Travel Journal: My Other Hometown, Durango, Colorado (and surrounding areas)

 Durango, is in my DNA. The daughter of mountain loving parents, I have been blessed enough to spend a good part of my life exploring all over Durango and its surrounding areas- including many jeep trails. My dad had a CJ-5 and a CJ-7 so we were always on a jeep trail, hiking, exploring and just breathing in that mountain air. I have countless memories of mountain mornings, waking up early and smelling my parents or grandparents making breakfast. I learned to crawl at the Double Tree hotel in Durango and I am a proud alumni of Fort Lewis College there too. I loved living in this beautiful town and I consider Durango my hometown just as much as I do my main hometown Rio Rancho, NM. It’s home to me, and my favorite place on earth no matter how far we travel.

I’m obviously very partial but I truly believe Durango, and its surrounding areas like Pagosa, Vallecito Lake, Silverton and Ouray are some of Colorado’s gems. If you love all things outdoors, world renowned jeep trails and want a variety of adventures in any season, this is where you want to go !

There’s a LOT but I’m going to cover my personal favorites and what I consider do not miss things to do in my Durango and its surrounding towns and areas so… here we go! 

Downtown: ok this is always my first and most important must in any mountain town. This goes for Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Pagosa. Walking the quaint little downtowns and tucking into unique coffee shops before heading out to hike or explore is my vibe. It’s always a great place to start and get the lay of the land, talk with locals and even check out visitor centers for more planning and ideas. Each downtown also has their own great restaurants like my favorite in Durango - Steamworks Brewery. There is also a GREAT variety of breweries around these parts - see links below!

https://www.durango.com/durango-breweries/

https://www.visitouray.com/brews

https://www.coloradobrewerylist.com/brewery_city/silverton/

https://www.coloradobrewerylist.com/brewery_city/pagosa-springs/

Jeep Trails: Like I said- this area has some world class jeep trails- you can rent, take tours or do your own jeeping. ALWAYS look at the level of experience needed for trails and watch conditions - lots of accidents do happen ! 

https://www.durango.org/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/off-roading/

https://www.jeeptheusa.com/silverton---ouray-jeep-trails.html

Winter Adventures: Does Colorado get some heavy winters? Yes. But is there still tons of fun adventure to be found? Heck yes ! From skiing and snowshoeing to sled rides and a week long winter party called “Snowdown” you can still have a blast in the winter season ! 

Hot Springs: Relaxing in natural hot springs, soaking your bones and being surrounded by mountains - ahhhh sounds good right? There are some amazing options in these parts ! 

Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa is a wonderful oasis right in Durango and has some great views and more options like saunas too. Pagosa Springs is literally known for being a hot spring destination and has quite a few options ranging from moderate public pool kind of springs to high class resorts. Pagosa is my personal fav for a good soak and the town itself offers a lot too ! 

Ouray has a super unique hot spring that I love now and loved even more as a kid- its a huge public pool filled with natural hot spring water and bonus- you can rent fun floaties and stuff- 10/10 recommend. 

https://durangohotspringsresortandspa.com/

https://visitpagosasprings.com/things-to-do-hot-springs

https://www.visitouray.com/ourayhotspringspool

Choo-Choo Train: Ride an amazing heritage locomotive through the San Juan Mountains between Durango and Silverton - the views are unbelievable and it’s seriously an experience you will remember forever! They offer a lot of different rides for different seasons including The Polar Express in the winter that is sooo cute and fun for families too. Plan ahead and book tickets in advance for this attraction!

https://www.durangotrain.com/

Hiking: For Durango, Silverton, Pagosa and Ouray there are literally endless hiking options ranging all levels of hiking. Keep in mind you will be at a higher altitude so plan accordingly and take it easy on yourself ! 

https://www.durango.org/things-to-do/outdoor-adventure/hiking/

https://www.uncovercolorado.com/hiking-trails-near-silverton-co/

https://www.visitouray.com/hiking

https://pagosaoutside.com/top-5-pagosa-springs-hikes/

My Personal Favs: Ok being partial again but I highly recommend visiting my college campus, Fort Lewis in Durango. They don’t call it the “Campus in the Sky” for nothing. It’s a gorgeous campus and hiking around it got me through tough times and the stress of finals. Plus there is unparalleled views of all of Durango. 

https://www.fortlewis.edu/

Durangos River Walks: 

This town has endless walking trails. I spent countless hours walking them and it never gets old. My personal fav is parking near Rotary park- and near the Double Tree where there is a magical little book shop and a bridge over the Animas River. 

Vallecito Lake/Lemon Dam - Some of my absolute favorite area right outside of Durango. Picturesque lake surrounded by nature with tons of opportunities for water sport, fishing, hiking etc. It’s just gorgeous ! 

https://www.durango.org/blog/post/guide-to-vallecito-reservoir/

Like I said this whole area has SO much to offer, you can have so many different adventure from rafting a river to skiing down a mountain. This part of the world always has my heart !