Mancos, where the forest headquarters are located, and the southern part of the forest may be reached over U S 160 from Durango and Alamosa, Colo., to the east or Cortez and Monticello, Utah, from the west. U S 550, a highly scenic route from Montrose, Ouray, and Silverton, joins U S 160 at Durango.
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TROUT LAKE WITH VERMILION PEAK AND SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS IN BACKGROUND
During the summer, busses operate over these highways between Grand Junction and the Mesa Verde National Park, which lies a short distance south of the Montezuma National Forest.
The best approach from the south is U S 666, from Shiprock, N. Mex., to Cortez, on U S 160. From points near that junction two State highways extend northward through the forest. State Highway 145 passes through Dolores, Rico, Telluride, Placerville, and Norwood, important towns within or near the forest, to junctions with State Highways 62 and 90. State Highway 147 is a more direct route between Dolores and Norwood, and State Highway 184 connects Dolores and Mancos.
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad was completed in 1891 and led to the rapid development of the forest area. This railroad traverses approximately the same route as State Highway 145 between Dolores and Placerville, and the principal towns of the forest may be reached by rail from Ridgeway or Durango, where connections are made with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
OBJECTIVES OF NATIONAL FORESTS
There are 158 national forests within the United States, including two in Alaska and one in Puerto Rico. They contain approximately 175,000,000 acres of public land and are administered by the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. The Montezuma is one of 14 in Colorado.
To grow a timber crop and to protect the forest and vegetative cover as a precautionary measure against erosion on the watersheds, are important and necessary. To this end the national forests were established with the positive injunction that all their resources were to be protected, developed, and used in perpetuity for the benefit of all citizens. Therefore, conservative use of all forest resources, with adequate protection to insure a continual supply, has been the primary consideration in their management.