Overview
Platoro Cabin 2 is located downtown in the small mining town of Platoro, Colorado, at an elevation of 10,000 feet in the Rio Grande National Forest.
The cabin was built in 1963 as a base quarters for various Forest Service Crews working in the surrounding areas until the early 1990s.
Today the cabin is a getaway for guests seeking relaxation and recreation in south-central Colorado.
Recreation
The area around the cabin offers a variety of recreational opportunities year-round. Summertime brings great scenic driving tour opportunities in and around Platoro and Summitville.
Anglers have a spectacular backdrop when fishing Iron Creek or Treasure Creek. The nearby Platoro Reservoir, which feeds the Conejos River, provides excellent fishing for kokanee salmon, rainbow and brown trout.
Great hiking can be found around the area, as it spans both the Rio Grande and San Juan National Forests, as well as the South San Juan Wilderness.
Big game hunting is popular in fall, while snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing are popular winter activities.
Facilities
The accessible cabin has a combination kitchen/living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. It is furnished with two bunkbeds, with twin beds on the top and pull-out full beds on the bottom, that can accommodate up to six people. It has a heater, stove, refrigerator and lighting, all powered by propane. The kitchen is equipped with a table and chairs and cooking gear and the bathroom has a flush toilet and shower. The cabin has entry ramps and wheelchair accessible facilities in the bathroom and the kitchen.
Although the cabin has most amenities, guests do need to provide their own food, sleeping bags, linens, towels, dish soap, matches, first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags. Guests are also encouraged to bring an additional light source in case of emergencies.
The town of Platoro has many amenities including a grocery store, rental cabins, a small lodge, outfitter-guide services and horseback rides.
Natural Features
Platoro is a natural and unspoiled destination nestled in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Platoro started out as a boomtown in the late 1800s following the discovery of large deposits of gold and silver in the area.
The nearby San Juan Wilderness is an area defined by peaks and cliffs as well as pinnacles and ridges. The headwaters for the Conejos, San Juan and Blanco Rivers are located here as well. The erosion of rich volcanic rock in combination with heavy snowfall has produced forest ecosystems in the area that transition from lodgepole pine to aspen, then through Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir to alpine tundra.
Nearby Attractions
Summitville, Colorado, is a nearby ghost town where gold was first discovered in 1870, then mined until the early 1990s.
The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Road
Primitive Road
Road
Primitive Road
Trail
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area