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Old 08-30-2011, 03:22 AM
 
Location: CA
250 posts, read 413,221 times
Reputation: 174

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I live in California.. I'm cruising through AZ, NM on to Colorado to visit Mesa Verde and then go up to Silverton. I would like to know what else I should try to see? I'm outdoorsy.. Big into fishing, and site seeing (Especially historic spots) I love great road food, so any food joints I should stop would be appreciated. Also, just throw out any other suggestions on what I should check out on the trip. I'm coming from the Shiprock,NM direction toward 550/Durango.
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Old 08-30-2011, 05:18 AM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
14,129 posts, read 31,263,395 times
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There are several ghost towns you could visit in the vicinity of Silverton you might want to check out:

Ghost Towns of Colorado - San Juan County

When you get to Durango these folks can give you some great advice on where to go see other historic sites in the area:

The Animas Museum

Even if you're not staying there, this hotel is worth a visit:

http://www.strater.com/

You'll also probably want to visit the old train depot:

http://www.durangotrain.com/about-us

Last edited by CAVA1990; 08-30-2011 at 05:46 AM..
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Old 08-30-2011, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Western Colorado
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I would recommend driving down to visit Ouray. Cute mountain town, most of the tourists are gone by now and it's not that crowded. Driving over Red Mountain pass is very scenic.
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Old 08-30-2011, 10:58 AM
 
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When we drove Hwy 550 from Durango, heading north, we found Red Mountain Pass to be awesome. For me, first timer that year, it was a white knuckle piece of road. By the time we got to Silverton, my morning coffee had to find a way back out, so we drove into Silverton where we found this quaint old city hall. We parked, went in, marveled at the beauty of this old gem of a structure and my coffee found a place to make a graceful exit. The folks there were very laid back and thoughtful. Bless Silverton.
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Old 08-31-2011, 12:18 AM
 
Location: CA
250 posts, read 413,221 times
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Excellent advice ... I really appreciate this!! I'm usually really good at finding stuff through google but it's been tough. Any other advice is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!
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Old 08-31-2011, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Canada
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Yes, definitely Ouray: check out the hot springs!
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Old 08-31-2011, 10:02 AM
 
Location: Colorado
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I did the Mesa Verde thing a couple of years ago and it was great. The park is amazing and there are a few other places outside to check out. We also drove from Silverton to Ouray north along Hwy 550 and that was spectacular! It's not a long drive but a lot of fun to do.
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Old 08-31-2011, 11:36 AM
 
Location: CO/UT/AZ/NM Catch me if you can!
6,927 posts, read 6,941,304 times
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Definately drive over Red Mountain Pass. They don't call that road the "Million Dollar Highway" for nothing. If you want to make your trip a loop, turn off 550 at Ridgeway and take the road into Telluride where you can ride the gondola for free and get some breath taking views of Telluride and the surrounding mountains. Continue on 145 from Telluride over Lizard Head Pass for more incredible scenary and follow the Dolores River into Rico and the town of Dolores. Dolores is maybe 15 or 20 minutes from Cortez where you can pick up 160 again and either go back to Durango or Shiprock.

If you have the time, I'd recommend taking two days for the trip from Durango over the Million Dollar. Spend the night in Ouray and next day make a leisurely drive of the last part of the loop.

Have fun!
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:57 AM
 
Location: CA
250 posts, read 413,221 times
Reputation: 174
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler View Post
Definately drive over Red Mountain Pass. They don't call that road the "Million Dollar Highway" for nothing. If you want to make your trip a loop, turn off 550 at Ridgeway and take the road into Telluride where you can ride the gondola for free and get some breath taking views of Telluride and the surrounding mountains. Continue on 145 from Telluride over Lizard Head Pass for more incredible scenary and follow the Dolores River into Rico and the town of Dolores. Dolores is maybe 15 or 20 minutes from Cortez where you can pick up 160 again and either go back to Durango or Shiprock.

If you have the time, I'd recommend taking two days for the trip from Durango over the Million Dollar. Spend the night in Ouray and next day make a leisurely drive of the last part of the loop.

Have fun!
Nice post!! Appreciate this big time... Red Mountain pass looks awesome!! I love that type of stuff... Thanks for the suggestion, 99% going to go through there. I'm going to look into your advice though, and see if I can make that happen. Thanks again.
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Old 09-01-2011, 03:02 AM
 
Location: CA
250 posts, read 413,221 times
Reputation: 174
Quote:
Originally Posted by chilaili View Post
I did the Mesa Verde thing a couple of years ago and it was great. The park is amazing and there are a few other places outside to check out. We also drove from Silverton to Ouray north along Hwy 550 and that was spectacular! It's not a long drive but a lot of fun to do.
Cool.. I've been looking into mesa verde and I love that type of historic place to visit.
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