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The San Juan National Forest Region is located in Colorado. The border of the destination goes along the state line between Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Its land is made up of forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, and desert areas. Within the district is the San Juan National Forest, along with the Uncompahgre National Forest and Rio Grande National Forest. Other areas within the zone are the main cities, which include Telluride, Silverton, South Fork, Creede, Ridgway, Pasoga Springs, Nucla, Alamosa, [Antonito, and Moffat]. The weather in the destination is the coldest in December and January and the hottest in July. It rains throughout the year, with the highest chance of rainfall in February. It snows in the more mountainous areas of the region but does not snow in the more desert landscapes. The most popular time to visit the area is during the summer.[4] The most common activities within the destination can be found within the various national forests nearby. Some of these ventures are things like camping, fishing, climbing, scenic lookouts, water activities, winter sports, hunting, swimming, and paddling.[1] In the city of Cortez, attractions include the Mesa Verde National Park, the Cortez Cultural Center, the Canyons of the Ancient National Monument, the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum, Ute Mountain Tribal Park, the Lowry Pueblo, and the Hovenweep National Monument.[3]
The San Juan National Forest, which is located in the San Juan National Forest Region, covers over 1.8 million acres of the southwestern corner of Colorado. The terrain of the national forest ranges from alpine peaks to high-desert mesas. There are thousands of miles' worth of hikes and trails in the forest. Durango, Colorado, is the home to the San Juan National Forest headquarters, while there are offices in Dolores, Bayfield, and Pagosa Springs. During their visit to the forest, tourists can participate in activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, bicycling, four-wheeling, and snow sports. [1]
Other features include picnicking, horseback riding, rock climbing, scenic drives, and water activities. Within the San Juan National Forest are multiple lakes that people can visit. These lakes allow visitors to go swimming, fishing, and paddling. Also in the national forest are many biking trails, hiking trails, horseback riding trails, and roadways. Scenic driving is available in the national forest, along with camping and picnic areas. Some people who visit the San Juan National Forest choose to hike to a camping spot, stay overnight, and then hike back down the next day. The San Juan National Forest also asks for volunteers to help clean up the forest and to preserve the plants and animals. Anyone who makes their way into the area is asked to respect the natural resources and each other.[1]
Within the San Juan National Forest Region, there are multiple cities, forests, and mountains. One of these cities, Cortez, has multiple interests for tourists. Some of these are things like Mesa Verde National Park, the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, the Cortez Cultural Center, the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum, the Lowry Pueblo, Ute Mountain Tribal Park, and the Hovenweep National Monument. [3]
Mesa Verde is home to petroglyphs, ancient cliff dwellings, and other historical sites. There are over 5,000 known archeological sites. Included in the sites are 600 ancient cliff dwellings that were built between 450 and 1300 A.D. The Cliff Palace, which is the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde, used to be a home for 25 Puebloan families. It has 150 rooms and 23 kivas, and was once used as a gathering place where ceremonies were held. The second-largest cliff dwelling is called Long House, which has around 150 rooms. Both the Cliff Palace and Long House can be toured, along with other cliff dwellings in the area. Guided tours are available, and during the tour, the tour guide usually addresses the history of the Puebloan people. There are also multiple trails in the park that can be explored without a tour guide. [3]
The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument covers over 176,000 acres of federal land, and contains the highest archeological site density in the United States. There are about 30,000 sites that have many field houses, cliff dwellings, reservoirs, petroglyphs, shrines, and sweat lodges. Some areas within the monument have more than 100 sites per square mile. The Hovenweep National Monument was constructed in 1230 A.D. The ruins are relatively well preserved considering their age, and consist of six prehistoric villages that previously housed around 2,500 people. The multi-story towers in the national monument have stood for over 800 years. In the Hovenweep National Monument, hiking can be the best way to get around. There are many hiking trails that go through the ruins, and some of the hikes get up to seven miles long. Camping is allowed at the specific campsites, which are located near the visitor center. On the premises, there is also a route called the Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway, which can be driven.[3] The most popular time to visit the city of Cortez is in March and July.[4]
The San Juan National Forest Region is located in the southwestern corner of Colorado. The west side of the border goes along the state line between Colorado and Utah, while the south side of the border goes along the state line between Colorado and New Mexico. The rest of the border goes around the cities of Nucla, [Moffat, Mosca, Alamosa, and Antonito] South Fork, and Jasper. The zone has an overall rectangular shape. Within the surrounding landscape, there are mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, and small deserts. The destination also houses the San Juan National Forest, Uncompahgre National Forest, and Rio Grande National Forest. Cities within the district involve Ridgway, Ouray, Telluride, Silverton, Creede, South Fork, and Pagosa Springs. [9]
The weather in the region is hottest in July and is the coldest in December, with an average high temperature around 75 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low temperature of about 23 degrees. The sector gets rain throughout the year, with the most rain falling in February, August, and September. It does not snow in the city of Cortez, but it snows in the mountains nearby the city. The humidity fluctuates throughout the year, with the most humid times being in December and January. Because of the weather, the best time to visit the destination is from the middle of May to the end of September.[4]
Animals living within the San Juan National Forest include mule deer, moose, elk, mountain goats, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and black bears. Other animals within the area include raccoons, rats, mice, squirrels, and deer.[8] Plants that grow in the area are yarrows, big sagebrushes, blue grama grass, fern bushes, tree chollas, Whipple's collas, claret cup cactuses, green mormon teas, and rubber rabbitbrush.[6]
The San Juan National Forest, which is a major part of the San Juan National Forest Region, was first created when Teddy Roosevelt signed a presidential proclamation that set aside almost two million acres of land to be a national forest in 1905. The national forest was called multiple different names, including Montezuma National Forest and Durango National Forest before it was officially named the San Juan National Forest. The forest measures 60 miles from north to south and more than 120 miles east to west. Earlier in 1905, Roosevelt transferred the Forest Reserves, which had originally been formed in 1891, into the Department of Agriculture. He also created the United States Forest Service. [2]
Over the span of a few years, 156 national forests were created, taking up nearly 193 million acres of federal land. Because of the new national forests, many forest rangers were assigned to work in them. The forest rangers were in charge of dealing with wildfires and overseeing the cutting of timber, along with the grazing of livestock. In the beginning, the national forest was divided into 20 Ranger Districts. Each district had a radius of about 15 miles, so the ranger could ride the span of it in one day. The rangers had to pass an exam on their proficiency of using a pistol, rifle, and ax. Once they were hired, the rangers were given a rake, bucket, ax, map, and a badge. Current rangers of the San Juan National Forest oversee the recreational use of the area. Firefighting is still an important role to workers in the forest, seeing as fires would interrupt the preservation of the wildlife within the area.[2]
In the city of Cortez, which is located in the San Juan National Forest Region, there is a population of around 8,776 people. Around 78.79% of the population is white, while 7.68% is made up of Native Americans. Other demographics of people that make up the population are Asian, African American, and other races. 51.82% of the population is female, while the remaining 48.18% is male.[7]
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