At a Glance
- Elevation: 11,200 ft
- Peak Population: ~450 (1880s)
- Founded: 1873
- Abandoned: ~1920s
- Distance from Ouray: ~22 miles via CR 2
- Access Road: 4WD Jeep required
The Founding and Growth of Animas Forks
Animas Forks was established in 1873 at the confluence of the west fork of the Animas River and the main stem, at a point where the drainage fanned out into a small, relatively flat basin ringed by peaks reaching to 13,000 feet and above. The location was dictated by geology rather than comfort: the ore-bearing structures of the upper Animas drainage converged near this point, making it a natural gathering place for miners working claims in multiple directions. The basin sits above timberline, which meant that building materials had to be hauled up from lower elevations, but the altitude also meant that the ore bodies could be approached from above — a significant practical advantage for drainage and haulage in an era before electric pumps.
The town grew rapidly through the late 1870s and 1880s as the surrounding mines came into production. At its peak in the mid-1880s, Animas Forks had a population of approximately 450 permanent residents — remarkable for a community at 11,200 feet — plus a substantial transient population of miners moving between summer and winter camps. The town supported a post office, a telegraph office, a hotel, multiple saloons, a general store, and residential buildings ranging from rough log cabins to the relatively elaborate two-story frame house with a bay window that is today the most photographed building at the site. That house, built for William Duncan around 1882, has become the visual symbol of Animas Forks.
The Duncan House and the Buildings That Survive
The William Duncan House at Animas Forks is extraordinary because it survived in recognizable condition while most of the town around it collapsed or burned. A two-story frame building with a projecting bay window on the upper floor — an architectural detail more typical of Denver or San Francisco than of a mining camp at 11,200 feet — the house speaks to the ambition and optimism of the men and women who built Animas Forks. The bay window was not a structural necessity but a statement: we are building a real town here, a place where people intend to live comfortably and permanently.
Other surviving structures at Animas Forks include the remains of the Animas Forks Hotel, several residential cabins in varying states of preservation, and the ruins of the Columbus Mill — a large ore processing facility whose stone foundations and some timber framing survive on the hillside above the main townsite. The Bureau of Land Management, which administers the Animas Forks site as part of the San Juan Mountains BLM district, has stabilized several of the most significant buildings to slow their deterioration. Visitors are asked to stay on designated paths and to refrain from entering the buildings, whose structural integrity is compromised by 140 years of mountain weather.
Getting to Animas Forks from Ouray
The route from Ouray to Animas Forks is one of the signature Jeep adventures in the San Juan Mountains. From Ouray, County Road 2 follows the Uncompahgre River south before climbing over Corkscrew Gulch and descending into the upper Animas drainage — a route of approximately 22 miles that requires a capable four-wheel-drive vehicle with good clearance and solid tires. The road passes through the Red Mountain mining district, crosses the 12,600-foot Corkscrew Pass, and descends through spectacular high-country scenery before reaching the Animas Forks basin. Allow four to six hours for the round trip including time at the site.
Alternatively, Animas Forks can be reached from Silverton via the paved portion of County Road 2, which extends approximately eleven miles up the Animas River from Silverton before transitioning to a 4WD-required dirt road for the final three miles to the site. This approach is shorter and often used by visitors approaching from the south on the Million Dollar Highway. Either way, Animas Forks is a full day's adventure well worth the planning. The Lumberyard Condos at 55 4th Avenue in Ouray offers the ideal base: central location, dogs welcome, book direct at ouraycondos.com.
Animas Forks in Context: The Alpine Loop
Animas Forks sits at the intersection of two major backcountry routes: the road south to Silverton (via the upper Animas drainage) and the road north over Engineer Pass to Lake City. This intersection made it a critical waypoint in the San Juan Jeep road network during the mining era and continues to make it a natural stopping point on the Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway today. Jeep tourers doing the full Alpine Loop — Ouray to Lake City over Engineer Pass, then back to Ouray via Cinnamon Pass and Silverton — pass through Animas Forks at approximately the midpoint of the loop, making it a natural lunch stop and photography destination.
The Alpine Loop covers approximately 65 miles of backcountry roads over two high passes, with total driving time of six to eight hours depending on conditions and stops. It is one of the most comprehensive San Juan Mountain experiences available in a single day, combining ghost towns, 12,000-foot pass crossings, wildflower meadows, and dramatic ridgeline views. Planning the loop so that Animas Forks is visited in the morning light, before afternoon thunderstorms build, gives photographers the best conditions for capturing the Duncan House and the surrounding peaks. The Lumberyard Condos provides the perfect starting point for the adventure.