Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ANIMAS FORKS
When the wind whips through the graying wood frames at Animas Forks, and clear, cold air whistles through the
former bedrooms and parlors of long-dead 19th-century prospectors, there's something truly ghostly about this
abandoned mining town.
It's one of the most photogenic stops on the Alpine Loop. If you're coming up the road from Lake City in the
middle of the summer, inquire with locals before you attempt the trip here in a 2WD vehicle, but you'll probably
make it. In spring or fall, you'll probably need a 4WD. In winter? Your best bet is a dogsled.
This high mountain mining outpost suffered an unfortunately timed founding in 1883, the year the bottom fell
out of the silver market. The community of 300 residents limped along for a few years; many survived by spend-
ing the brutal winters further down the mountain and returning in the warmer months. But the last mill closed in
1910 and the last resident moved away in 1920.
Today, the 10 remaining buildings are a playground for yellow-tailed marmots and the alpine plain is punctu-
ated with the shells of a couple of cars, wildflowers and rusting mining equipment. The biggest home is the grand
Gothic Duncan residence, which you can enter safely thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Land Management,
which has stabilized many of the dilapidated structures.
Sleeping
Matterhorn Motel
( 970-944-2210;
www.matterhornmotel.com
;
409 Bluff St; d/cabin from $99/125; )
Our favorite motel
in the downtown area is the Matterhorn, a smartly remodeled 1940s motel with red trim
and scalloped siding, where some rooms have kitchenettes.
MOTEL
$$
Inn at the Lake
( 936-499-1323;
www.innatthelake.org
; 600 Country Rd 33; d incl breakfast $125; )
On the
shores of Lake San Cristobal, this is a log-fitted motel where potted flowers sway in the
breeze. It has 10 rooms, all with water views.
MOTEL
$$
Camping & Cabins
There are a couple of private campgrounds in town, but the state and federal land nearby
is a better option. For RVs, try the
Elkhorn RV Resort & Cabins
( 970-944-2920;
www.elkhornrvresort.com
; 713 N Bluff St; cabins $49, tent/RV sites $21/37; )
, where there are RV
hookups, some utilitarian tent camping and simple 'camping cabins,' which come without
linens. Dispersed camping is available on USFS lands along Hensen Creek immediately
east of town. Free BLM riverside campsites are available at the Gate, 20 miles north next
to Hwy 149, and at Gateview and Redbridge along Lake County Rd 25, which continues
beside the river where Hwy 149 turns east from the river course.
