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A Macaroni Travel Review: SOUTHWEST COLORADO

Durango and Pagosa Springs

By Eileen Wright, Publisher, Macaroni Kid Englewood-Greenwood Village-Centennial-Wash Park and Downtown Denver July 20, 2016
Southwest Colorado is home to 3,000,000 acres of breathtaking, federally protected areas such as the San Juan National Forest, Animas River Valley, and Mesa Verde National Park. For the July 4th holiday week we headed down to Durango and Pagosa Springs to take in the sights and history of the region.

With more than 18,000 residents and Fort Lewis College, Durango is the largest town in the region and offers a variety of entertainment and dining options, while maintaining an old West atmosphere. It served as a great home base for us during our journey.

Pagosa Springs is about 60 miles East of Durango and is very laid back and rural, with only 1,800 folks calling it home. We enjoyed our stay there tremendously and wish we had more time to explore the area.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Car or by Plane! Driving includes both highway and two-lane roads through the mountains. Durango is about 7 hours and Pagosa Springs is 6. There are also a couple airlines that fly into the Durango airport from DIA.

WHERE TO STAY

Both areas offer the usual lodging options, from camping to condos to homes. We reserved both of our vacation rentals through VRBO
  • Durango. We ultimately chose to rent a home in town, just a few blocks from Main Street. It was a holiday weekend and we knew there would be quite a few visitors, so we opted for the convenience factor. Although we enjoyed the proximity, our preference would have been to stay in a more secluded area. Quite a few rentals are available within 30 miles of town, in/near areas such as Purgatory Resort and Lake Vallecito.
  • Pagosa Springs. We rented an awesome, cozy ranch house just a couple miles outside of town. It was very private and had views from every angle.
THINGS TO DO
  • Mesa Verde. A Must-See! For about 700 years, the ancestral Pueblo people lived in the Mesa Verde until a severe drought in the 1200s forced them to find a new area to live. Their magnificent homes and elaborate communities remain, built into the sheltered arcoves of canyon walls. We took two tours into their meticulously built buildings, which required scaling a steep, 30-foot wooden ladder and crawling through narrow hallways. 
  • Fly Fishing. Fishing is popular in SW Colorado and there are several businesses offering guided trips and lessons. My husband took a private, guided fly fishing lesson about an hour from town and loved the experience.
  • Mountain Biking. Biking is popular in the area and we took a ride through the Horse Gulch Trail System. It started with a 1/2 mile trek uphill (somehow I survived), followed by a variety of single tracks for all skill levels.
  • Four Corners Monument. This is the only point where four states come together (CO, NM, UT, AZ). As its name states, there is a monument marking the site and it is $5 per person to get in. There isn't anything to do except wait in line to take self-portraits at the monument and browse the vendor stands of Navajo crafts. Although it was neat to experience with my kids, I wouldn't make a special trip but just stop if you are already in the area. 
  • Bar D Chuckwagon Dinner. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to experience the Chuckwagon Dinner but a fellow Publisher in the Durango area has. CLICK HERE to read her review! 
  • Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Back in the day, the only way to get folks and supplies to Silverton from Durango was by horse through the San Juan Mountains, and it was a three-day trip. In 1882, the narrow gauge railroad was completed and the trip was cut to only 3 hours! There are different options for taking the train and we chose the bus/train option, which was a one-hour bus trip to Silverton and the train ride back to Durango. With our two kids, this was definitely the way to go as 3 hours was enough for them on the train. The scenery is breathtaking.
  • White Water Rafting. The Animas River offers rafting for all levels.
  • Hot Springs. Pagosa Springs is just an hour from Durango and the home to several hot springs. We spent time at the Hot Springs Resort & Spa which has a swimming pool and 23 soaking tubs at varying temperatures. 108 degrees was the hottest we could handle!
PLACES TO EAT
All of the places we ate were family-friendly and delicious!
FAMILY DOG

Finally, we did bring along our dog Chester and he enjoyed day camp and a night's stay at Healthy Hounds & Fat Cats while we went on all-day excursions.


I did not receive compensation for my review. The opinions expressed are my own.