Durango, Colorado
Thursday – October 3, 2013
We spent last night at the Walmart in Cortez, Colorado, along with a few other
RVs, and had a good nights rest. We departed there at 8:50 a.m. seeking new
adventure.
During our travels throughout the United States we often discover hidden
treasures tucked away in remote areas of a state. Today, was one of those times.
Our plan for today was to visit Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County,
Colorado. We knew at the start of our trip this could be an “iffy” proposition,
since congress had reached a stalemate on a new annual budget and there was a
possibility the government would shut down. Sure enough, that’s exactly what
happened. All National Parks were to be closed for the duration of the
government shutdown.
Since we were already eastbound on US-160 on our way to Mesa Verde National
Park, we decided to continue on to the park hoping we could visit it before it
closed. No such luck. It had just closed shortly before our arrival. Time to
regroup and develop a new game plan. After spending some time researching
sightseeing options in Colorado and the surronding states, we discovered the
International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico was scheduled October 5
through October 13. This event had been on our “bucket list” and since
Albuquerque was about 250 miles south of Cortez, Colorado, a new travel plan was
put in place.
As we were plotting our travel route to Albuquerque we spotted Durango, Colorado
on the map. In Durango we could take US-550 south to Albuquerque. We had never
been to Durango, so we decided to check it out. We were so glad we did! What a
marvelous little mountain town.
Durango, Colorado was Established in 1881, and was founded by the Denver & Rio
Grande Railroad. A National Historic District, downtown Durango overflows with
historic hotels, restaurants, art galleries, and boutique shops. Current
population is approximately 17,000.
The rugged San Juan National Forest and San Juan Mountains offers hundreds of
miles of world-class mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, plus fishing and
boating on the Animas River, Lake Nighthorse and Haviland Lake.
North of Durango, Purgatory Resort features 105 trails, five terrain parks, and
1,605 skiable acres.
One of the most popular tourist attractions is the historic 1880’s Durango &
Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNGR).
A stop at the Durango Visitor Center guided us to the United Campground; a
private campground located 4 miles north of Durango. It is your typical private
campground with RV sites spaced quite close to one another. Each site has
electric, water and free security-enabled WiFi service. However, what
differentiates this campground from others in the area are the following
features:
• The Animas River runs through the campground.
• Free trolley service between the campground and town.
• The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs through the campground.
The railroad employs historic, coal-fired, steam-powered locomotives to pull
vintage train cars through the backcountry wilderness of the San Juan Mountains
of southwest Colorado.
Class of Service
Cost
Presidential Class $189
First Class
$175
Deluxe Class
$134
Standard Class
$85
The five-hour roundtrip train ride takes the visitor to the historic mining town
of Silverton through some of the most breathtaking scenery Colorado has to
offer. The train follows the Animas River through valleys, canyons and forests.
The train gains 3,000 feet in elevation during its journey from Durango to
Silverton.
Durango promises to be one of those hidden treasures. We have planned a full day tour of the town for tomorrow.
Total miles traveled today: 50
Tomorrow another adventure begins.
United Campground Office
Campground Entrance
Campground
Railroad Tracks & Animas River Through Campground
Durango & Silverton Train Entering Campground
