Ouray and Silverton are located north of Durango on Highway 550, 47 and 70 miles respectively. They aren't really ghost towns, but they are very quaint, picturesque, mountain, mining towns. They are nestled high in the San Juan Mountains. These towns have so many historic old buildings, that they are definitely worth exploring. Also, Animas Forks is closeby too.
They both got their starts in the mid 1870's with silver and gold mining. These muntains have produced a tremendous amount of high grade ore. In 1882, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad made it to Silverton. Now the town could grow. This railroad has been reopenedand people can take a ride on it today. It is now called the Durango-Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad.
Ouray is nestled in a high valley called Box Canyon. There are mountians towering high above the town in every direction, except a narrow valley leading into Ouray. This is the reason it is called "the Switzerland of America."
To get to Silverton from Ouray, there is a high mountain highway that leads its way up Red Mountain Pass (over 11,000 ft.). this highway is called "The Million Dollar Highway." It is called this due to the fact that when it was conctructed, the ore in the rock that came out of the roadbed, was worth a million dollars per mile.
Another great place to visit in ouray is Box Canyon Falls. Here, Canyon Creek falls 285 feet through a narrow cleft in the mountain. It's a spectacular sight.Also, take time to hit the mineral hot springs at the north end of town. There are four or five pools of varying temperatures, it's very relaxing.
