If you're planning a trip to Colorado this summer, but you're completely tired of Denver - the same old locations and activies, then a charming and underrated hotspot all year round is Durango! Durango is a small town on the Southern end of Colorado, near New Mexico - and while it's merits are obvious in the winter, it's also a perfect location for summer with mild temperatures and plentiful activies (including Fourth of July!). And there's plenty of hotels you can stay at, but one right in downton (which is conveniently placed next to an Albertson's) is the Doubletree Inn (and they give you free cookies if you check in in-person!). Here's a list of things you can do:
1. Explore Downtown/Eating
Durango holds quaint, small-town vibes that are especially tempting if you're travelling from a big city. It's easily navigable with lots of landmarks and helpful ambassadors who can point you around. Durango is split into one Main Street with several numbered streets (ex. 9th Street) running perpendicular to it. Additionally, it sports a lot of popular restaurants like Denny's and Applebee's, and more local cuisine, such as the Himalayan Kitchen, 11th Street Station, the Animas River Beer Garden and plenty more.
Apart from dining options, I also recommend exploring breakfast options in Durango. Two of my favorite places included Durango Bagels and Jean Pierre's French Bakery, which, as the names insiniuate, provided with fresh bagels and french treats such as croissants and macarons.
The town also hosts many Fourth of July events including a breakfast buffet in Rotary Park, rafting to watch the fireworks, and a parade with small live performances. Now, moving aside from eating, there are several shops that sell local handmade goods and gift shops with many cute hats and sweatshirts. Next to the bagel shop, there is a little shop that sells handmade goods like purses and antique pocket knifes. Not to mention, the train station not far from there has two gift shops and an amazing museum which I'll detail in the next section.
2. The Durango & Silverton Train Ride
If you've been researching Durango, then there's a really good chance you've heard of this ICONIC train ride. There are several options you can take - diesel train or steam train, open car or closed car, etc. I recommend taking a diesel train and the Knight Sky car, which is the second-last car on the train. It has open windows and a window on the top that overlooks the sky. The train takes you to Silverton in three hours and is a perfectly scenic ride (check out the cover picture of this blog)! You can see attractions like parts of the Animas River, Horseshoe Bend, several mountains, three of which are over 14,000 feet in elevation.
Additionally, if you book the Knight Sky train, you'll be provided with complimentary refreshments like coffee and lemonade, as well as muffins and cookies. At the end of the train ride, you're given a souvenir mug and a matching bag of the train ride. You won't be bored the entire ride - the tour guide will keep you entertained by regaling you with stories of the wonderful views and the fresh mountain air is very refreshing early in summer.
Assuming you take an early morning train, the train will drop you off at Silverton for two hours, which will give you plenty of time to eat lunch and explore the town. One restaurant I can recommend is Natalia's, which serves Italian food, and it would be a fun option to purchase some fresh fudge from the Silverton gift shop. There's several options, such as chocolate walnut and dulce de leche.
For the ride back, you can choose to take a shorter commute by bus, or you can take the train three hours back, re-enjoy the views, or indulge in a nice nap. Overall, this train ride is something you must do if you're planning on visiting.
3. Mesa Verde National Park
Another attraction not far from Durango is none other than the Mesa Verde National Park, which literally translates to Green Table. From downtown Durango, it's about an hour to the visitor center, which marks the entrance of the park. From here, there are several different sites you can visit. There are lookout points along the roads, and guided tours to take where you go down to the sites personally.
One of these tours I can recommend is the Cliff Palace tour. This is one of the single largest cliff dwellings of the Pueblo people, and it is a relatively straightforward hike. The tour is only about 40 minutes, but you will have to climb three ladders in somewhat confined spaces - in my experience, unless you have heart or respiratory conditions, then you should be fine. This is the view from the trail:
Another one of these tours is the slightly more strenuous option: The Balcony House. The Balcony House is the only dwelling with a balcony, and it provides the most stunning view of the canyons. However, you will climb several ladders, one of which is 30 feet long -
And you will have to crawl through confined spaces and climb steep steps. In my opinion, most of the views are the same (of the kivas and their history, etc.), but it's a wonderful experience and a lot of fun.
4. Durango & Silverton Train Museum
In addition to doing the train ride, you can also visit the train museum, which is right next to where the trains leave. It has lots of history on automobiles, train stations, and even a movie about how one of the trains was recreated. It's an excellent experience to spend an hour or two, and you can see that there was a lot of work put into the museum, so I definitely recommend giving it a visit.
5. Purgatory Resort
Also about an hour's ride away from Durango is the Purgatory Resort. While this location is popular for skiing and it's winter rides, it also has many activites open to the public in the summer. If you book tickets, then you can do all of these in one day (though the park closes at 5pm). One of these activites is taking the scenic ski lift, which leads to biking or hiking trails at the top of the mountains.
There are also several restaurants to eat in - but before you do that, it's necessary to visit at least one of the rides. While the lines may be lengthy, it's worth it on the Alpine Slide, which takes you sliding through the green foliage. If you're looking for more of a thrill, then you can also do the Inferno roller coaster which is a more extreme version - and the best part? You can control your own speed.
If you're travelling with small kids, then there is also a fun gem-collecting kit (one for each family member) which you can do inside the resort or paddle-boarding at the nearby lake. There's no end to the activites (just check out their website).
Honorable Mentions (for a Road Trip):
1. Pagosa Springs
If you're looking for some attractions on the ride back, and you happen to pass through Pagosa Springs, be sure to check it out. It's a small town with a beautiful river where you can do tubing and several small hot springs that you can dip your feet into. The boardwalk has many restaurants, so it's a great place to stop for lunch, and if you're travelling over Fourth of July, then there are parades and other numerous Fourth of July festivites (like a scavenger hunt!) to consider.
2. Zappata Falls
A couple of hours by car leads you to Zappata Falls. While the falls are completely frozen and rather hazardous in the winter, in the summer you can trek up the falls, walking on top of the rocks to the alcove at the top. It's a beautiful and refreshing sight, though I would recommend packing some water shoes if you plan to make it the full way. Also, be warned it's about a half-mile trek there, though the trail is pretty easy to traverse.
3. Great Sand Dunes National Park
If you're looking to visit one more national park, this is a great one to do it! You can explore the sand dunes which miraculously formed basically in the middle of nowhere in many ways. The visitor center has a wonderful view of the dunes for photos and helpful displays explaining the history of how it was created.
You can also choose to climb the dunes by yourself to slide down from the bottom (though be warned, the sand is HOT), or you can take a jeep tour through the national park and reserves, which allows you to see a scenic and peaceful view on the top and get to travel through the dunes more intimately. Not to mention, if you stay till nightfall, you can star-gaze on top of the dunes, where you can see all the constellations and the beauty of the night sky.
Regardless of what you choose to do on your trip, you're guaranteed to have fun seeing the beautiful things Durango has to offer. I hope this helped!
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