Fence and dirt road leading to San Juan Mountain Range, Ridgway, Colorado, USA - stock photo

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. Large scale mining has ended in the region. The San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests cover a large portion of the San Juan Mountains.