Stuff To Do Around Durango?

[rideit]

Gonna jet down there with wifey and (non cyclist) son. We can figure out trails, but wifey told me we need to figure out stuff to do. Not gonna take the Silverton train, but might drive up there.
Suggestions?
Must eat restaurants?
Day hikes for them while I ride?
Amusement parks?
Take a stinky dump in Joetron’s shop?
Good last minute camping spots with an 18’ trailer?
TIA

[Danno]

Camping is tough near town. Especially with a trailer. Up near Purg, maybe behind Purg?

How old is non-biker son? There's some type of play structure at the lake (I cannot call the lake by its official name) that looks cool (but I haven't done).

Spud Lake is a great easy hike.

If you have a 4x4 high clearance, driving to Kennebec Pass up La Plata Canyon is pretty sweet, and a short walk to Taylor Lake from there. BONUS: If the wifey is amenable, that can be your shuttle to ride the CT back to town.

[rideit]

Kiddo is 15. Likes hiking, but not into most touristy diversions. That’s a tough one.
Tell me more about Taylor Lake. Wife HATES off- reading, even as a passenger. Any other shuttle options?
They actually would be into a decently difficult hike if there was a rewarding view/etc. (They are doing a two day, 25 mile, 6k backpacking trip this weekend here for context).

[Danno]

Kiddo is 15. Likes hiking, but not into most touristy diversions. That’s a tough one.
Tell me more about Taylor Lake. Wife HATES off- reading, even as a passenger. Any other shuttle options?
They actually would be into a decently difficult hike if there was a rewarding view/etc. (They are doing a two day, 25 mile, 6k backpacking trip this weekend here for context).

Only the last 2 miles or so is real off-roading. Taylor Lake is really pretty and a half mile flat walk from the top of the pass. As for other shuttle options: How about they drive you to the top of Molas Pass and you bike down to Cascade Creek or Coal Bank Pass? After dropping you off, they could drive to Coal Bank Pass and climb Engineer Mt (a great hike).

Another shuttle is driving up Junction Creek Rd to the Slide Rock Trail, and you can get most of the Kennebec descent from there, and the road to it is passenger car worthy. I am in a meeting and will write more later.

[skaredshtles]

Mesa Verde if the kid ain't been there.

[rideit]

Oooh, good suggestion!

[Danno]

Mesa Verde if the kid ain't been there.

x1000

[rideit]

Definitely in on that. Anything else to do on our Mesa Verde day?

[skaredshtles]

Definitely in on that. Anything else to do on our Mesa Verde day?

No - Mesa Verde will take up at *least* one full day. You could easily do two.

Don't drive a trailer up there.

[rideit]

Definitely not, we will jet around without the camper.
Isn’t that near Phil’s World?
Wifey would like that, from what I hear.

[Jax]

Mesa Verde is a big day, takes an 45 to an hour just to get into the stuff you really want to see from the entrance. And then the same time just to leave.

eta- skared beat me to it..

[BFD]

Definitely in on that. Anything else to do on our Mesa Verde day?

leave early from Durango. Breakfast at the Absolute bakery in Mancos. Dinner at the Kennebec Cafe on way back. If you want to drive more and not ruined out there is Canyons of the Ancients museum in Dolores or Hovenweep. Yes near Phil's World. Great riding for the average biker. for camping I have used La Plata canyon campgrounds and dispersed off road 316 at Mancos summit on 160. Only used these places in late fall winter so no idea how crowded in summer.

[Danno]

You need to book tours at MV, I think they open up 2 weeks out. Don't miss that, the tours are a big deal. And agree, a full day, even 2.

[skaredshtles]

leave early from Durango. Breakfast at the Absolute bakery in Mancos.

That's funny - we randomly ended up there for breakfast on our way *out* of Mesa Verde. Good stuff...

[adrenalated]

Camping - Junction Creek CG is close to town, if there's space available. Otherwise, several campgrounds low in La Plata Canyon (many are first come first served), or as Danno suggests, Hermosa Park Road behind Purg (designated dispersed). There are also lots of dispersed options closer to Mancos, PM me for specifics if you want.

Kennebec - requires high clearance but isn't that rowdy. Could probably get a Subaru up there with skillz.

Hike/bike combo - Pass Trail up to below Engineer Mountain. They can climb Engineer if they want. You can ride/hike your bike up with them then descend Coal Creek or Deer Creek and pedal the road back to the car, or down Engineer Mountain Trail, Engine Creek, or Graysill and they pick you up at Cascade Creek. You can also descend any of these starting at Molas which is a longer ride but spectacular.

There's also a ton of stuff in the La Platas, on and off trail. Sharkstooth Pass is a popular one. Tag on Centennial Peak for a summit. The last mile to the TH is rough, before that is graded dirt road. You could ride down the West Mancos Trail from there and have them pick you up at Transfer CG. More adventurous and much less traveled than the Durango/Coal Bank stuff but quality riding with that mindset.

Mesa Verde is rad. As mentioned, you need a full day. I'm not a national parks guy generally, but MV is an exception.

