The Ultimate Campsite in Silverton, Colorado

Silverton, Colorado
Kendall - National Forest CG


While we've spent a few different days in Silverton over the past few months, we almost didn't get to camp there and spend an extended amount of time due to some brake issues.  I was able to carve out some time in our schedule though so we were so excited to be able to stay here at one of the most beautiful boondocking sites right on Mineral Creek.

 

 

Fall is peaking here in southwest Colorado!

As you drive in to Silverton from Durango, you get a great peak of town down below, nestled between mountains on all sides.

 

Home for the next week and a half.
Only a couple of miles out of town, great cell, there is an outhouse, but no water, garbage, electric.  Nice flat area, easy in/out and gorgeous!

 The river is maybe 10 feet behind the trailer.  It's a beautiful milky turquoise color.

With the pinkish-red rocks, the color of the water, the bright blue sky, green pines and colorful Aspen, it couldn't be more gorgeous!

 

We even have a nice custom rock firepit which will come in very handy as the temperatures are really cooling down now.

 

We took a drive into town to walk around and have dinner.

 

Just outside our camp we came upon a bull Moose.

 

Papa Moose

 

 

It was actually a family of moose. We have not seen a whole family together before.  Dad, Mom and 2 young ones.  They were so cute.  Even nuzzling each other.

 

Moose Family

The colors of the Aspen are just beautiful.  I was really hoping we'd still be in Colorado to see the Fall.  I was afraid they'd have a late Fall and somehow we'd miss it.

Silverton was an old mining town dating back to the late 1800s when gold was discovered.  It sits at 9318 feet in elevation and has a population of just over 600.  Silverton is now most popular because it is linked to Durango by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a National Historic Landmark. At the end of the month we'll be taking a ride on the train with some friends.

 

The town is small, quaint and colorful.

 

 

It was our 32nd Anniversary so we decided to have dinner at Handlebars.

 

One of those places with stuffed animals everywhere and funny signs. Only classy places for us!

 

We had a great meal and a lot of fun in town.

 

 

After dinner, we kicked back along the river and watched the fullmoon rise with a warm fire burning.

Loved the reflection of the moon on the river with the fire in the foreground.

 

Most of our days were spent driving the back roads, enjoying the Fall color.

I can't get enough of these mountain views.

 Silverton, Colorado

 

We did some nice hiking and geocaching which brought us to the Christ of the Mines Shrine built on a mountainside overlooking Silverton. It's a12-ton, 16-foot tall statue of Jesus Christ, sitting 500 feet up the slope of Anvil Mountain, north of town. It's made of Carrara marble from Italy and the alcove of the Shrine was made of native stone which came from the Old Fisher Brewery.  The Shrine has been attributed to several miracles in town over the years.

 There are coins, trinkets, crosses, notes, prayers and rosaries left on the statue and wedged into cracks in the rocks. 

 

Another cache was hidden above one of those white letters we've all seen at the top of a hillside standing for the town. "S" for Silverton.

 

It was a steep hike up to the top.  No trail, just bushwacking.  Then some rock scrambling.

King of the Mountain.

Made it!

Silverton way down there.  See our truck parked at the bottom with our red kayak on top?

Coming back down is often harder than climbing up.

There's the "S" in the upper left corner.

A closer view.

 

Good Night!