At the end of the day a comfortable bed, hot shower, good meal, glass of local wine or beer, and the company of other mountain enthusiasts awaits. Photographers from around the world descend upon the San Juan ranges to capture the spectacular hues, whether as a backdrop to budding alpine flowers in spring or in autumn when the aspens leaves change to gold.

Our tour begins in the charming mining town of Ouray. Of course, the miners have traded in their pickaxes for trekking poles, but the town has a time forgotten ambiance. Superb hiking and restaurants make for an unforgettable mix. Ouray boasts great hiking variety as well as the most colorful and varied geology in the Rockies. From Ouray, hike into world renowned Telluride. The trails between the towns remain largely untraveled, and you won’t have to share the trails or the views with many other parties. The route lies along quiet mountain paths, with some optional rough and remote sections, and spectacular views of the surrounding peaks as trails climb to high passes. We follow abandoned Native American and mining routes, and traverse along streams beneath the shade of aspen, spruce, and fir trees.

Along the way, we have selected the most comfortable and atmospheric hotels in both towns. Accommodations range from our turn of the century hotel in Ouray, that reportedly hosted presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, to exquisite modern mountain accommodations in Telluride. Each hotel reflects the charm and character of its location and the simplicity of days past.

Learn more about the San Juan Mountains, Colorado destination