Also, it is a college town so there are a ton of dive bars and little hole in the wall places. Some good some not.

Excellent people watching.

 

taking the train from Durango to silverton, what side do we reserve for the best seats?

 

Excellent pics!!
Very impressive and with a drone?
Enquiring minds want to know how this is done?

 

Taking the train both ways is an all day affair. Best to go one way they have a bus that will take you back.
The best side is the east side. That's the right when going to Silverton and the left on the way back to Durango.
It's a must do.

Also ride the Million Dollar Highway 550 to Ouray. Then loop west to Highway 145 That will take you by Lizard Head pass and Mount Wilson. That loop is the best motorcycle ride in the US. Not so good in a car. You'd always want to be looking up.

There are lots of good restaurants in Durango and very few chains. Some excellent brew pubs such as Carvers or Steamworks.
Steamworks is my top recommendation for food and beer.

 

The wife and I rode the train there back in `08. For me the highlight of the train ride was on the return trip just before coming back into the town of Durango. Four chicks mooned the train from the other side of the river. Damn! I wasn`t fast enough with the camera to get that shot. `Wife was giving me the "fish eye" the whole time.....

 

I was at hat camp site last eek as well..! I bough my toy hauler and we enjoyed the area very much.

 

We've been to Durango a few times, though never on the bike yet. Almost always tent camped at the KOA Kampground but they also have nice Kabins if you prefer that. Plenty of nightlife and good food depending on your taste. Look on Yelp or Tripadvisor for reviews of many eateries.

If you're not able to stay in Pagosa Springs, try staying in Ouray - especially after riding the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray via Silverton, Ouray is a nice place to stay and relax. They do have a hot springs there, though it can be a busy and crowded one. Ouray also has a KOA Kampground that's further north and relatively secluded if you like some peace and quiet.

Mesa Verde National Park will take about a full day if you do a tour of the cave dwellings. Interesting history but the ride itself isn't anything to write home about. If you venture towards Mesa Verde, take the short hop to the 4 Corners area. The road was closed during our visit, so we never made it there.

We looked into this during our stay there, but never had enough time to do it. I believe at the time, the 4 Corners Whitewater was one of the better rated and recommended ones. There are several places to choose from.

Don't recall it being that high, but it is a nice experience. Like someone mentioned earlier, if you do the train as a round trip, it will take a whole day. 3 - 4 hours each direction with an hour or two stop in Silverton. Definitely worth doing if you have the time - if you're short on time, take the train to Silverton and ride the bus back. It'll shave a few hours.

If you do have the time, make the short hop to Telluride - lots of eateries, but many are commercialized and a heavy tourist spot. Another place to check out is further north east, via Pagosa Springs - in the San Juan mountain range - head towards South Fork and up 149 via Creede to Lake City. Another quaint little town and a great stop for lunch, after which you can continue up towards Gunnison.

 

We had seats on the right side (east going up). They were great seats. I joked with the conductor that I wanted my money back for the seats. We did not use them any on the way up.


Take the bus back from Silverton. It makes for a long day riding the train back and seeing the same thing you saw that morning. 3+ hour ride.


I think our seats were like $85 each. You will have to pay a little extra to ride the bus back.

 

thanks everyone for the info(keep it coming) we are booking train\raft deal
takes you on the train 2 hr north then you jump off the train and float down Rockwood box..
thanks again you guys are a ton of help...

 

for those that camped Koa in Durango and Ouray how many tents to a site?