Durango, Colorado Trip

“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of the tree.” – Michael Crinchton

When you travel to a new destination, do you care about its history?

You know when we look at the past we are able to understand our present better.

Durango, Colorado is so rich in history.

Here you can tour ancient cliff dwellings, hop on a train ride, ride a bike through historic downtown, and soak in natural waters.

Four Corners Monument

Four Corners Memorial is a place we have heard so much about. We always assumed it was something National but we now know it is operated by the Navajo Nation. Here Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah meet. This was a good detour for us since we started our day in New Mexico and ended it in Colorado. It is also a good place to experience some Native American culture because they have vendors surrounding the location where the states meet. They sell arrows, paintings, and jewelry. You can talk to locals which was my favorite part of this experience. Near the parking lot you can find local food.

To take pictures with the four corners monument you need to move quick. There is a sign which says 3 photos only. This is mostly to keep the lines from becoming too large. But the lines aren’t that long. We kept taking a few pictures and getting back in line.

Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in America as well as Mesa Verdes most recognized attraction. Today it is protected and can still be visited. You first  need to purchase tickets at the visitor center.  Then you drive to the location where the cliff dwelling is located at. The Cliff Palace was 40 minutes away from the visitor center. Now that you’re here the guide let’s you onto the trail that takes you to the dwelling. The hike is 0.4 miles long and because of this a large majority of the hike is informational and site viewing. These cliff dwellings are built using sandstone by mixing clay, sand, dust, and water. Here you can find 150 rooms as well as 21 kivas. The doors from room to room are really interesting. To the modern person they look a lot like the modern window but smaller. With some of them resembling a filled letter P. You also learn that these buildings were painted like modern homes. This can be seen looking through one of the windows which the guide will show you. On the walk back to your vehicle you can see the hand and foot spaces which they used to climb up and down. This is truly a interesting location. One of our favorite places.

Pinkerton Hot Springs

Pinkerton Hot Springs is one of the easier hot springs to get to. This hot spring is right on the side of the road which allows for you to simply drive by but also allows for you to explore. This hot spring looks very much like a cinnamon roll. This is because the dirt kinda spirals to the bottom. It looks very different from the other hot springs we’ve seen. This is a proper road side attraction.

 Honeyville

Honeyville is a place to buy some of those honey treats you’ve always been wanting to. Here you can find raw honey, honey based jam, and whipped honey all of which you can try in the taste tasting space. You can also taste some wine but if you want some alcoholic products which they make here there is an area inside for those to be purchased. You can also observe a bee hive and try to spot the queen bee.

Through a glass you can see how there products are filled. We got a inside look and were able to see how the machinery operated and got to see the brewery.

Located at 33633 US-550, Durango, CO 81301.

Rochester Hotel

Durango, Colorado is a beautiful historic town and for anyone who is going to stay here should consider staying at Rochester Hotel. Rochester Hotel was built in 1892, and was originally known as The Peeples House. It has been a hotel with a variety of owners and then in 1993, it was renovated and became Rochester Hotel. Today Rochester Hotel pays respect to older western cinema as well as giving you plenty to do. You can go into downtown and enjoy the surrounding environment as well as stay on premise and enjoy the hotels lovely garden. There is complimentary breakfast in the morning and a variety of tea and cookies throughout the day. The cool thing about breakfast is that every day they make something new. So if your staying for two to three days you’ll try something new each day.

We stayed in the Loft which was perfect for our family because it had a living room, dinning room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and patio to sit outside.

Located at 726 East 2nd Avenue Durango, Colorado, 81301.

Thank you Visit Durango for an amazing experience.

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