Known for white water rafting, zip-lining, and trains, Durango brings in a variety of people from all over. But, six hours from Denver means fewer people are willing to make the trek to these western slopes. Since we were already halfway there at Great Sand Dunes National Park, Durango was much more approachable and we enjoyed our time there!

On the drive

The drive across the San Luis Valley, then through the San Juan and Rio Grande National Forests was a beautiful one. We went through Wolf Creek Pass and stopped at the top to appreciate just a smidge of the Continental Divide!

Going down from the pass, we stopped at a couple of viewpoints to take pictures of the beautiful drive.

We stopped in Pagosa Springs for a much-needed stop where we enjoyed Mountain Pizza and pour-your-own beers!

We even stopped to check out Chimney Rock, but found the per-person pricing to be a little steep. So, here’s a picture of it from a free distance.

The rest of the drive was easy and there are so many hotels/motels in Durango you’re sure to find a vacancy for the night!

Hiking

There are, of course, innumerable hikes surrounding Durango. We opted for a couple of hikes, as the real reason we came here was for Mesa Verde National Park. More info on that park in this post.

Purgatory Trail

With a comforting name like Purgatory Trail, we were a little skeptical. But twenty-five miles north of Durango was the small lake which gave the trail its name. Normally a ten+ mile out-and-back, we opted to hike about three of those miles as it was early evening and hiking is no fun at night.

Unusually for Colorado, the hike starts at the highest point, so we had the effortless task of walking downhill the first half, anticipating the obviously much harder hike back up to the car.

We were rewarded with just-turning Aspens, babbling creeks, and beautiful scenery. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants beautiful landscapes and forests!

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

An hour west of Durango and fairly close to the Four Corners area, is a place called Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. This area was large, so we opted to hike (again) only a small portion of a very long out-and-back trail called Sand Canyon. Plus, it was entirely exposed and stupid hot that day, so we were all grateful to get out of there, despite the interesting sandstone and ruins!

Local places to eat and drink

I wish we could have experienced more of the excellent brewery and restaurant selections available in Durango, but COVID-19 and time constraints made it more difficult. We were able to try some brews at High Trestle Brewing Company, and I got a box of tasty doughnuts from Durango Doughworks!

Before leaving Durango, we needed to check out of our hotel, but we also needed internet for work. So, we found Durango Coffee Company and luxuriated in their cozy interior; sipping on their crafted warm beverages as snow began to fall!

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We were all happy to spend more time than expected in Durango, but there’s so much more we didn’t do. I’d love to go back and check out even more exciting things.