Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West

By Spencer McKee August 7, 2018 | updated 7 years ago

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Welcome to Silverton, Colorado, home to less than 1,000 residents.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Silverton has a rich history in mining with several ghost towns nearby, including Animas Forks.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Off-roading is huge in Silverton, allowing access to a huge swath of backcountry. One local outfitter we'd recommend is Rock Pirates , a Polaris Adventures partner.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — By hopping in an off-road vehicle, you can explore parts of the back country in hours instead of days. During our tour with Rock Pirates and Polaris Adventures , we were able to see several waterfalls, a ghost town, and a massive alpine bowl during a half-day trip.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Silverton also has a lively main street bustling with restaurants, shops, and bars, including Handlebars Restaurant Saloon.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — If you're stopping at Handlebars, make sure you try the Rocky Mountain Oysters.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Part of the charm of Silverton is it's tiny size. The entire town is walkable, just a few blocks in any direction.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Silverton also has a great appeal thanks to it's Wild West feel.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — The streets are lined with colorful buildings in front of a mountainous backdrop.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Everywhere in the town is very off-road vehicle friendly. Until recently, off-road vehicles were even allowed on local streets.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — You'll find that some even choose to use ATVs as their main form of transportation. They're parked everywhere around town.

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The 20 most stunning alpine lakes in Colorado — 3. Ice Lakes The deep blue waters of the Ice Lakes will leave you in awe. Lush alpine scenery unfolds as you ascend the 8.1-mile out-and-back trail nestled in the San Juan National Forest near Silverton. The hike gains more than 3,000 feet of elevation, so be prepared for a strenuous climb coached with incredible views to keep you distracted. Photo Credit: SumikoPhoto (iStock).

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — As you're hiking around the backcountry, you'll find remnants of buildings that are more than a century old.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Sound Democrat mine is one of the lesser-known mines that you can safely enter.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — A lot of the off-road trails are accessible by anything that's got four-wheel drive and high enough clearance.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — One unique way to get to Silverton is via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Photo courtesy of Visit Durango.

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Another unique way to get to Silverton is by using Red Mountain Pass. Flanked by massive cliffs, this drive isn't for the faint of heart. In this shot, we're headed down the road on three-wheeled Polaris Slingshots with Rock Pirates and Polaris Adventures .

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Snapshots of Silverton, an iconic mining town of the Wild West — Silverton is also a great place to visit during the winter, with Silverton Mountain offering some of the most extreme terrain in Colorado.

Spencer McKee

Reporter

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