Rico

About Rico

Rico is a small town in Dolores County, Colorado. It was settled in 1879 as a silver mining center; today it functions as a historic and tourism site. The population was 336 as of 2024. The former-mining town is just over a Lizard Head Pass (elevation 11,018 feet/5,400 meters) from Telluride is an artsy community. Rico is located at the bottom of Lizard Head Pass and has a subalpine climate characterized by long, cold, and snowy winters; seeing an average annual snowfall of 171 inches (430 cm). It also sees cool to mild short summers due in part to its high altitude of 8,825 feet. (2,690 meters). Average temperatures in January range from 5°F (-15°C) to highs of 30°F (-1°C) while July sees lows 51°F (11°C) and highs around 81°F (27°C). The lowest temperature ever officially recorded in Rico, is -48 °F (-44 °C ), set on February 1, 1951, and the warmest ever was 89 °F ( 32°C ), set twice, first on July 15, 1901 and reached again on July 30, 1934.