510 E 2nd Avenue, Platoro, co

The Conejos River is one of southern Colorado’s most scenic mountain rivers, flowing through Conejos County within the rugged and picturesque Rio Grande National Forest. Its headwaters rise high in the San Juan Mountains above the small alpine community of Platoro, Colorado, near the Continental Divide. From there, the river cascades through a series of pristine valleys, fed by snowmelt, mountain springs, and tributary creeks such as the South Fork and Elk Creek.

What is Platoro?

Platoro, Colorado is a remote mountain community tucked high in the San Juan Mountains of southern Conejos County, sitting at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. Its name, drawn from the Spanish words plata (silver) and oro (gold), reflects its origins as a late-19th-century mining camp. A post office was established in 1888, serving a small but active population of prospectors through the early 1900s. By 1919, with the decline of mining, the post office closed and Platoro gradually faded into ghost-town status.

The mid-20th century brought renewed activity with the construction of Platoro Dam and Reservoir (1949–1951), an earthen structure built by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the San Luis Valley Project. Today the reservoir provides water storage for irrigation while anchoring one of the region’s most scenic alpine landscapes.

Modern-day Platoro is not a traditional town but rather a seasonal recreation hub. Surrounded by the Rio Grande National Forest and adjacent wilderness areas, it offers exceptional opportunities for fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Anglers are drawn to the Conejos River and Platoro Reservoir, known for trout and kokanee salmon, while backpackers explore nearby alpine trails and high mountain lakes.

Though services are limited and access is seasonal—snow often closes roads in winter—the area supports a handful of rustic lodges and cabins such as the Platoro Valley Lodge, Skyline Lodge, and Gold Pan Acres. Visitors today come not for gold and silver, but for the pristine setting, quiet wilderness, and sense of stepping back into Colorado’s frontier past.