Weekend Guide: The Ultimate Itinerary to Durango, Colorado
Are you ready to experience Durango?! Durango is a small city in southwestern Colorado, near the New Mexico border.
This city is so unique and diverse. From winter sports to summer excursions, Durango, Colorado is the vacation destination for every kind of adventure. There are so many things to see and do. If you find yourself in Durango, use our Ultimate Itinerary to guide you!! It will blow your mind.
Some of the activities listed in this itinerary included:
Zipline tour
E-bike along the rive
Hot springs
This guide is jam-packed with amazing experiences. We included restaurants (vegan-friendly), entertainment, tours, and nature-based activities to help you get the most out of your vacation! Be sure to follow What Taylor Likes and Visit Durango on Instagram!
*Note: You will need a car or another method of transportation to get around.
Disclaimer: This post, Weekend Guide: The Ultimate Itinerary to Durango, Colorado is sponsored. As always, all opinions are my own.
Day 1 – Explore Downtown
• 11:00 am – Arrive: Check into Holiday Inn Express Durango Downtown-Animas River
• 1:00 pm – Lunch: El Moro Spirits and Tavern is a hip bar and eatery in a former saloon! In fact, the restaurant is the site of Durango's strangest shoutout. Known for its seasonal New American eats and weekend brunch, this place is one of the most popular places to eat in town. I highly recommend making reservations if you can. My Mom and I had the best Koren Fried Cauliflower here! It was tempura-battered cauliflower with a spicy ssamjang glaze, pickled carrot slaw, red chile flakes, and sesame seeds. This was my favorite thing on the menu and the cauliflower bites are LARGE. To drink, order these cocktails: Southside, True Romace, and Colorado Mule ($20-25)
945 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301
• 3:00 pm – Explore Downtown Durango: Downtown Durango has tons of entrepreneurial and innovative shops, restaurants, galleries, and entertainment options. Take a stroll down Historic Main Avenue and take n a view of the mountains. My favorite store on Main Avenue is Animas Chocolate & Coffee Company. You can enjoy chocolate and coffee in a joyous atmosphere while taking in the beauty of the store. They have vegan chocolate they can put in your espresso! It is amazing.
Day 2 – Experience Nature
• 8:00 a.m. - Breakfast: In the Holiday Inn Express lobby
• 10:00 am – Activity 1: Rent an electric bike from ROLL and ride on the Animas River Trail. ROLL delivers solar-powered electric bikes (e-bikes) door-to-door and inflatable stand-up paddleboards (SUP's) door-to-river. They do NOT have a store, instead, they deliver e-bikes to your hotel, vacation rental, VRBO, Airbnb, or a home residence within 10 miles of Durango. ROLL is a part of the Durango Sustainable Business Guide in order to increase local spending power in a sustainable way.
The Animas River Trail is a picturesque, paved path along the Animas River. It can be accessed right behind the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel serves as a midway point where you can travel ‘downstream’ to Santa Rita Park or ‘upstream’ to the Durango Botanic Gardens. The trail is only 7 miles long and the bikes are electric. You can ride your bike both ways and have lunch and a beer at Animas Brewing Company (e-bike rentals are $50 for 2 hours or $70 for a half-day).
• 4:00 pm – Activity 2: Head to Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa and enjoy golden hour and the sunset in one of the resort’s 27 hot spring pools. The thermal waters at Durango Hot Springs are the only natural hot springs in the world to infuse nano-meter and micro-meter oxygen bubbles, increasing the health benefits and purity of the natural waters. I loved looking at the mountain view while basking in the natural mineral hot springs. ($30)
6475 Co Rd 203, Durango, CO 81301
• 7:30 pm – Dinner: Rice Monkey is a small Asian bistro known for healthy, creative, and delicious Asian food in a fast friendly environment. I recommend ordering the tofu or veggie rice bowl. It includes sauteed red bell peppers, carrots, onions, mushrooms, celery, broccoli, and scallions ($15)
Day 3 – Zipline Adventure
• 6:30 a.m. - Breakfast: In the Holiday Inn Express lobby
• 7:30 am – Activity 1: Spend the day with Soaring Tree Top Adventures and zip line through the mountains of Durango, Colorado! It is the FIRST and LONGEST zip line in the United States. Soaring Tree Top Adventures is remotely located on 180 private acres, completely surrounded by the mountains of the San Juan National Forest of Durango, Colorado, and is only accessible by train. Your Durango zip line tour starts with a first-class train ride (Durango & Silverton train) through breathtaking mountain scenery to their remote Alpine location, including through remote Colorado mountain terrain untouched by the public. You want to arrive at the Downtown Durango Train Station (479 Main Ave.) no later than 7: 45 a.m. Board the “Tall Timber Legend” train car and check-in with the Soaring attendant. Additional information about your Soaring day in the attached confirmation email.
I experienced 5.5 hours of zip lining! Included in the experience is a delicious gourmet lunch served on a suspended platform that overlooks the Animas River. They are able to accommodate vegans! The kitchen staff is adept at handling special dietary restrictions and food allergies with advance notice.
• 5:30 pm – Dinner: After a day of adventure, I wasn't too picky for anything to eat. Here is a list of places you can check out. Be sure to make reservations if you can:
11th Street Station Food Truck Collective - (1101 Main Avenue) A collection of food trucks with a variety of cuisines all located on an expansive outdoor patio.
Steamworks Brewing Co - (801 E 2nd Ave) A local favorite, we recommend joining the waitlist online, because it is typically pretty busy.
Zia Taqueria - (North & South Locations) Fast, fresh Mexican cuisine - similar to Chipotle. Carver Brewing Company - (1022 Main Avenue) Colorado’s first craft brewery.
Eolus - (919 Main Ave.) Fine farm-to-table dining with a beautiful rooftop patio.
Fired Up- (735 Main Ave.) Great woodfired pizza with a rooftop patio.
Switchbacks - (741 Main Ave) m\Modern street tacos and traditional Mexican dishes.
What recommendations do you want to try? Let us know in the comments below!
Until Next Time,
Tay
“Your life is happening now. Make it amazing!”