Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Questions about Ouray, Colorado

It's been interesting to read the comments of where I feel privileged to live. I don't know how old the kids are, but here are my suggestions: Mesa Verde and the train are a must. A million people come to the Southwest just to check out the Indian ruins and ride the train. Check out durango.com to get info. I'm sure that Mesa Verde also has a web site. A warning about the train, it's expensive. If you go in the summer, that's the height of our tourist season, so it may be worthwhile to get tickets ahead of time if you can. Otherwise, you may get stuck with the higher priced tickets (there are two types of train cars/prices). Someone said to take the train up and the bus back, a good idea, as little ones might get bored on the way back. However, if they like the train, ... it'll just take all day. Speaking of heights, (Durango to Ouray, which is not to miss) the train travels over some steep gorges too. Personally, they don't bother me, and I'm sure your crew will be fine. Telluride, Silverton, Durango and Ouray--you are going to be doing A LOT of driving is all I can say! If you are looking at a map, please take into consideration that these are mountain roads. The person who said the drive from Silverton to Ouray is an hour was correct, and its about an hour from Durango to Silverton. Since the train goes from Durango to Silverton, you'll see pretty much all you need to see of Silverton during the train's stop. Ouray is lovely, but like Silverton, it's a very small town, with not much to do. I was just there last week with some out of town guests and everything was closed up! Granted, it's winter and it was a Sunday. I'd also suggest Durango as a base. While the Strater Hotel is not to miss, it would be pricey with kids (especially since you're talking about KOA's). Lunch at the Strater would be good, or at Old Timers Cafe (if kids are into mountain bikers). If they like motorcycles, try Scoot 'n Blues. I've not been there since they remodeled, but they used to have Indian motorcycles all over ala 'Hard Rock'. Back to KOA, there is a KOA overlooking the Animas River (just outside the north end of Durango) that is in a lovely spot and inexpensive. I'd book that right away! Baker Bridge is a nearby photo op. There is another campground (not KOA) I don't know the name, between Durango Mountain Resort, aka Purgatory, and Silverton that is also in a gorgeous spot. DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAME? Telluride is also nice, but it's gotten a little chi chi with celebrities, who own part time homes there. However, I don't know where you'd stay that would be reasonable. According to some of the comments, I guess that's what people think of Durango now, but I'm biased and of course disagree. I'd pass on Cortez. Also, regarding Mesa Verde, I don't know the interests of your kids, or their attention spans, but two days at Mesa Verde may be a lot. Mind you, there is much to see, but sometimes they close some of the dwellings, depending upon the time of year. With Durango as a home base, Mesa Verde is about an hour to 1.5 hours (longer from KOA, shorter from Strater) drive. You spend all day at Mesa Verde, I'm not sure they'll want to spend another day looking at cliff dwellings and kivas even if you stayed in Cortez or the national park. On another note, you didn't mention where you were coming from. Are you flying or driving? If you are driving, are you doing the Grand Canyon? People who drive from Calfornia usually hit the GC on the way to Mesa Verde... Also, the Durango Mountain Resort has tried to put together things to do on 'the mountain' year round--again, check out the web sites for summer events. Good luck, you'll have a great and memorable trip!