On Tuesday, May 25, we took the short drive from Cortez to Durango and checked in early. Our campground is about four miles north of Durango overlooking the Animas River, pastoral farmlands, grazing horses and the red rock cliffs on the opposite side of the narrow valley. Very nice setting.
Even better, the famous Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs through the campground. Ron couldn’t wait to see it chugging along, and he didn’t have to wait long.
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway dates back to 1881 when the line was part of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. The tracks from Durango to Silverton were completed in 1882 to haul silver and gold ore from mines high in the San Juan Mountains. When the mines ran out, the railroad realized that passengers were flocking to take this scenic ride. Thus, the train has been running continuously for nearly 130 years. The coaches are 19th century vintage. The coal-fired steam-powered engines aren’t quite that old, but they date back to the 1920s and are carefully maintained in the local shop.
It took 3½ hours to get to Silverton. The scenery along the Animas River and through the steep rocky canyons was beautiful. There were lots of heads and cameras sticking out the windows on every turn.
The train averages about 18 mph during its climb from Durango (6,500 ft.) to Silverton (9,300 ft.). Bonnie was getting a little nervous as the train continued its slow climb along narrow rock ledges high above the river. The drop-offs were vertical and the train was rocking back and forth. It was a rush, especially looking straight down at the river.
The town of Silverton began in the 1870s after gold and silver was discovered in the area. It grew to about 400 buildings and a population of 2,000 in 1883. Mining continued for more than 100 years until it was closed down in the early 1990s and tourism took over the local economy. Today, Silverton is not only a railroad ride destination, but a popular jumping off point for fishing, hiking, jeeping, mountain biking and other outdoor activities. It’s still fairly rustic (one paved street) and very appealing to tourists who like to snap photos of the old buildings and surrounding 14,000 ft. peaks.
As soon as our train arrived, we made a dash for the Brown Bear Café on Green Street. We wanted to make sure we had time for lunch before the crowd got there. We had an excellent lunch at a modest price and it wasn’t at all crowded. We had plenty of time to explore the shops and have a bite of fudge before returning to Durango.
We spent part of our last evening in Durango relaxing in our lawn chairs while watching the setting sun light up the red rocks on the hills beyond the Animas River. Very nice! There’s a lot to see and do in the Durango area. But, since we can’t do it all, we’ll move on down the highway into New Mexico tomorrow.
Beautiful!!!! Thanks for the great pictures and posts - this will be on our list of things to do...
ReplyDeleteHope all is well.
Diane and Andy
Its very pretty, however, I've very surprised they let folks stick their heads out the windows... In this high litigation society it seems like a liability. (Although, if it were me, I would have figured out a way to be snapping pics from the engine room. LOL!)
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