Durango, CO is one of the closest cities to Mesa Verde National Park, making it a perfect place to spend the night on your trip. The drive from Durango to Mesa Verde is about 40 minutes, so you can easily take a day trip out to the park and return to Durango in the evening. To reach Mesa Verde from Durango, just get on US-160 W and drive all the way out to the park’s entrance. The drive isn’t the most exciting one in the world, but you’ll get some nice views of desert scenery as you go past the border to the Ute reservation.
If you’re taking a weekend trip and you’re looking for more to do in Durango, there are plenty of options. Main Avenue runs through the center of the city and contains a ton of boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, and other businesses, as well as a couple of historic hotels dating back to the Gilded Age. Durango also becomes a popular tourist destination in the winter due to the Purgatory Ski Resort, located about 25 miles north of the city. During the summer, there are various festivals held in the city, including the Ragtime & Early Jazz Festival.
Durango is also connected to the historic mining town of Silverton via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a heritage railway that has been in consistent operation since 1881. At one time, the railroad transported silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains, but today it operates as a tourist attraction that takes passengers back and forth between the two towns. We highly recommend the trip out to Silverton for anyone interested in the area’s Wild West history.
To make the most of your trip, check out our Mesa Verde National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
