Mesa Verde/Durango Co-where to stay?
Wanting to goWest this year, to the Mesa Verde and Durango area. Wife wants to see the cliff dwellings, and son wants to ride on the steam train. Been there many years ago, but was in a tent....where ...
Forum Discussion
Two Hands wrote:
The park has one very large campground with many sites. About 15 of those sites have full hookups and we had one of those. There was a good amount of space between all the sites and with all the trees and vegetation it was like dispersed camping. We really liked the campground and thoroughly enjoyed the park. Probably wouldn't need a reservation for the dry sites, but the few with hookups fill quickly.
This is true. If you are going to spend more than one day at Mesa Verde, it makes sense to stay in the park as it is a fair distance up from the highway.
Don't forget to make reservations for tours before you go, as the popular ones fill quickly.
We've stayed at a private CG only twice in our life when it was the only option, so I can't help you with those around Durango. I will note that Haviland NFS CG about 18 miles north of Durango sits right on the shore of the lake and has 17 sites with 50 amp service. It's at 8700' so quite a bit cooler than those down by Durango. The train doesn't go by there, but maybe the lake makes up for that. If you want a lakeside spot with electric, reserve NOW as they fill very quickly. But even if you can get right on the lake, the other electric sites are also quite nice. We last stayed there two years ago. Even if you take the train, you might consider driving to Silverton and taking a full day to explore the town and the area. Head up past Eureka to the ghost town of Animas Forks. Haviland CG is less than an hour from Silverton (assuming you don't pull over every mile to take pictures).
I notice you like to mountain bike. If you've got the lungs for it, the Colorado Trail from Little Molas Lake above Silverton is gorgeous with flowers in the summer. But, the trail starts at 10,900' and climbs to 11,600' in the first few miles. Not steep, but two + miles high in elevation. (Definitely fits the moniker "Mountain Biking"!)Another lower elevation option are the trails of Boggy Draw near Dolores. Single track trails built for mountain bikes. I have other ideas about where to ride in the area if you're interested. PM me if you're interested.
