Although you can drive the 236 breathtaking miles of the San Juan Skyway in about six hours, we'd suggest you take six days, from Victorian Silverton up the Million Dollar Highway to charming, old-fashioned Ouray and peaceful Ridgway. Next is upscale Telluride, with its film and music festivals. Heading back south, overnight in Cortez or Mancos, convenient to Mesa Verde National Park. Overnight accommodations are available in the park itself at the Far View Lodge. The four state highways, that comprise this nationally recognized scenic byway, will lead you beneath 14,000 foot mountain peaks, through deep alpine valleys, and five million acres of national forest. More info… You can also drive the route in clockwise direction-it's just as dramatic.

The hardest part of visiting Durango is figuring out how to do it all. Outdoor enthusiasts can hike, bike, and horseback ride in the San Juan Mountains; water lovers can raft, kayak, or fly-fish the Animas River. Location: Durango is located in southwestern Colorado, about 335 miles southwest of Denver, and 216 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Activities: A ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a must. This 1880s steam-powered train offers dramatic vistas of the mountains above and the river below as it wends its way to Silverton, elevation 9,300 feet. It's about 3 ½ hours each way, so return by bus unless you're a diehard rail fan. In Silverton, browse in the shops, have lunch, and visit the old San Juan County Jail, before heading back to Durango. Mild to Wild Rafting offers rafting on the lower Animas River. Our half-day whitewater trip was over much too soon, so we headed over to Trimble Hot Springs for a relaxing soak and massage. Mesa Verde National Park, 36 miles west of Durango, is both beautiful and fascinating. Park rangers lead tours through the amazing cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people, built from 600-1300 A.D. Stop first at the Far View Visitor Center to buy tour tickets, and allow a full day, minimum. More info Inns: Stay in town if you enjoy walking to historic Durango's many shops and restaurants. We stayed at the Strater, and were amazed at the extraordinary quality of its Victorian antique décor; be sure to have a drink at the Strater's Diamond Belle Saloon, and catch the melodrama at its Diamond Circle theater. Also in town is the beautifully restored 1892 Rochester Hotel; its 15 guest rooms are decorated in an Old Western movie motif. About eight miles north of town is the delightful Apple Orchard Inn; its guest rooms and cottages overlook lush gardens and a meandering stream, framed by dramatic mountain views. We could see the train chugging by in the distance, as we relaxed on our private porch. About four miles west of town is the Lightner Creek Inn, an appealing B&B in a quiet but convenient location. If there's a place closer to heaven than the Blue Lake Ranch, we haven't been there yet. Fields of flowers and a trout-stocked lake fill the foreground; the La Plata Mountains claim the distance; and in between, sunsets to die for. Top it off with accommodations, food, and hospitality that would be first-rate in an ordinary setting. Since it's 16 miles west of town, guests often bring easy dinner fixings; most rooms have kitchenettes. More inns… Find a B&B | Specials | Recipes | Message Boards | Gift Certificates | Store | Book Online