Lovely Colorado, United States

Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado spans the Continental Divide and encompasses protected mountains, forests and alpine tundra. It's known for the Trail Ridge Road and the Old Fall River Road, drives that pass aspen trees and rivers. The Keyhole Route, a climb crossing vertical rock faces, leads up Longs Peak, the park’s tallest mountain. A trail surrounding Bear Lake offers views of the peaks.

In the southwestern corner of Colorado is a magical town called Durango.  This growing seat of La Plata County gives entry to the rugged San Juan mountain range to the north and access to the arid deserts hiding the ruins of ancient civilizations and cultures to the south.  The boundaries of its city limits exhibit a modern city of the new millennium but, yet, maintain the roots of its historic importance protected in its old town main street, shops and rail center.  Durango is worth the time to explore and experience the future and the past, all wrapped up in one place.

Vital Statistics

Durango is a growing city evidenced by its bubbling population growth:  from an estimated  13,922 in 2000, to well over 15,000 in 2006.  Males slightly outnumber females by a respectable 51% to 49%.  The median resident age is a young 29.2 years with a median household income for 2000 rated at $34,892.  A typical house value for the same year was $185,200.  Surrounding La Plata County hides around 44,000 people in the rugged canyons and mountainsides.

Location / Description 

Durango is located in the southwestern portion of Colorado.  Albuquerque, New Mexico is about 175 miles to the southeast.  Phoenix, Arizona is just under 400 miles to the south. The town is along the Animas River which drains the San Juan Mountains to the north.  To the south and west rest the high plateaus and desert areas of the four corners region.

Weather / Climate/ Elevation

Durango lies at 6,512 feet above sea level.  This wonderful elevation is a transition zone between semi- arid and mountain.  Summer daytime temps are in the 70's and 80's, nighttime lows in the 50's.  Humidity is characteristically low and provides an all around zone of comfort.

History

Durango was founded in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.  The central location was ideal as a supply depot for the mining towns to the north and as a transfer point for shipping the rich ore to processing plants to the south and east.  The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was blasted through the deep canyons to the remote mining camps. Only tourists travel the historic line these days, evidenced by the 200,000 people who rode it last year.

Things To Do 

Durango is loaded with exciting activities.  To the north the San Juan National Forest awaits with its myriad of hiking, fishing, camping, and hunting opportunities.  To the southwest lies the premier archeological center for the United States. Ancient dwellings once inhabited by the Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde National Park, Chimney Rock, and Hovenweep long to be explored.  Further study at the Anasazi Heritage Museum, Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park, all within an hour's drive of the Durango area, provide top notch museum quality artifacts and great photo opportunities. 

Other exciting activities include a ride on the fabulous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad mentioned above.  25 miles north of the city is Durango Mountain Resort providing both winter skiing and summer mountain activities.  A couple of Casinos are only thirty minutes south.  The area also boasts a number of museums, art galleries, and a unique art walk.

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument

Chimney Rock Archaeological Site

Mesa Verde National Park

Aspen, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is a ski resort town and year-round destination for outdoor recreation. It's also known for high-end restaurants and boutiques, and landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House, built in 1889 during the area’s silver mining boom. The Wheeler-Stallard House is a local history museum set in a 19th-century, Queen Anne–style home, while the Aspen Art Museum displays contemporary artworks.

Nestled in the foothills of Colorado's majestic Rocky Mountains in Littleton, Arrowhead Golf Club's stunning championship golf course, upscale amenities, unmatched event capabilities and superb service offer guests a foursome of reasons to visit.

Aspen is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. Its population was 6,658 at the 2010 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains' Sawatch Range and Elk Mountains, along the Roaring Fork River at an elevation just below 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level on the Western Slope, 11 miles (18 km) west of the Continental Divide.

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. Large scale mining has ended in the region, although independent prospectors still work claims throughout the range. The last large scale mines were the Sunnyside Mine near Silverton, which operated until late in the 20th century and the Idarado Mine on Red Mountain Pass that closed down in the 1970s. Famous old San Juan mines include the Camp Bird and Smuggler Union mines, both located between Telluride and Ouray.