Purgatory Resort Summer Day Passes are 100% worth it! Our family of 5 with kids ages 4 years old to…read more10 years old absolutely loved it. The passes include a ride on their Inferno Mountain Coaster, the Alpine slides, Go Karts, Board/Boat trip in the lake and gold panning but we went on double ride day and had double the fun! Our half day passes were from 10am-1:30pm but we ended up staying until 3pm just enjoying the mountain scenes and Bear Bar and eats! We all agreed it was something we would want to do every summer. The views and adventures were incredible and we definitely made lifelong memories here. Note, strongly suggest you hit up the coaster, alpine slides and gold panning together as the Go Karts and Lake Adventures are more towards the entrance of the resort, but with the shuttle and awesome staff, it's easy to get there and they were super supportive of time restraints!

while weather can't be controlled, the communication from the resort about the conditions was…read moreawful. by day 2 only 20 of the 107 trails were open. the office messed up my ticket exchange and i paid more for their mistake. ticket office staff was rude. we had an injured child skiing and while waiting for her to be brought down an employee told me to chill out and have a cocktail. staff was so rude. mountain was mug at the bottom. can't control conditions but your employees don't have to ruin the experience.

We had an awesome time in deep snow with great guides! They did a great job balancing risk…read moremitigation and the itch to ride the best pow. The crew was knowledgeable, amicable, and skilled. We chose to drive the long drive to Silverton (from Denver) expressly for the snowcat trip with this group, rather than staying closer to the front range of Colorado. The mountain was pretty much empty with fresh untracked powder. My only regret is that the day came to an end. To quote my 17 yo daughter, "It was pretty dang epic bro!"

Great time on the cat! Always helps when the guides are cool and know there way around the…read moremountain. San Juan mountains are an incredible back drop for a day of pow pow.

I had a very good time at Durango. Went down with some buddies on a late season weekend, so the…read moresnow wasn't great but the vibe was nice. Plenty of fun runs, and a decent amount of high speed lifts. The layout is a bit funky with some solid traversing and long runouts but overall still a good spot. We stayed in the village. Not much food that I know of in the village so we are down in the town of Durango. Had free days from a season pass from a partner resort so used those to my advantage. Great views and a pretty drive! In the words of the terminator, "I'll be back."

So much more to do here than the last time we came here. The all day pass is a good deal for summer…read moreactivities (we didn't choose this option) but the lines are long for almost everything. Didn't try the zipline, but didn't seem worth it based on the length. The inferno mountain coaster is an amazing addition, although we waited in line for 45 min for it. (Note that dogsledding tours are also offered in the summer as well. You just have to ask about it). The alpine slide has changed dramatically in the past few years (we used to be able to get buy one get one coupons for 5 bucks here, but now that tickets are $15 each for a single ride... that's a different story). Worth spending an afternoon here

Still fuming over $4,000+ lost on AirBNB with no notice that the ski instructors were revolting for…read morea $50 an hour pay raise, shutting down all but one lift and no skiing. Apparently the town was also getting crushed (servers, bartenders, etc) by this. SOME sort of news/press release would have saved countless people thousands of dollars. Previously I gave 5*because it is a gorgeous resort, lush skiing, absolutely magnificent views worthy of the hikes. Everyone in old town was so warm and welcoming. Expensive, but you get what you pay for!

Was saddened to learn skiing was not an option during a recent labor dispute. Besides that fact,…read moreTelluride is wonderful for the most European-style feeling mountain Colorado offers.

Great mountain. Incredible ski school for kids and adults…read more Best snow in CO Great crowd....mostly friendly and chill No matter what the ski trip is trying to look like....wolf creek fits (ok, unless it's bougie....this ain't your Apres and designer coat spot) Family friendly Girl trip Guys weekend Spring Break Want to stay in the groomers, great it's close and easy to navigate. Want to explore and get more extreme terrain, take off towards Alberta lift and have your pick.

