Silverton is a mining town that never quite stopped, and the proof is in the muddy streets. It sits at about 9,300 feet in a high basin in the San Juan Mountains, ringed by peaks of more than 13,000 feet, and the single paved main street, Greene Street, is lined with false-fronted wooden buildings from the 1880s, all in good repair. About six hundred people live here year-round, and in winter the town is cut off by snow and avalanches, while in summer it fills with visitors from the train and the road.
Its fortunes came from silver and gold. Prospectors arrived in the 1870s, and the miners worked claims in the surrounding mountains, shipping ore out by wagon and, after 1882, by the narrow-gauge railway from Durango. Blair Street, one block behind the main street, was once a row of saloons and brothels, and its history is part of the town's reputation. The county museum, in the old jail, tells the story, and old mines nearby, such as the Mayflower Mill, offer tours. Ghost towns like Animas Forks, high above Silverton at nearly 11,200 feet, can be reached by jeep road and show how brutally cold and isolated life was.
For riders, Silverton is the middle of the San Juan Skyway. The road south toward Durango climbs Molas Pass and drops down the Animas valley, while the road north, the Million Dollar Highway, climbs to Red Mountain Pass and then descends in tight turns to Ouray. Both are paved and generally in good shape, but the altitude affects engines and riders, and summer storms arrive fast and bring cold rain. Night temperatures fall to near freezing even in July. Keep an eye on the sky, and carry extra layers.
Silverton has a few fuel stations, along with simple cafés and pubs, and a small selection of hotels and bed and breakfasts that fill up on busy weekends. At this altitude it is wise to drink plenty of water and take it easy on arrival. The summer light is brilliant, and the long evening shadows move slowly across the peaks, which is worth waiting for before you head down the road.