Tag: SW Colorado

Touring Southwest Colorado

Leslie and I decided to tour SW Colorado for a September getaway. I’ve never been to most of the places we visited, and for the places Leslie has been to, it was a long time ago. It was an incredible journey and we enjoyed every moment of our trip. The next several posts will offer more info and photos of our adventure. Below is a summary of our trip.

Here’s where we spent our time:

(the links below will take you to the post for that day)

Pagosa Springs – A Perfect Finish!

We decided to spend a night at The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs. Oh My! I fully expect to go back, time and again, when it’s appropriate to treat myself to this wonderful place.

The food was superb, the dozens of hot tubs were delightful to choose from. Watching the stars come out, and the satellites cruise by, while soaking in delightfully warm/hot water was truly dreamy. Then soaking some more, in the crisp cool morning air while no one else is around makes this visit even more memorable.

After dinner, before our evening soak, we took a walk around the area. Along the walking/bike path, across the bridge and along the sidewalk on the other side. During our walk we stumbled into a swing set. I’ll just leave it at that.

An elderly woman swinging on a playground swing, wearing a colorful floral shirt and grey pants, smiling and enjoying herself.

And in the morning when the air was crisp… aaaahhhhh.

A smiling man and woman enjoying a hot spring while taking a selfie, with a scenic background of a river and grassy landscape.

We ended our stay at checkout time, and headed home.

What a wonderful getaway to a beautiful part of the country that is right in my own backyard.

Mesa Verde – Wow!

We arrived at the Farview Lodge where we enjoyed a casual lunch, some relaxation time followed by dinner and cocktails.

We walked to the outdoor seating area to catch a rainbow.

Back at our room we sat on the balcony planning our next day and watched an incredible thunderstorm roll by.

Dramatic dark storm clouds gathering above a vast landscape, with a view of a distant plateau and faint rain falling in the background.

We had two tours planned for the next day: Mug House in the morning, and Balcony House on the other side of the park in the afternoon.

Mug House

Mug house is named for three mugs tied together with yucca rope found hanging inside one of its rooms. It’s over 1,000 years old and offers amazing insights to how these people lived.

Given that it was a rainy day, I opted to leave my camera tucked in a dry location and used just my phone for the pictures.

This cliff house is a very well protected place, to the extent that we were instructed to walk along the highway and when told to do so by the guide, disperse separately down the hill as to not create a trail, and meet up below.

The trail to Mug House was fun and interesting…

A narrow dirt path winding through dense greenery and bushes in a wooded area.
A wooden pathway winding through a natural rock formation, surrounded by greenery and shrubs.
A group of hikers walking along a rocky path under a large overhanging cliff, surrounded by vegetation.

…and Mug House was amazing.

A group of hikers exploring ancient cliff dwellings nestled under a rocky overhang, surrounded by lush greenery and sandy pathways.
Ancient cliff dwelling ruins with stone walls, partially covered by rock, featuring a wooden ladder and vegetation in the foreground.
Ancient stone dwellings built into a cliffside, surrounded by greenery and sand

Balcony House

Balcony house is also a guide-only tour but not quite as hidden as Mug House. Balcony house is named after the balcony that is part of the architecture of the structure which is believed to be a stepping area for getting into the second floor rooms of the structure.

There were some fun spots along our tour including a 32-foot tall ladder, and a squeeze through a tunnel to get to an adjoining chamber.

Cliffside dwelling with a wooden ladder leading to the entrance, surrounded by rocky terrain and greenery.
A person climbing a metal ladder on a rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery in the background.
Narrow passageway between two large rock formations with a person sitting at the entrance, surrounded by gravel and a wooden railing.
A wooden ladder leads up to a cliffside dwelling nestled in a rocky canyon, with steep stone walls and a cloudy sky above.

Balcony House was a multi-community facility which is why there was an adjoining chamber and multiple kivas.

Interior view of an ancient stone ruin set against a mountainous landscape, featuring circular structures and rocky walls.
Interior view of ancient stone ruins built into a cliffside, featuring layered walls, uneven floors, and remnants of structures with a natural landscape visible in the background.
A group of visitors stands along a cliffside walkway near ancient stone dwellings, overlooking a deep canyon with greenery below.
An ancient cliff dwelling with stone walls and remnants of structures under a rocky overhang, surrounded by natural vegetation.
An ancient cliff dwelling structure with stone walls, located under a rock overhang, with visitors exploring the site amid greenery.

