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Nightlife in Durango, Colorado
Durango’s largest party population comes from Fort Lewis College, a state school of thousands of students. There are plenty of bars and night spots to choose from.
There is little nightlife in Pagosa Springs, besides the hot springs (see below).
Activities in Southwest Colorado
Above all, this area of Colorado offers tons of outdoor activities, including skiing,
mountain biking, hot springs, hiking, camping and white water rafting. Most of the
area is National Forest land, and there are plenty of trails throughout the San
Juan Mountain range and the Sangro de Cristos.
Natural formations at Pagosa Springs
The Pagosa Hot Springs offers one of the best hot springs experiences in Colorado. There are many different tubs offering different temperatures of water, from the luke warm to the scalding hot. The springs are tastefully constructed along a river to make you feel like you’re in a completely natural environment. It costs 10 USD per visit and is open 24 hours per day. They also allow alcohol, but it must be in cans.
Riverside pool
at Pagosa Springs
The ski resort of Purgatory is 30 minutes north of Durango. It’s known for
traversing terrain and dumps of snow. They don’t receive anywhere near the
most snow in Colorado, but occasional storms provide incredible powder days. Most
of the trails are moderate, but there are about 10 good black diamond runs on the
back part of the mountain. An all day ski pass for the 1999-2000 season was 43 USD.
Another ski resort in the region is Wolf Creek, locate 1 hour east of Durango.
This is also a small resort, but offers some great skiing, especially if you like
out-of-bounds type skiing. There is a new lift that servers 600 acres of glades
that range from mild cruisers to scary cliffs. Wolf Creek receives the most snow
in Colorado, but probably the fewest skiers. Needless to say, there are no lift
lines here. It’s also one of the last family-run ski resorts around. Lift tickets
for the 1999-2000 season were 37 USD.
If you enjoy history, spend a day at Mesa Verde National Park, approximately one hour west of Durango (phone 970-529-4543). This park offers a network of trails that lead you through the former cliff dwellings of Native Americans. There are over 4,000 ruins, inhabited between 500 and 1276. Some ruins you can walk to, some you can visit only on tours (included in admission price), some you can see from overlooks at a distance, and some are not excavated. The park is open daily and the entrance fee is 10 USD per vehicle, valid for seven days. Visit www.nps.gov/meve or www.swcolo.org for more information.
Related
Pictures:
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Durango railroad
station
A great way to see the area while relaxing is to take the Silverton Narrow Gauge
Railroad, which winds it’s way through the San Juan Mountains from Durango
to Silverton. The railroad cars are vintage from the 1920s, and it provides a great
all day excursion.
Most of all, this area offers the opportunity to just get up and go. No matter which direction you head in, you can find great scenery, hiking/biking trails, raging rivers, and all of the images that make up what is Colorado and the West.
Southwest
Colorado
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