Dallas Divide in southwest Colorado

© Ronda Kimbrow/Shutterstoc

A valley view at 9,000 feet

This is the Dallas Divide, but we're hundreds of miles from (and 8,500 feet above) North Texas. This saddle amid the southwestern Colorado Rockies cuts a swath just north of the San Juan Mountains. Nestled in those peaks you'll find Telluride, Silverton, and other former mining towns that got a boost from the Rio Grande Southern Railroad when it came to the Dallas Divide in 1890. Nowadays the divide hosts State Highway 62, a less-traveled byway for most Colorado travelers—but worth the detour if you're keen on a sweeping valley vista.