Placerville, CO via Dave Woods Road

TravelerWho was Dave Wood?  Dave Wood was a freighter in southwestern Colorado. He started his business in 1881 in Gunnison, when the Durango & Rio Grande Railroad made him their "forwarding and commission merchant." Wood freighted supplies west to construction gangs and newly-settled towns from the railroad's end-of-the-line. When the D&RG built its narrow gauge line through the Black Canyon and over Cerro Summit into Montrose, Wood took his business to that town. Montrose would be his largest and most permanent base, and for five years he was the exclusive agent for all freight going to Ouray, Telluride, and Rico. The D&RG extension, built from Montrose to Ouray in 1887, forced Wood to again move his base of operations. From his new location at Ridgway, he did a large freighting business into Telluride and Norwood. The completion of the Rio Grande Southern in 1891 ended Wood's operations. Built in 1882, the famous Dave Wood Road between Montrose and Telluride, via Horsefly Mesa, ran on the west side of the Uncompahgre River parallel with the present highway from Montrose to Ouray, and is today identified by a U. S. Forest Service marker.

TravelerDave Wood Interpretive Trail  The area encompasses about 3200 acres of typical habitats of the Uncompahgre Plateau. To the careful observer, there is evidence of multiple ecosystems, traces of past life that swam in an ancient sea, plants that actually communicate with each other, and traces of history that shaped our lives. A very informative guide is available to help you explore and understand these ecosystems. The trail meanders through a montane forest.  The word montane means mountain. These forests occur between 5,500-9,000 feet elevation. Not surprisingly, the major feature of this zone is trees! Ponderosa pines dominate in this forest along with Rocky Mountain juniper. At higher elevations, lodgepole pine and spruce become more common. Other trees and shrubs in the montane forest include aspens, mountain mahogany and serviceberry. The guide will help you decipher the difference between a ponderosa pine and Douglas firs, coniferous and deciduous trees, mountain and western bluebirds and more. This is a landscape forged by wind and fire and as you hike along the trail, you will observe signs of those forces shaping the forest.  Pines have evolved to take advantage of periodic fires. The guide described details of plant and animal adaptations that allow species to thrive here. 

TravelerLocated in the historic Whitley & Whitley Building which was built in 1920 to serve the narrow gauge Rio Grande Southern Railroad & the miners of the San Juan mountains. Now providing services to the visitors & residents of the beautiful San Miguel River Valley, including Telluride, Norwood, and Ridgway. ©2025 M&M Mercantile