San Juan Mountain Trail Running Photos
July 20, 2011 by Bryon Powell · 31 Comments
Hey All,
While the iRunFar team traveled to Colorado’s San Juan Mountians to cover the Hardrock 100, we’re also enjoying many a good mile on the trails. Below are a couple of our favorite shots (not including Hardrock photos). Many more photos can be found in our San Juan Mountain Facebook album. We’ll keep adding photos to that album throughout the remainder of our visit to these spectacular mountains.
Silverton's been our home since the start of July.
Trail running here may result in a strained neck.
For a few days, we got to follow Hardrock 100 course markings.
The trails aren't always easy. For example, there's a steep climb to the top of Engineer Pass at nearly 13,000'.
But, then, you're treated to fabulous descents with even better views.
Sometimes fog obscures the views... and other times it makes them.
Regardless, the sun ... or a sunflower can brighten up any run.
More often than not, spontaneous magic happens in these mountains.
Exhibit 1 - The wildflowers and lake in Boulder Gulch
Exhibit 2 - A columbine in Boulder Gulch
All those trail miles and breathtaking vistas can leave a guy tuckered out.
Call for Comments
What do you think?!
Related articles:
- 2011 Hardrock 100 Results and Roundup Results of the 2011 Hardrock 100....
- Lottery Results for the 2012 Hardrock 100 Lottery results for 2012 Hardock 100....
- Video Q&A with Jurek, Krupicka, Roes & Mackey Video of a question and answer period with Scott Jurek, Anton Krupicka, Geoff Roes, and Dave Mackey....
Filed under Bryon ·
Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell
Marvelous photos. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Gustavo
Amazing photos Bryon. I really need to make it out there one of these days.
wow! running out there for the first time next month!!
Good gawd that gorgeous! Thanks for posting these photos, Bryon. I hope you don’t grow tired of seeing such beautiful trails too quickly. ;-P
Amazing photos Bryon!
absolutely spectacular. From your photos, running those mountains looks like traipsing along the edge of heaven. And I can’t imagine the views get much better from actual heaven.
Hi Bryon….
How much longer will you be up there? I’m planning on coming up for several weekends after Speedgoat 50K for Bear 100 training and would love to hook up.
Thanks for the fantastic photos, the San Juans are my absolute favorite place in the world and I live only 4 hours away :-)
Steve
Agreed, it is absolutely the favorite place, thanks for reminding,Bryon!
I’m getting acute altitude sickness just looking at those photos!
Gorgeous and makes me miss the San Juans! Interesting to note that almost every morning is that sunny and beautiful, but by afternoon it’s a different picture — steel gray sky and bolts of lightening. The weather there can be so fierce and extreme. Did you ever get caught in scary storms out there? Also I’m curious if you started running with poles at all. I’m glad you guys got out on so many glorious runs.
Awesome!
Wow! Great photos! Your photo quality is really good.
Why I love the Juans! Thanks for posting them for everyone to enjoy!
SAAAWEEEET pics Bryon! Does Scott Jurek live close by?
Scott Jurek lives in Boulder… which is 7 hours away.
Those pictures are amazing. Thanks Bryon.
Sick, just sick.
One word can sum up my reaction to these…
Wow
It has been less than two weeks since I drove back to Colorado Springs. I was ready to go back the day after. The great photos don’t help :)
I love the Colorado High Country. The San Juans are even more cherished. I wish they were a little closer. I’ll be headed back next month once they’re a little drier for my husband. He doesn’t do wet feet, mud, or snow.
Hey Bryon, beautiful pictures! Amazing area. I can understand how you could get a kink in your neck.
Thanks for sharing.
Bartman
Yeah, thanks a whole lot, Bryon. I just want to cry. I’ll try to enjoy the 115 degree heat index this weekend on the Maryland trails…
Wow is right. Looks like the San Juans brought out your inner Ansel Adams, but in color! Your pics are truly stunning – and the beauty of the mountains easily rivals the footage streaming live from le Tour in the French Alps these past two days. Hope to make it to SW CO some day soon to run those epic mountains. Thanks!
Great photos! I just got back from the Sawatch Range. Sunflowers everywhere!
Painfully Beautiful. It is sort of good that the best mountains in CO are so rediculously out of the way, or they would be way too crowded. The juans are the best… Period.
Thanks for capturing the splendor.
Wow, I need to get out there. I love the trails outside Boston, but there is no comparison! Incredible!
Hey Bryon,
These pics are driving me crazy. I need to get out to Colorado this summer. Do you have any recommendations on how to go about it? Are the trails easy enough to follow? I’m going out from Boston, and I don’t know the area at all.
Any advice or resources are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Seamus
Seamus,
Any of the “big” towns in the San Juans – Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride – would have the great San Juans map in its outdoor stores. These can get you going in the right direction. That said, there’s plenty of opportunity to be left without a clear trail. However, so long as you know which trail you were on, which major drainage you’re in, and can roughly make out large topographic features (a compass might help) you’d be fine. The scale is grand and so much of it is above treeline that you can easily make out your basic progress during daylight.
Basically, the ability to “explore” the San Juans comes down to comfort with broad scale navigation. That said, you can talk to people and find out the obvious trails… or go up trails into gulches without easy access to other drainages…. at some point you just turn around and come down.
Awesome, thanks Bryon! Is the terrain diverse enough that it’s worth it to plan different days starting from each of the different towns?
I assume I’ll have to rent a car to get around, which is fine because I’m thinking I might try to make this a bigger trip that would call for your Zion and Bryce Canyon running guides :-D
Great site, and thanks again!