A Final Drive Around

After Balcony House, we decided to drive around that part of the park to see what else we might see. It seems as though there is a lot of other sites to visit.

Ancient cliff dwellings nestled beneath a rocky overhang, surrounded by greenery, with a small group of people in the foreground.
Ancient cliff dwellings built into a rocky hillside, showcasing rows of stone structures with windows and doorways.
Close-up view of a rocky cliffside with shrubs and trees, featuring ancient stone structures carved into the rock face.
An ancient stone structure partially hidden under an overhanging cliff, surrounded by shrubs and trees.
A rugged cliff side with a large overhang, featuring textured rock formations and patches of greenery at the base. Above, a landscape of charred trees interspersed with shrubs and grasses under a cloudy sky.

Cortez Colorado

After Silverton we drove to Cortez via Dolores where the visitor center for the Canyon of the Ancients is. We stopped at the visitor center to plan our activities for the next couple of days. The Museum there was very well done and we learned a lot about how the architecture of the pueblos evolved as well as the theories about how and when humans migrated into the area. Here is a map from BLM on the area.

Map of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, displaying trails, points of interest, and safety warnings for visitors.

From our discussion with the Ranger we decided to spend the next day driving around the canyon visiting many of the pueblo sites, then the day after that hiking to some of the pueblos along Sand Canyon.

After Dolores we headed to the Retro Inn where we stayed a couple nights. It was a very fun and comfortable stay. I actually met a good buddy of mine who was sitting on the bench in front of the hotel.

A retro motel sign reading 'Retro Inn' with a 'No Vacancy' sign below, surrounded by pink flamingo lawn ornaments, a vintage trailer, and people sitting in the background.
A man sits on a park bench next to a life-sized statue of a famous musician in a black leather outfit. The scene is black and white, with trees and a vehicle visible in the background.

Here’s a photo of one of the walls in our room.

We walked to dinner both nights. The first night we ate across the street at Denny’s Diner, and the second night we ate at a new Ecuadorian restaurant called Udeza 593. Udeza was excellent and the locals obviously figured it out. The restaurant is two weeks new and the place had a line to get in as we left.

Exterior view of a Denny's diner with a classic design, featuring red and black checkered patterns and large glass windows.
Exterior view of Urdeza 593 Restaurant with palm tree graphics and signage, located in a commercial plaza.

Denny’s photo courtesy of Google Maps. Urdeza photo courtesy of Urdeza Facebook page.

Day 1

Our first stop was the Hovenweep National Monument. There was an excellent trail that was about 1.5 miles that took us around the ruins.

Ruins of a stone structure on a cliff surrounded by desert vegetation and rocky terrain under a cloudy sky.
Ruins of ancient adobe structures surrounded by desert landscape under a cloudy sky.
Ruins of ancient stone structures amidst a rocky landscape with sparse vegetation and a cloudy sky.

Then we went on to the Painted Hand Pueblo. After taking a small walk to the pueblo structures we saw the little green guy (photo courtesy of Leslie) in the parking lot.

A stone ruin stands on a rocky outcrop surrounded by dense greenery and rolling hills in a desert landscape.
A rocky cliff overlooking a vast landscape of rolling hills and valleys, with scattered vegetation and mountains in the background.
A small, colorful lizard with green and brown markings crawling on a rocky surface.

The last stop of Day 1’s tour was Lowry Pueblo. According to Wikipedia, this 1,000 year old pueblo is believed to have begun as a relative small community with just a few rooms, but is unusual for the presence of a great kiva, suggesting it served as a communal center for a scattered population before the settlement around it got larger.

Day 2

As planned, we returned to the canyon to take a little longer hike along Sand Canyon. The trail was amazing as were some of the pueblos we saw along the way.