Best mountain I've ever skiid at. There's so many runs and amazing snow here. So much to do and I…read morefell in love with the pizza at the top of the green runs I forgot what it was called. Had a great time & trip here with friends, would recommend to everyone!

OMG -- Kendall is my new favorite! What a perfect place for everyone -- nice short runs with…read moremultiple levels so you can work on anything. As a complete beginner, I found Kendall to be the perfect place to build some confidence! If you're in the Durango/Silverton area and thinking about taking lessons and getting started, skip Purgatory and come here for a top notch experience and a perfect place to begin. Save yourself the $$!

This was my first time here and I gotta say it's definitely a great place for beginners and…read morefamilies! I came to teach a friend to snowboard and by the end of the day she was doing falling leaf without falling!!! ;-) They've got 4 groomed trails, tree runs, a small terrain park, and 1 double chair lift. And for all you ice skaters, they've got a great skating area. Of course they also welcome cross-country skiers! Another plus is that this place is freakin' affordable! Check out these prices! Adult (19 - 64) $25.00 Child (6 - 18) $17.00 Child (5 & under) FREE! Senior (65+) $17.00 This is there extended holiday schedule: MLK Weekend: 1/17 - 1/21 Presidents Weekend: 2/14 - 2/18 If you're into night skiing, Kendall Mountain will light up the trails on three Saturdays throughout the season: January 19th, February 9th (with Snowscape Fireworks!) and March 23rd. Food vendors, beer and wine, a bonfire and a DJ will be spinning up some tunes all evening! Night skiing will run from 5 - 9 pm, and tickets are $25 adults, $17 kids/seniors, and children 5 and under ski free (day tickets, discount passes and season passes are not valid for night skiing). All in all I loved Kendall Mountain...even bought some KM swag, but I'm giving them four stars because the chairlift dismount was a HUGE drop and not very beginner friendly. Don't worry, I sill love Kendall Mountain but I sure hope they work on smoothing out that dismount!

We rode the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Cascade Canyon and chose the Alamosa…read moreParlor Car, the last car on the train with private service. It's definitely more expensive, but you're paying for a premium experience: the best unobstructed views, attentive service, and nice extras like a souvenir cup, a bag, and a muffin to start the trip. Our server, Liam, absolutely made the experience, funny, engaging, and on top of everything the entire ride. Drinks are about $10 each, which felt reasonable given the setting and service. That said, the experience wasn't perfect. Our train was scheduled to leave at 9:15 AM but didn't depart until 10:30 due to brake issues. As a result, our time at Cascade Canyon was cut significantly, We only had about 30 minutes instead of the full experience. We were given a $10 drink credit, which was appreciated, but it didn't quite make up for the lost time. Even with that hiccup, the scenery was breathtaking and the overall experience was still memorable. A tip: if you book the Alamosa car, go for the two-seater tables (we were at 19 & 20). The four-seaters feel cramped and take away from the experience. Silverton trips don't start until May 2, but I imagine that route would be incredible as well. Overall, despite the delay, we had a fantastic time and would still recommend it, just hoping your trip runs on schedule!

I'm not sure what the four stars are about for a lot of people. For me, it was one of the most EPIC…read moreexperiences of my life. The beauty is totally surreal. I felt like I was constantly looking at a painting. It was awe-inspiring. You can open up the window next to your seat and I really encourage you to do so to get the best views and video on your phone. If you go in winter, wear LAYERS, think big coat, sweater, beanie, gloves. You will spend an hour outside. The train is heated but not super warm because as I said, people open their windows. There is a train car that is open air so you can also go there during the ride to get even better views if you want though it does get crowded. We chose a COACH seat because it was half the price, but I do think in the future that I would like to try first class. The seats in coach are pretty small. It's like a bench seat so two people can fit in them, but you're going to need to sit next to someone that you wanna cozy up next to. In first class, you sit in a dining chair that is padded, but then has a wooden back and you're at a table. There is a concession car, but you can also BRING your own food, your own snacks, and your own drinks, which is great. When you arrive in Cascade, you get an hour to walk next to the river and view the mountains there. It's not a town so there's literally just picnic tables and the river and the views. But I found that spot to be really gorgeous. The river is like a blue green sort of turquoise color and it's so beautiful and peaceful to view. Right when everyone gets off the train, everybody will be taking videos and pictures. I encourage you to WAIT about 30 minutes after everyone else has gotten what they want to take pictures of. And then take your videos and pictures when no one else is doing it. THE TRIP: You go from seeing the town of Durango to a gorgeous lake on your right if you're on the right side of the train when it's facing forward to the mountains on either side of you to the river all along the train. I was sitting on the right side if the train is facing forward, and I found that to be the BEST SIDE because even though you get to do the other side on the way back, you get the best views of everything on the way up. There is this one place where the train has just a drop off and the river below it (the most iconic part of the ride) and you get the best views of that if you're on the right side going up.

