Animas River below Silverton, Colorado Dana Kopf photo
The mighty Animas starts as a tiny creek near Silverton, Colorado, but it soon picks up steam as it drops through an incredible canyon in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. Dozens of majestic peaks tower above the lush canyon, and myriad small waterfalls enhance the spectacular scenery, as well as add to the river’s volume.
Being there again revived some incredible memories of my youth, and we paddled safely to No Name Creek. My life had changed quite a bit in the last twenty-five years, but this canyon was still the same, and the scenery was better than I had remembered.