Salamander Cave is a bit of a San Juan Mountains mystery, and we're hoping you can help us solve it. It's listed on the high, wild flank of Engineer Mountain, in the San Juan National Forest along US Highway 550 between Durango and Silverton, Colorado, on one of the most spectacular stretches of the "Million Dollar Highway." The catch is that its exact location has never been reliably confirmed, and that's where the community comes in.

Here's what we know. The cave is associated with Engineer Mountain, a striking 12,968-foot peak that rises just west of Coal Bank Pass. The most common lead, passed around by cavers online, is to start from near the top of Coal Bank Pass and hike west, with the cave reportedly on the northeast side of the mountain. Our listed coordinates sit near the pass on the mountain's southeastern approach. But at least one visitor who navigated to those exact coordinates spent hours searching and never found an opening, so the pin may simply be in the wrong place. The San Juan caving community and the Colorado Cave Survey are the best authorities on the region's caves, a number of which are gated or access-restricted to protect hibernating bats.

The setting itself is no mystery, and it's well worth the trip regardless. The Pass Creek Trailhead on the west side of Coal Bank Pass climbs through wildflower-filled meadows and subalpine forest toward Engineer Mountain, a beloved hike with sweeping views of the Needle Mountains and the Animas Valley. This is high country, roughly 10,600 feet at the pass and climbing steeply from there, so it's generally snow-free and accessible from about June through September, and afternoon thunderstorms are common through the summer months.

If you know Salamander Cave, we would genuinely love your help. If you've actually found it, or you know the real trailhead, route, or coordinates, please leave a review on this page or reach out through the site with directions, GPS coordinates, or photos. We would rather post an honest "we're still looking" than a confident listing that sends people scrambling to the wrong spot. Anyone heading out to search should come prepared for rugged, high-altitude backcountry: carry a map and compass or GPS, bring plenty of water, tell someone your plan, and treat any cave you do find with care, staying out of gated or posted entrances that protect sensitive bat habitat. Help us put this one properly on the map.