Like other locations I've stayed at, impeccably clean. I've become a fan of Club Wyndham for towns…read morewhere better-than-standard lodging options are hard to come by or it's a quick stay. This location was like its Pagosa counterpart, very clean, easy check in and check out, simple but impeccable, no frills accommodations. Not luxe per se, but simple and perfect for four nights.

An excellent stay! We chose this hotel based on proximity to main street and the train station and…read morewere very pleasantly surprised with the quality of our room. It was nice, clean, well-equipped, perfect temperature (adjustable) and had a cute little balcony. It was a few minutes walk from both main street and the train station; we didn't drive for two days! A few things to note: there is no room service (at least during our stay), the front desk closes at 9p - like most of the town, the vanity is a little dim for makeup and there are no vending machines or any way to buy drinks or snacks at the hotel. There is also a $12 parking fee per day that was not listed when we made the reservation. Overall, it was an excellent choice! Looking forward to our next stay.

Amazing views from this 7.8 acres, very private property just 10 minutes north of old town Durango…read moreadjacent to the posh Dalton Ranch. Perfect for a large family or a company retreat, this home would be best for a ski vacation. Just a mile off the main road to Purgatory (one of the best and most under rated ski resorts in America) the county road is well maintained in the winter months. Drawbacks: no hot tub or outdoor jacuzzi; in spring and fall the county road is packed with mountain bikers; summer can be hot in Durango and this property has no a/c. All in all an excellent place to stay!

From the owner: Luxury Vacation Rental for families and friends, destination weddings and anniversaries, business…read moregroups of up to 18 guests. The Main House has normally sleeps 8 in the 4 bedrooms, but a few more can be accommodated on a trundle bed set and/or an air mattress. The Guest Unit sleeps 6 in three bedrooms. Located in the beautiful Animas Valley, Red Cliff Guest House is between Durango and the Purgatory Ski Area making both convenient for winter and summer activities. Dalton Ranch Golf Club is only two miles.

What a great experience for people with little to no experience in the backcountry! I was nervous…read moreabout the avalanches, nervous about the terrain, just everything in general as we have never gone backcountry skiing but the whole operation ran very smoothly and we loved both days we went! They start by grouping people by activity level and aggressiveness desired, we fell into moderate for both. Different people in the our group in each but same awesome guide, shoutout to Cameron!! There's only one lift but the bus system and way they separate the groups is very efficient. The runs are amazingg and the I highly recommend the heli-drops. The next time we go back, we're definitely doing a 3 or 6 pack instead of just the one. The hiking is...brutal, at that elevation and when your legs are already tiring from going down the mountain, it was difficult for me. And I would consider myself a fairly fit person coming from Denver so already at a higher altitude to begin with. The second day seemed slightly easier than the first. The mountain is amazing, the town is adorable. As someone who wants to go in the backcountry but slightly nervous going without an expert, I really loved my experience. Our guide was so knowledgeable, asked for our preferences, and was super patient with me which I appreciated! I can't wait to go back!

Beautiful mountains. When we went it was covered with snow that too in May end. View from the town…read moreis awesome though.