Durango, Silverton, Pagosa Springs | COME TO LIFE of Cunningham Gulch and the ghost towns of Eureka and Howardsville. Thanks to a wealth of historical and scenic 4x4 roads, 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. Back in Durango, make plans for excellent eats at the town’s 11th Street Station food-truck park, Moose & Squirrel and EsoTerra Ciderworks. Or head out to James Ranch Grill’s “table on the farm,” with a menu that couldn’t be more locally sourced. Just 40 minutes away, consider visiting Vallecito Lake. It’s one of the state’s largest and most spectacular, with plenty of fishing, boating, hiking, Jeeping, snowmobiling and other activities. The Vallecito Creek Trail hike is located near beautiful Vallecito Reservoir and is great for all ages. SIDETRIPS Ignacio is a ranching community bordered by the La Plata Mountains. 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’s gaming halls, hotel rooms and restaurants are popular with visitors. Recreational spots include Navajo State Park, which provides ample opportunity to enjoy water activities like jet skiing, house boating and fishing, as well as the reservation’s top trout-fishing hole, Lake Capote. Winter Fun Purgatory, outside Durango, is affordable and has a low-key vibe. Silverton Mountain serves up ungroomed expert terrain. Those seeking less intense terrain head to Kendall Mountain Ski Area (Silverton) or Hesperus (Durango). Just 23 miles from Pagosa Springs, Wolf Creek Ski Resort is known for “the most snow in Colorado” each season. Beyond the slopes, these towns take advantage of their deep powder with backcountry snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and dog-sled tours. Day 2 Summer Fun AT SKI RESORTS Durango’s Purgatory Resort is a summer playground, with mountain-bike rentals, lifts and trails, as well as camps, a mountain coaster, alpine slide, scenic chair lifts and ziplines. East of Durango, Pagosa Springs offers record-holding deep mineral waters, used by The Springs Resort and Spa (known for a luxurious yet family-friendly feel), as well as Overlook Hot Springs and Healing Waters Resort & Spa. West of town, find Chimney Rock National Monument’s rock formations and Ancestral Puebloan history. Self-guided tours show you the most important spots, and night-sky programs will take your breath away. Seek out Pagosa’s San Juan River with rafting, kayaking, tubing and fishing. There are also ATV tours, 2.5 million acres of wilderness and national forest, 650 miles of trails, the Wolf Creek Pass drive, waterfall and wildflower hikes, and camping. Williams Creek Reservoir is popular with fishers, mountain bikers and picnickers. There’s also miles of singletrack in the Turkey Springs Recreation Area and the Dakota Springs trail system. Pop into the visitor center for trail maps and download the Visit Pagosa Springs app for walking tours, scavenger hunts and visitor info. In town, there’s an urban single-track trail system, a climbing/ bouldering park and skatepark, not to mention craft breweries, a handful of great restaurants and year-round horse-drawn carriage tours. COLORADO . COM FROM LEFT: PURGATORY RESORT; KENNAN HARVEY. 113
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2023: Page 113
