Smelter Mountain is a great viewpoint with some decent history as well. From up here, you have a great view over Durango and the surrounding mountains. During the mining era, there was a huge smelter, known as the Durango Smelter, at the base of the mountain, that processed Coke, Lead, Copper, Silver, and Gold from mines all over La Plata County, San Juan County, and Southwestern Colorado. It operated between 1888 and 1930.