A hiker walking along a sandy trail in a rocky canyon with colorful cliffs and green vegetation in the background.
A narrow dirt path winding through rugged terrain with rocky outcrops and sparse vegetation.
A rocky landscape featuring unique formations with reddish-brown rock, scattered bushes, and a blue sky.
A large rock formation with layered colors, set against a clear blue sky, surrounded by sparse vegetation and desert terrain.
A rocky cliff face with a large overhang, featuring remnants of ancient stone structures below. The sky overhead is partly cloudy, and sparse vegetation is visible in the surrounding area.
A large rock formation with a prominent overhang and a small ancient stone structure at its base, surrounded by sparse vegetation and under a bright blue sky.
Ancient cliff dwellings constructed from stone are visible on a rock face, surrounded by rugged red rock formations and sparse vegetation.

After touring the Canyon of the Ancients we planned to head to Mesa Verde. But first, since we were so close, I wanted to stop at Four Corners Monument since I’ve never been there before.

Silverton Colorado

The first stop of our SW Colorado tour was Silverton.

From their webpage: “Founded in an ancient caldera, Silverton, Colorado is called home by roughly 600 year-round inhabitants. The only township in San Juan County at an elevation of 9,318 feet, this town has roots in mining at the turn of the 20th century.”

A vibrant street scene showcasing colorful historic buildings with shops and cafes, set against a backdrop of mountains and blue sky.
Historic buildings in a colorful downtown area with shops and restaurants, featuring outdoor seating and decorative bunting, under a blue sky with clouds.
A picturesque residential area with colorful houses and a green lawn, set against a backdrop of mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
Two houses in a rural setting with mountains in the background. The house on the left is white with a 'For Sale' sign, while the right house is an old red brick structure showing signs of decay.

The town is surrounded by high mountains and as the host at our hotel said, when you hike from Silverton you can only go up, steeply.

Hike to Ice Lake

With that said, we spent our first day hiking to Ice Lake from South Mineral Campground. This was one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve been on. It was about a 7.5 mile round trip with a 2,400 foot elevation gain. The last incline felt like a bit of a slog, but it was well worth it. When we got to Ice Lake a thunderstorm just moved in, so we touched the lake, took a selfie and scrambled down to safer ground.

A topographic map displaying a hiking trail from South Mineral Campground to Ice Lake, passing Clear Creek Falls. The trail is marked in green, and elevation contours are visible.
A panoramic view of a lush valley surrounded by mountains, with dense pine trees and a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.
A panoramic view of a serene lake surrounded by rugged mountains under a cloudy sky, with lush green terrain leading to the water's edge.
A person walking along a winding trail through a vibrant landscape of colorful autumn foliage, with rocky mountains and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
A gravel path winding through a grassy field with colorful bushes, leading up to rocky cliffs under a partly cloudy sky.
A scenic view of a rocky mountain landscape with a waterfall cascading down the cliffs, surrounded by lush green grass and blue sky with clouds.
A smiling couple poses for a selfie near a serene blue lake surrounded by green hills and rugged mountains under a cloudy sky.

Train Ride to Durango

This 45-mile branch of the original Denver & Rio Grande Railway has been operating since 1882. The route took us through the Animas Canyon along the Animas River with spectacular views of the San Juan National Forest. It was an awesome 3-hour ride down to Durango.

A view of a rural scene featuring a brown house, a black truck, and a steam locomotive in the background, surrounded by pine trees and a gravel road.
A scenic river flowing through a rocky landscape, surrounded by lush green trees and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A scenic view of a river flowing through a mountainous landscape, with rocks and trees lining the banks.
A train traveling through a mountainous landscape with lush green trees, rocky slopes, and a blue sky dotted with clouds.
A vintage train with bright yellow cars traveling across a wooden trestle bridge, surrounded by dense green trees and a flowing river below.
A vintage train traveling along a rocky cliffside with pine trees and a river below, under a blue sky with clouds.
Aerial view of a rocky canyon with steep cliffs and a river flowing through the bottom surrounded by sparse vegetation.

After arriving in Durango we walked over to the Beer Garden that’s right on the Animas River. We had a beer then walked back to the train station to await our bus ride back to Silverton, which is how we ended our day.

A man and woman cheerfully clink glasses filled with drinks at a wooden table, with a backdrop of greenery and soft lighting.