Travelers along Colorado Highway 145 near Rico will find an informative, kid-friendly rest stop at the historic San Juan National Forest Visitor Center.
Tucked into an aspen grove at 9,000 feet, the restored log building offers maps and guidebooks, Wi-Fi, a phone, a public bathroom, and a natural history museum.
Volunteers dish out plenty of advice on outdoor activities and will assist motorists, provide shelter from the storm for cyclists, even arrange for a search and rescue.
“We get people from all over – Germany, Israel, Australia, all over Europe,” said volunteer Jack Meeker. “Most of them want to know about the hiking trails, where the dispersed camping is or come in to use our Wi-Fi.”
Forest technician Bryce Paul explained that the information center, along with a adjacent log cabin and barn, were built in 1942 as a ranger station and government housing for the Montezuma National Forest.
Rico District Ranger Kenneth Cross was the first ranger to occupy the station.
Back then, it was in a strategic position to manage and monitor the thriving sheep, logging and mining activity in the area, Paul said.
“There was prospecting going on through all the different drainages, and they all needed a forest service permit,” he said.
The station was mostly abandoned, however, in 1949 after the Montezuma forest district was disbanded and became part of the San Juan National Forest. It was used occasionally for seasonal workers for decades, but was falling into disrepair.
Then U.S. Forest Service staffer Gary Apple got the idea to restore it into a volunteer visitor center in 1986.
“It has been a real success, and because it’s run by volunteers, the operating costs are very low,” Apple said.
In 1994, the visitor center converted the garage into an interactive museum with a large painted mural of a mountain scene. Visitors learn about mining history and flora and fauna, and wildlife taxidermy is displayed in natural looking settings. Tables are set up for visitors to pore over maps, and children are provided educational materials and coloring books.
The center sees between 1,500 and 1,600 visitors per year, up from 1,300 per year a few years back, Meeker said. It operates on donations that run between $300 and $400 per year.
The site is run by a group of volunteers that help maintain nearby forest facilities including at bathrooms at Bear Creek and the Calico Trail.
“We bend over backward to help people out,” says Meeker, who stays with his wife, Karen, in the restored log cabin.
When not maintaining the property and helping visitors, they enjoy living on the edge of the wilderness.
“We’ve had moose come through – elk, coyote, and there are a lot of weasels,” Jack says. “From here we can see three 14ers – El Diente, Wilson, and Sneffels.”
The center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com