Yankee Boy Basin

Yankee Boy Basin is a mountain valley in the San Juan Mountains with sprawling meadows carpeted in wildflowers during summer months. The surrounding slopes rise to about 12,300 feet (3,750 meters) and create steep walls that frame the open grassland below.

The valley became a mining hub in the late 1800s when prospectors staked claims searching for gold and silver throughout the basin. This era of resource extraction left behind remnants visible in the landscape today, including old structures and paths.

The basin serves as an outdoor laboratory for botanists and researchers studying alpine ecosystems and high-altitude plant adaptations in the Rocky Mountains.

Reaching this location requires a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, particularly after rain or snowmelt. The ideal visiting window is between June and October when snow has melted and the roads are most passable.

The area contains a network of converging watersheds that feed seasonal waterfalls cascading from Mount Sneffels during spring snowmelt. These temporary falls are especially powerful in early June and taper off as summer progresses.