San Juan National Forest

We were there at the end of September, and the leaves were just brilliant. Did some ATV trail riding and hiking, all breathtaking views. The weather was perfect, and we hope to go back next year.

Absolute beautiful drive. I love going through here during fall but the winter is so stunning. Watch out, it can snow a lot!!!! Check the weather before driving through but even in rough snowy weather, still a gorgeous drive!

I'll admit - all I really did is drive U.S 550 from Durango to Ouray, so that's really all I'm basing this review on. That being said, oh my god what an incredible place. This national forest is easily the most underrated part of the US I've ever been to. I went in early March, and the way the sun shines off the snow is gorgeous and makes you feel like you're in Switzerland. The vastness and accessibility of the forest is also awesome, there's plenty of pull offs on the road and you can kinda just take a few steps and feel like you're in a really remote area. The views will take your breath away. Pictures don't do this place justice at all, I highly recommend a trip to the San Juans.

My favorite National Forest! Unreal alpine lakes, gorgeous, rugged mountains, and thick, dense forest and not as many crowds as the more popular national parks

Beautiful and scenic. Absolutely peaceful. I was surprised to find that we had cell service with AT&T and T-Mobile at our campsite. Not super duper service, but I could communicate with the outside world. The only gripe I have is some of the trails being crazily uneven and littered with rocks. A lot of these paths have pretty sizeable dropoffs to one side and sometimes you really have to skirt that drop edge to avoid large rocks, massive dips, or branches. It'd be nice if park services would clear these paths like once or twice a year. I mean, I don't need the paths city Boulevard smooth, but some of those spots were real seat biters. We stayed along and traveled trail road 45 and trail road... 727 I think? 7something7. I hope this helps.

The colors are changing and a great trip up through and camping in the San Juans. Lots of dispersed camping options. We found high altitude, off road, shaded tree cover, mountain views of the fall colors right next to a cold creek and meadow for dog fun! Even was joined by a butterfly who tried for several seconds multiple times to squeeze juice. We set up our hammock, or tent, our truck tent and a sun shade and made our home for a few days of R&R in the colorful Colorado San Juans!!!

Probably the most beautiful pieces of the United States. The roads through the mountains are amazing, well maintained, and a blast to drive on....be careful of wildlife while driving though, because this forest is overflowing with life. The waterfalls are abundant. It feels like every mile of driving, there is another waterfall to check out. We stopped so many times just to check out the scenery that it delayed us to our final destination by multiple hours. 😁 If you are planning on camping, hiking, fishing, sight seeing, relaxing, or skiing....it is all there and it is all top notch. Highly recommend nearly every piece of the San Juan National Forest. Great place.

As overlanders in late-September we thoroughly loved our time there. Views were endless, camping easy to do, and boundless trails to explore. Highly recommend as a national destination.