Phil's World is fun, but hot. Lost Chicken area or Boggy Draw are beginner/intermediate friendly trail systems in the same area that are not quite as fun as Phil's but a lot cooler this time of year.

Mancos food - Absolute Bakery for breakfast. Fenceline Cidery is great if you like cider. The brewery has decent beer, food is meh. Columbine Cafe is decent. Skip the rest of the restaurants there. I'll let someone else handle the Durango recs.

Hermosa Tours I believe runs commercial shuttles on some stuff mentioned above.

Depending when you're here I might be able to get out for a ride.

[rideit]

Thanks, guys, this is rad. Maybe TGR hospitality isn't dead.

[North]

Good cliff jumps at Baker's Bridge. Go medium or bigger. The smallest ones have the shallowest landings.

[Phall]

Shameless plug for my good (non-mag) buddy's lunch spot in Durango, RGP's in the mall. +1 for upper decking Joetron's toilet.

The drive out to Silverton has tons of trailheads that have access to some awesome high country.

[Danno]

Hot take: Engineer Mt is the best sub-13er peak hike in the whole state.

[Danno]

Crater Lake (hike from the top of Molas Pass) is pretty sweet.

The long drive up Missionary Ridge and the hike to the point overlooking Chicago Basin is cool.

[note: most memories of these hikes are 20+ years old]

[rideit]

Is there a way to incorporate that with a shuttle drop-off for myself?
(Engineer mountain)

[snowaddict91]

Is there a way to incorporate that with a shuttle drop-off for myself?
(Engineer mountain)

Park at Pass Creek, HAB/Pedal with them. They pick you up at bottom of the Engineer descent. You'll probably wait for them for a while I'd think.

[Danno]

Is there a way to incorporate that with a shuttle drop-off for myself?
(Engineer mountain)

Park at Pass Creek, HAB/Pedal with them. They pick you up at bottom of the Engineer descent. You'll probably wait for them for a while I'd think.

Yes, as snowaddict says. "Pass Creek" is the same as Coal Bank Pass that I mentioned above (and adrenelated also discussed these). You could HAB or ride with them from there and descend to Cascade Creek. Or they could drive you a little further to Molas Pass, you could go for a bigger ride (Molas Pass to Cascade Creek or Molas Pass to Coal Bank Pass). They could backtrack a bit to Coal Bank Pass and then hike Engineer, and either meet you back at the car (if you descend Pass Creek) or go pick you up at Cascade Creek.

ETA: the trails (from Molas, to Cascade Creek, up from Coal Bank) all intersect at the base of Engineer Mt proper. So it's pretty easy to figure out (note, though, that you do need directions from Molas to that intersection, as you're out ~20 miles and there are previous intersections)

I don't know how the timing will work for those options, but they are SUPER easy logistically.

[Meconium]

in the 90's I used to spend the night at Piedra River Hot Springs. it was more of a bushwhack to find back then. One summer there was an old guy who called himself Docta Rasta. Think he was a wannabe guru who was trying to start a commune with FLC dropouts. Anyway, no clue if if its overrun nowadays but it was a good quiet spot to get hot in the sprigs and swim in the cold if the docta creep wasn't around.

Overly obvious but you could buy some auto inner tubes and float a bit of the Animas if its not all toxic now.

[ASmileyFace]

Going to second a few things already mentioned.

- Do the full Mesa Verde day. Well worth it. Fenceline for food and drink in Mancos after.
- Engineer is a fantastic hike from the top of Coal Bank. If you are bringing a MTB do the HAB/ride to the meadow with your family, summit the Engineer, descend EMT to cascade and have them meet you at the bottom.
- Piedra Hot Springs is great if you can find a place to park the camper and are going toward or from Pagosa at some point. Been a couple years since I've been down that way.
- RGPs in the mall is quality lunch type sandwich grub. Been going there 12+ years now...
- If you decide to tube the Animas, think about a pfd or skip the whitewater park.
- Camping behind Purg used to be great. Haven't camped back there since College though.

Some other thoughts:

-If you're planning on staying near silverton there is decent camping for a big trailer types on the FS road towards the Ice Lakes TH and paid South Mineral Campground.
- Ice Lakes is an uber popular hike, but worth it if you haven't done it.
- If you are scramble hiker types, Snowdon Peak via the West Buttress is a quick-ish, high quality, class 3/4 hike to an amazing summit view over the Weminuche.
- Castle Rock hike near Purg is another good, half day choice. Steep, shorter but worth the view overlooking the Needles Range.
- If you need a rest day or just want some views out of the car I would suggest doing the San Juan Loop. Durango->Silverton->Ridgway->Telluride->Mancos->Durango. Its a lot of driving, but a fun way to see the whole region quickly.
- Hiking (or riding) the CT from the top of Molas is great bang for buck.
- Hiking to the Old Hundred Boarding House is an all time hike near Silverton. Not a ton of info out there on it, but if you research you should be able to figure it out.

Are you planning on camping near Durango? As Danno mentioned, you're going to have a tough time finding camping for a 18' rig anywhere near town.