Photos: Animas River in southwest Colorado, 2022 and 2024

This page in our free multimedia library features photos of the Animas River in southwest Colorado. The images were captured during two trips on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

The Animas River begins high in the San Juan Mountains. It flows through Silverton and Durango before meeting the San Juan River in Farmington, New Mexico. The Animas and San Juan rivers are both part of the Colorado River Basin.

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a popular tourist attraction. The heritage railroad operates along 45 miles of track between Durango and Silverton, with nearly the entire route running alongside the Animas. The images on this page include one trip with a historic steam locomotive and one trip with a modern diesel locomotive.

DateJuly 16, 2022 and July 5, 2024
LocationBetween Silverton and Durango, Colorado (map)
CreditMitch Tobin/The Water Desk
RightsFree to reuse under Creative Commons license.

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