By John F.Morgan
Conejos River in May 2002 (during drought) Looking upriver.
Click to see full Autumn pictures.
59KB
66KB
My property bordering Green Belt
The Area
In southern Colorado exactly 10 miles west of Antonito (from the intersection of Rt 285 with CO Hwy 17)) on Colorado Highway 17, there is a beautiful area bordering the Conejos River called Conejos River Trails. At an altitude of 8330 feet, it is always cool on the hottest days! Tall cottonwood trees surround a 20 acre grassy area known as the Green Belt. Trout fishing is great here! The homeowner's association jointly owns an eight bedroom lodge which has a large meeting/kitchen/dining room and two shower/bathrooms. One acre lots are located on a plateau adjacent to the Green Belt area. Many lots abut the Green Belt and others are adjacent to the Rio Grande National Forest. Beside fishing, other attractions in the area include the narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Antonito to Chama Scenic Railway which crosses the Colorado-New Mexico border 11 times while winding through some of most beautiful valleys and forests in the area. The midpoint station Osier is just up the mountain on Forest Road 101. Nearby on the Conejos River are the old gold mining town of Platoro, Platoro Reservoir, and several primative campgrounds. In winter, snowmobiling is popular in this area. It is not a crowded, high priced tourist resort area. It is still simple, uncrowded, friendly and definitely refreshing.
My Interests
The reasons I like the area are the many diverse backwoods trails available to off-road motorcycles. One can travel all day and not see a soul! Of course, hiking and mountain biking are also popular. As a lot owner, I pull the fifth wheel trailer to my lot (shown above)(GPS N37°,3´,32¨; W106° 11´,51¨) which is about 350 feet from the river. I am close enough that I can hear the relaxing rushing of the water over rapids at night. My best friend also enjoys the river. It is so dark at night and the view so unobstructed that one can see the heavens in panoramic spender. Even speeding satellites are seen with the naked eye. The local people and vendors are very friendly and low keyed. I enjoy taking my Husqvarna 430 dirt bike up into the mountains, especially to a small cliff above the railway. Here I can catch the excitement of the approaching steam engines long before they come into view.
Future Options
I hope to provide an automated menu for the Home Owners to
reserve lodge rooms, see who else will be there, and post notes
.
It will require an association member to make reservations for non-member
guests. If members want think these features would be useful,this site
will be changed to contain CRTHOA only information. In the meantime, please
e-mail your comments and ideas by
clicking here
.