The San Juan Mountains were a secret wonderland for thousands of years. The Tabegauche and Weeminuche Utes freely roamed the region for centuries. Grand stories of the San Juans were shared by early Spanish explorers coming up from New Mexico in the 1700s. A century later trappers and mountain men also told tales of unlimited game in the magnificent high country. They also shared that it was isolated and treacherous.

Capt. Charles Baker is credited with finding some of the first veins of gold and...