The
San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the
Rocky Mountains in southwestern
Colorado, and is the largest mountain range in Colorado by area. 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, although independent prospectors still work claims throughout the range. The last large scale mines were the
Sunnyside Mine near Silverton, which operated until late in the 20th century and the
Idarado Mine on
Red Mountain Pass that closed down in the 1970s. Famous old San Juan mines include the
Camp Bird and Smuggler Union mines, both located between Telluride and Ouray.