Colorado · Trail 551

Animas Overlook

Animas Overlook Trail is a 0.7 miles trail in San Juan National Forest, Colorado. The Forest Service rates it trail class 5, fully developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The San Juan National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end37.3627, -107.8827 · Directions ↗
Other end37.3623, -107.8820 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length0.7 miles, of which 0.7 miles evaluated accessible
Trail class5, fully developed
Typeland trail
Surfaceasphalt
Typical grade0-5 percent
Typical tread width48-60 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityAt least one segment meets Forest Service accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers551
ForestSan Juan National Forest (unit 0213)
StatesColorado
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Animas Overlook Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 2.17 inches of precipitation, 19.4 inches of snowFebruary: 1.71 inches of precipitation, 15.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.32 inches of precipitation, 5.3 inches of snowApril: 1.25 inches of precipitation, 3.8 inches of snowMay: 1.18 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJune: 0.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.92 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.28 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 2.22 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 1.93 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowNovember: 1.46 inches of precipitation, 5.5 inches of snowDecember: 1.65 inches of precipitation, 13.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.1°F averageFebruary: 31.8°F averageMarch: 39.6°F averageApril: 46.4°F averageMay: 54.3°F averageJune: 63.5°F averageJuly: 68.9°F averageAugust: 66.9°F averageSeptember: 60.1°F averageOctober: 48.6°F averageNovember: 36.4°F averageDecember: 26.7°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Durango, 5 miles from the trail midpoint at 6,761 feet, station USC00052441 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 64 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,100 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed 06/01 to 10/15 (month/day)
Horse and pack stockAllowed
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Fire nearby

  • Wildfire
    Gold Mountain

    49 mi from the trail midpoint · 39,747 acres · 92% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Animas Overlook Trail?

0.7 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in San Juan National Forest. 0.7 miles of that are evaluated as accessible.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Animas Overlook Trail?

hiking, horse and pack stock and mountain biking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Animas Overlook Trail start?

The line begins at 37.3627, -107.8827 and ends at 37.3623, -107.8820. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Animas Overlook Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Animas Overlook Trail?

Junction Creek Campground (2.5 mi) is within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Animas Overlook Trail?

Trail class 5, which the Forest Service describes as fully developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Animas Overlook Trail?

The typical grade is 0-5 percent. The typical tread is 48-60 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Animas Overlook Trail accessible?

The Forest Service has evaluated 0.7 miles of this trail as meeting its accessibility guidelines. The surface is asphalt.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Animas Overlook Trail?

San Juan National Forest, Forest Service unit 0213. The trail is in Colorado.

Source: San Juan National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Animas Overlook Trail?

1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Gold Mountain at 49 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named ANIMAS OVERLOOK in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0213. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.