Regardless of your interests, there is more to do in Durango in the summer months than any other time of year. It's simply our favorite time of year here, and the reason most of us choose to live in this area. Of course, it's nice that winter isn't the shut-in kind with ample recreational opportunities in that season. But in honor of the first weekend of summer, we thought we'd put a little list together of the things we've enjoyed doing over the years.
1. Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Okay, it's not really fair that we start off a top 10 in Durango in the summer with a festival in another town, but every year this is a pilgrimage we all try to make. It's a world-class four day music festival in arguably the most amazing location a stage ever resided. And it's only a short drive on one of the most storied highways in our nation, the famed Million Dollar Highway, to Telluride. This year's lineup includes Allison Kraus and Lyle Lovett. Check it out here: Link to Telluride Bluegrass Festival Site
2. A Raspberry Wheat beer or three on Carver's back patio. This is really an event. If you like your drinks cool and refreshing with a little punch, this one's for you. Don't be afraid of the pink tinge of the drink. Order a spicy Navajo Taco as company for your beer and you won't regret it. See Chris' article on southwest Colorado micro brews here: Four Corners Beer - Colorado, in Inside Outside Magazine
3. Purgatory Flats Trail - This is an annual requirement for us. The trail is right across from the entrance to Purgatory (Durango Mountain Resort) and leads down into the Animas River basin in the shadows of the magnificent Needles Mountains. You'll rarely run into more than a few people down there. Fishing is exceptional in three separate drainages, and the backpacking and day-hiking opportunities are limitless in some of the most pristine wilderness our country has to offer.
4. Lime Creek Road - This forest service road leaves US 550 just north of the ski resort and meanders it's way to base of the Needles with extraordinary views of the surrounding peaks. It's a mild drive for a four-wheel drive road in the mountains, though I'd recommend a suitable all-terrain vehicle. Every time I'm up there somebody is driving in a vehicle that looks like it should be on-road only, but they seem to manage fine. Once the road reenters 550 you're only a short drive to Silverton. We always pull into town, shake the dust off and saddle up to the bar at Handlebars Saloon for a cold beverage and buffalo burger with swiss and mushrooms. Try the Rocky Mountain Oysters for a fun trick to play on your teenage children or unaware friends.
5. Hermosa Creek Trail. This is a mountain bike ride that isn't necessarily for the novice, but it's a wonderful day-long ride that starts behind Purgatory and ends up in Hermosa traveling only through backcountry single-track of a very high quality right along Hermosa Creek. Bring a fishing pole. Bring your strong legs, plenty of water and get ready for the hills at the end. It feels like everything is heading downhill until you get closer to the end of the trail, where naturally your legs are beginning to really get tired. At the end of the road there's a little secret place in Hermosa called Mama's Boy right where the gas station is. This is where the original Mama's Boy started without even a sign to mark their existence. Durangoans would drive out to Hermosa to get their excellent pizzas and calzones as far back as I can remember. After a ride on Hermosa Creek, you'll have plenty of hunger for one of their superb creations.
6. Dinner at the Boat House. This is a true local gem and one you'll likely never hear about unless you meet a local who doesn't mind letting you in on one of the deepest most wonderful culinary secrets in town. Electra Lake is hidden from view off of US 550 just south of Purgatory and as such most people don't even know it's there. Electra has served as a summer retreat for Durangoans for many generations. See the photo below. The Boat House is only open for dinner in the summer months and it sits at the end of the lake with some of the most amazing views this area has to offer. You bring your own wine, sit close to the open-shutter windows listening to the lake lap gently against the moorings and have an incredible meal prepared by the proprietors. You'll make it an every summer occasion after the very first trip.
7. A bicycle ride through the Animas Valley. The locals call it "the loop," and it's a wonderful combination of old county roads that bypass the major highway the leads north out of Durango through the Animas River Valley. My favorite way to ride it is to start north on CR 203 in the morning sun and connect to CR 250 with a short stint on US 550. Then you head back into Durango knowing that the bakery called Bread awaits at the end of the ride. You've earned that oatmeal cookie and it may be the best you'll ever have.
8. A round of golf at The Glacier Club. It's now open for play if you stay in one of their units. This is one of the finest mountain golf courses in the world, and only about eight miles from Purgatory. The scenery is so breathtaking on the course, that you'll hardly mind the difficulty, and your balls travel farther at altitude which makes lowlanders feel like their driver suddenly picked up some power. See the course at: The Glacier Club. When you're on their site, check out the real estate section. The Glacier Club has become affordable in many ways. One of those ways is memberships starting at $15,000 for DMR and Tamarron owners. This is compared to their previous membership hurdle of $70,000. Let us know if you have interest, and we'll send further details. We'll be happy to help you discover them.
9. Fishing at Andrews Lake. This little mountain lake sits near the top of Molas pass north of Purgatory. The setting is truly one of the most expansive and gorgeous of its kind and it's easy to get to right off the highway. It's been outfitted with a nice little doc and sidewalk on one side of the lake which makes access for the less ambulatory among us really great. Fishing in the late summer in the early morning is really quite good, but the setting will have you totally unconcerned with your fishing luck. Bring a cooler of something nice to sip on, a good book, and some sunscreen. You might not leave until the sun starts to set behind the stunning peaks. There's a photo of Andrews below. If you're really ambitious, you can hike to Crater Lake, also pictured below. The trail head starts at Andrews Lake and really gives you a chance to see all of the surrounding mountains on an exquisite high-alpine trail.
10. Schoolhouse for Pizza and Ska Pinstripe Ale. The Olde Schoolhouse is a Durango mountain institution of higher learning about local color. Cast your inhibitions aside ye who enter there. It too may not be for the novice, but we wouldn't feel like summer was complete without several trips to School. Of course, I can see it out of my office window, which makes it much harder on us. They have local food of such tremendous magic and care, local beer, and local hijinks. We couldn't ask for more.
Sure there are other more well-known Durango attractions, not least among them being the train, or historic downtown, or rafting the Animas etc. We hope the above list just adds to the great diversity of your Durango experience.
How's the market? That's the question I get asked the most. Here's a pretty good summation. The Wells Group puts together a tremendous annual forecast each spring and our clients have access to its contents. If you can attend the presentation locally next year, let me know and I'll send an invitation. The forecast has been formulated for the last ten years by a third party and it's designed to help buyers and sellers navigate the data and provide some predictions. This year we're predicting that homes in the $600,000 or above range, and properties in the resort area will see tremendous, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime, value opportunities for buyers. The inventory is already starting to get depleted in the area with buyers entering and taking advantage of the unprecedented deals across all categories. To view our forecast go to our website at http://www.wellsgroupmountainresort.com/ and click on "Wells Group Forecast 2010." You'll need to let me know you want to view the forecast because I'll have to provide the password to you. Write Chris at cbettin@wellsgroupmountainresort.com or Kris at daly@duranglive.net.
Cheers summer. Wish it were with us all year, but we'll enjoy it while it lasts.
