Picture Story

Summer in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado is simply sublime. The sun is warm, the air is cool, and you are surrounded by dramatic snow-capped mountains rising above 14,000 ft.

My wife and I visited in July and made the old mining town of Silverton our base camp for exploring the area. Our favorite vacation activity is hiking, and the options are almost limitless. This picture is from a day hike on a segment of the Colorado Trail near Little Molas Lake.

The CT runs from Denver to Durango through the heart of the Rockies, passing through six National Forests and six Wilderness areas. It is some of the finest alpine scenery I've seen in the continental US, with huge views in almost every direction, lakes nestled beneath the peaks and wildflowers galore. This picture was taken late afternoon on our return leg to the trailhead.

I really liked seeing the trail continuing into the distance, combined with the lower and warmer sun that created some shadows to highlight the terrain. The lush green hills suggest an environment bursting with life, while the cool tones of the ever-present mountains in the background are a constant reminder that you're walking along the continent's spine. I can imagine equally beautiful but much different-looking scenes at other times of the year. The colors of fall. The tranquillity of a blanket of snow in the winter. I will have to go back.