Durango, CO or Maggie Valley NC?

OK, Mockybird, that does it. Was going to Durango, but now I'm coming to NC to drink all the whisky, eat all the BBQ, dance with all the pretty women, and drive slowly and wobbly down your highways. If any energy left, might come back and go to Durango. Thanks all.

Yes, please go to Durango. It's so crowded here now that we need some relief in NC. Durango is much better. Safe travelling.

We will be workamping at a lake near Durango this summer. It's called Vallecito Lake and the resort is called 5Branches. Looks like a beautiful area, and we are really excited about spending the summer
there.

We have stayed at both United Campground (north of Durango) and Lightner Creek (west). By far we like United the best. The steam train goes through twice a day and is fun to watch. There is a hot spring pool just a couple of miles up the road from United that is wonderful.

Durango, I'd say. Lot of cool sights & sites in New Mexico on the way up to CO and on the return trip.

Southeast of Durango, Heron Lake State Park has a nice lake and hiking trails and creek fishing. The state park is about 20 miles from Chama, about 30 minutes. Heron Lake is an anglers delight, stocked with Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon. *Heron lake has 6,000-acre normal surface acres. The lake has approximately 35 miles of shoreline. Maximum depth at the dam is 215 feet when full and 142 feet at minimum storage level (7,186 feet elevation). Lake is restricted to sailing and no-wake speed operation of motorboats. Coldwater fishery. Rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, carp, and kokanee salmon. Optimum fishing levels around 7,170' Ice fishing depending on conditions. One can will find good lake kayak/canoe exploration above the Narrows up Willow Creek and along the west side from the West Side Primitive Camping area. Another day can be spent exploring some of the Rio Chama Canyon with water backed up the Canyon where it enters El Vado Lake. North Ramp Access point for that paddle is just 2 miles west of Heron Lake on the way to the Stone House Lodge on NM 95.

We have spent a bit of time at Heron Lake State Park near Chama, NM going back several years in the summers. But have not been there in some time. We did have a canoe and enjoyed canoeing on it. Chama is a neat place with a very nice steam train ride up into Colorado. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. They fish the Chama River as well as the creek leading from Heron Lake to El Vado Lake. Rail Road

Heron Lake State Park: One can drive, bike or walk to a section of Vado Lake State Park, but Vado Lake allows speed boats, canoed a lot on *Heron, even canoed on the section of Vado by Heron up the Rio Chama which is "flooded" or backed up by Vado Lake water for some distance until it became two shallow to canoe easily). One can hike down from the Dam Area to the Rio Chama at Heron. As we were canoeing back from the flooded Rio Chama a speed boad up on plane came charging at us. But it turned before getting very close. Close enough at the time. Didn't know if he could see us or not. We were waving our paddles. We entered Vado at the North Boat Ramp. We were just getting back close to the Boat Ramp site.

If time allows check out the wool weavers workshop Tierra Wools in Los Ojos near the turn off to Heron Lake SP. Clicky

The first part of this 2012 Trip Report has info & Photos the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad & a little on Heron Lake SP.

Two neat stops, north of Abiquiu, worth a see would be the Echo Amphitheater, a Natural rock formation, and the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education and Visitor Center, located on U.S. Highway 84 just one mile north of the main Ghost Ranch entrance, has exhibits and a gift shop. A very nice museum in "O´Keefe Country." The Echo Amphitheater is past the visitor center some miles.

A really neat area to see: Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't -A Trip Report last summer.
More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded.

We found on our trip to Bandelier that Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/
http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx

We got good Asian at Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well. Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza.

Cochiti Lake COE campground, between ABQ & Santa Fe & at a lower elevation should have sites open. As would Bandelier National Monument's Juniper Campground. Higher than Cochiti Lake. Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area a BLM site with campgrounds is 30 miles north of Santa Fe (near Santa Cruz). Not as high as Santa Fe.

Black Canyon Campground is just before Hyde State Park & is one of the more popular campgrounds on the Santa Fe National Forest....not electric, but water, restrooms. No showers at both Black Canyon & Hyde State Park. Seasons: Weather dependant, April through November. Depending on size of your rig, might be too small sites.

We used Hyde SP last summer on two trips in the area. No showers, too high in the mountains, I assume. But have a few electric sites, fairly long ones. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/hydememorialstatepark.html

One can find a cool alpine rest down in Southern New Mexico as well. Cloudcroft, Lincoln/Capitan a Trip Report.

Not high country, but has electric sites for a/c for daytime & cools off at night very well. Valley of Fires BLM Campground is a first rate campground with electric & water hookups, good dump station and a fine shower house. Pics & description can be found: Campground.

US 380 runs from Roswell to Carrizozo to San Antonio, between Carrizozo & US 70 one passes Billy the Kid Country & Lincoln (off the route some but connected to the Lincoln County War Fort Stanton) & Smokey Bear in Capitan, & the neat Valley of Fire BLM Campground is near Carrizozo, then take US 54 south to Alamogordo. Or US 380 to San Antonio & I-25.

US 82 through Cloudcroft to Alamogordo is another neat drive. US 285 in TX will lead you to the Carlsbad & on up to US 82.

Older post on Route Suggestions Dallas to Durango.

In Durango area, the train ride, drive the Million Dollar Hwy to Silverton & Ouray. Do day trips: to Colorado Nat'l Mon't. near Grand Junction, to Mesa Verde, to Telluride & to Wolf Creek Pass. Sights & Sites
Can't help on eating places. I'm sure there are many.

Colorado Nat'l Monument above Grand Junction:

View from the campground.

Native Texan by Birth, New Mexican by Choice.

DesertHawk

Durango for sure , camped there in late July last year and it was very nice.

The Durango-Silverton train ride is the best I've found in the USA.

T'were me, I'd go there, hands down.

We spent the month of July in Durango last summer. It was great, could have spent the whole summer there. Kayaking every day.

We go to Colorado every summer for a couple of weeks. Durango is great, a bigger town with a lot of good places to eat but it does get warm during the day sometimes (it will cool back down at night). A couple of years ago it hit 100 degrees but that is very unusual. A great town, be sure and take the train to Silverton. We now go to Silverton or Ouray. Smaller towns but higher and cooler. If I ever make retirement I plan to spent the entire summer in that area.

Been to both and I'd pick Durango.