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In southwest Colorado, everything seems a little more: higher mountains, bluer skies and so many activities you’ll have a hard time choosing. Spending just a few days will give you a taste of the glories of true Southwest living. DAY 1 In Durango, historic buildings housing award-winning restaurants, craft breweries and art galleries line Main Avenue and surrounding blocks, cyclists zip through the streets and you hear the toot-toot of the departing Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (2). The train has been operating continuously for 135 years, and a ride on its rails is a must. Opt for a one-way ride with a motorcoach return trip to afford more time to explore the historic mining town of Silverton. The tracks take the steam-powered train through parts of the San Juan National Forest that are impenetrable by car. If you’d like to experience the wilderness rather than just watching it rush by, you can use the train to access the Weminuche Wilderness (1). It makes two stops along its route, where adventurous travelers can disembark or board the train for a convenient way to explore some of the most pristine and remote wilderness in the state. Once in Silverton, enjoy the storybook mining village’s well-preserved splendor. The entire town is a designated a National Historic Landmark and an archetypal example of a mining town that reinvented itself after the ore disappeared. There are shops and restaurants to explore, as well as historical sites, including the Mayflower Mill, Old Hundred Gold Mine and Silverton Museum and Jail. If you choose to extend your stay in Silverton, you have plenty of options for enjoying the surrounding San Juan Mountains and the Weminuche Wilderness, including Jeep and OHV tours, rafting, horseback riding, amazing day hikes up to Ice Lakes Basin (4) or the waterfalls of Cunningham Gulch, and the ghost towns of Eureka and Howardsville. Thanks to a wealth of historic and scenic 4x4 roads that lace through the surrounding San Juans, the area is incredibly popular for Jeep and ATV tours. Summer and fall offer glimpses into seldom-accessed fields of wildflowers and autumn color. Hundreds of miles of groomed trails await in the winter months. Durango was named one of Outside Magazine’s best new adventure hubs for its access to skiing, whitewater, fishing, hiking, byways and mountain-bike trails. Visit the town’s Main Street welcome center to find out how to access all that recreation. Just 40 minutes away, consider visiting Vallecito Lake, one of the state’s largest and most spectacular, with plenty of fishing, boating, hiking, Jeeping, snowmobiling and other activities. Back in Durango, take in one of the town’s famous melodramas or other shows in the Victorian-era Henry Strater Theater or enjoying martinis served by saloon girls at the Diamond Belle. During the summer, the historic Leland House and Rochester Hotel’s (3) relaxing outdoor bar hosts a summer concert series. DAY 2 East of Durango, Pagosa Springs offers record-holding deep mineral waters, used by The Springs Resort and Spa (5) (known for a luxurious yet family-friendly feel), as well as Overlook Hot Springs and the Healing Waters Resort & Spa right in town. To the west, find Chimney Rock National Monument’s otherworldly rock formations and Ancestral Puebloan history, or seek out Pagosa’s San Juan River riches with rafting, kayaking and tubing — including a two-mile shuttle-served stretch with new features right in town — and fishing adventures, ATV tours, 2.5 million acres of wilderness and national forest, 650 miles of trails, the Wolf Creek Pass drive, waterfall (6) and wildflower hikes and camping. Williams Creek Reservoir is a gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains, popular with fishers, mountain-bikers and picnickers. There’s also 30 miles of incredible singletrack in Turkey Springs Recreation Area. In town, there’s a new climbing/ bouldering park and skate park, not to mention three craft breweries and a handful of great restaurants. WINTER FUN Purgatory just outside Durango is emerging as one of the nation’s top ski destinations, with affordable packages and a low-key vibe that encourages vacation relaxation. Silverton Mountain is the state’s highest and steepest ski mountain, serving up un-groomed expert terrain for those who prefer skiing the oldschool way, while families head to Kendall Mountain Ski Area. Just 23 miles from Pagosa Springs, visitors and locals alike flock to Wolf Creek Ski Resort to ski and ride “the most snow in Colorado,” with an average of 430 inches of natural (not manmade) snowfall per season. Beyond the slopes, Durango, Silverton and Pagosa Springs all take advantage of their deep San Juan Mountain powder with endless trails perfect for backcountry snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing, sledding and snowmobiling. SIDETRIPS Ignacio is a ranching community located in a long valley bordered by the La Plata Mountains. Today Ignacio supplies the adjacent Southern Ute Indian Reservation and ranches scattered throughout this remote area. The Southern Ute Tribe, a descendant of two of the seven original Ute tribes that inhabited Colorado, is headquartered just north of Ignacio, but its reservation spans more than 680,000 acres. The modern Sky Ute Casino Resort, one of the tribe’s economic mainstays, is very popular with visitors. The casino features gaming halls, hotel rooms and restaurants. Recreational spots include Navajo State Park, which provides ample opportunity to enjoy water sports — jet skiing, house boating, fishing — and the reservation’s top trout-fishing hole, Lake Capote. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Arboles (page 188), Bayfield (page 189), Durango (page 194), Ignacio, Pagosa Springs (page 202), Silverton (page 204), Vallecito Lake QUICK TIP Visit durango.org/crafted-beverages for a Crafted Beverages of Southwest Colorado tour, which leads past nearly 30 independent and unique breweries, distilleries, wineries and cideries in this part of the state.
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