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I will be in Durango on a business trip from Dubin Ireland - I have the weekend free (25th June - 27th) and plan to hire a car. Any suggestions on what is a "must see / do". I was thinking of doing the Sky road drive (I think its called)...about 230 miles ...or as much of it as I can get done on Saturday...going to Masa Verde in the early part of the journey ...any tips / ideas greatly appreciated. Usually I like to plan travel well in advance but I only found out about this opportunity yesterday.
Tayto
My wife and I were in Durango, albeit very briefly some years ago. 2 things I remember vividly.
The drive up into the rockies to a little town called Ouray.
The Silverton Train. One of the best little railways worldwide. Have a look at durangotrain.com
Enjoy your trip
Regards
Roger (also from Ireland. Small world isn't it)_
Roger,
Many thanks for the info. I tried to look up the railroad but having difficultites accessing their website but I did find some info on it and it looks like soemthin I will organise for Sunday if I can.
Also checked Ouray on map and think that will be a drive I will make.
yep the Irish seem to be everywhere !
many thanks
Joe
Tayto,
As a local of Durango and a person who loves the scenic beauty of the outdoors I recommend the 45 minute drive to Vallecito Lake (pronounced Viy-a-cito). It is a small lake community with several great places to eat. I have no vested interest in any of them, but recommend:
Buffalo Gap (casual old west style)
Virginia's Steakhouse (casual-fine dining)
The surrounding area was badly burned by the big fire last year, but the scenery around the lake was largely not affected and is beautiful. Here are some links:
http://www.coloradovacation.com/vallecto/map.html
http://www.vallecitolakechamber.com
In town I like to enjoy a pint of Guinness at "Lady Falconburg's"
http://www.ladyfalconburgh.com/
Hope this helps...any other questions I can be reached at lukeskybrocker@hotmail.com
Cheers,
Bryan
Many thanks for your reply. I picked it up a bit late for the drive idea. I am actually in Durango at present. Excellent town...very much as I imagined towns from old western movies...in fact expecting the James gang to arrive at any minute to hold up the bank or the train.
Currently in the internet cafe in the town. Staying in Straters which is good and just had a beer in Carvers. Will check out the places you mentioned.
I went to Mesa Verde today really interesting and I could see the effects of the forest fires you mentioned all around the place. I also drove to Rico but time didn't allow me to go all the way on the skyway. I am doing the real tourist thing and going on the Silverton train tomorrow so looking froward to that...though if I was doing it again would skip it and hire the car for a second day.
Joe
Train ride was most excellent !!!!
Fantastic scenery and the weather was great until just before Silverton when we had a thunderstorm. Silverton was ...interesting....wouldn't like to live there though !
The plot of land to the far left of the picture was almost zoned for a housing development. The locals were divided on whether to allow it or not. In the end, it failed by one vote and no houses were built. Looking at this picture, I'd have to say that's a good thing
Took the train there . I could have used more time . Looks like a old time western movie set . . I only had enough time to lunch it there and go in a few souvenior shops . I felt rushed . I heard they have a gunfight there in early evening... which sounded fun . You don't really need alot of time ..... touristy..... but it's a neat looking fun town. It's on the million dollar highway . There are jeep excursions and rafting trips if you want to spend more time there.
I thought Durango was absolutely beautiful. The views are awesome. There are endless places to hike and find gorgeous rocks (If you are in to that sort of thing). I have personally never seen so many hummingbirds in my life! They are so colorful and friendly. Another thing that I loved was the lightening. At night, back at the cabin we would watch the lightening over the valley. Although there was lightening there wasn't much rain. It was nice even when it was cloudy and the rain showers were short.
Rafting the Animas River! The guides on the rafting trip were so nice and had a ton of information on the area. The river was cold (obviously) and it felt wonderful. We rafted about 7 miles in 4 hours (with a 30 min. break). I would recomend this to ALL. Also, there are lots of things going on in town and around the area. We went to an Art Fair on Main St. We found all sorts of cool Art and Glasswork. There are alot of talented artists in the area. You can also take the train from Durango to Silverton. It is suppose to have incredible views. We didn't get around to doing this because it takes 9 hours round trip. (We drove from Texas and didn't want to sit for another 9 hours) There are a ton of things to do in Durango, these were just a few.
There are MANY places to eat in Durango. Wine Spectator awards are in numerous restraunt windows on Main St. My favorite place to eat dinner was Season's on Main St. The food, service & presentation was AWESOME.
I have lived in this small mountain for 12 years, and excpet for the occasional bite of the travel bug, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Durango (and the surrounding area) is the perfect place to visit to forget about the city for a time. The nearest large city, Albuquerque, is more than three hours away by the fastest route, Grand Junction is more than four hours away, and Denver is over a seven hour drive through the mountains. But it is not the physical separation from cities that people find most appealing. The small town atmosphere gives people a mental break from noise, traffic, crime, pollution, and other big city annoyances.
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