Had a great experience picking up my access pass! Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable. I…read moreappreciated that I was able to bring in my printed file to pick up a pass in person.

The most enchanting National Forest I've visited in 2021. I hiked to the Rainbow Hot Springs. The…read moreRainbow Hot Springs is a 10 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Pagosa Springs. Also located in the San Juan National Forest. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties!! They have plenty of campgrounds (with friendly campground hosts) and nearby Horseback Riding opportunities. I came here with a good friend of mine, as we visited South Fork, CO. The weather was perfect in May of 2021 and I needed a Chilly Mini for my neck. We spotted some gorgeous waterfalls and really unique plants. San Juan appeared to have had a forest fire in the last 5 years, because we definitely witnessed some aftermath. Lots of old, dead and burned down tree trunks. The trail is fairly easy, a little rocky, but such a great cardio workout for your calves. We spotted some wonderful rivers that kept my friend and I very cool.

Durango was never on my radar until my fellow hikers recommended it. It is a quaint city and this…read moreriver trail is nice for a stroll or a 9+ mile bike ride. It is mostly in good condition with about 20 percent with cracks that will give you a jolt. The final down river section has two modest inclines. Nice crossovers over wooden bridges. No bathrooms. Thank goodness for Albertson's right off the trail. Parking around Downtown is metered. About five-six blocks away from the river is free street parking. The white water launch park (in one of the photos) has a parking lot with a steam engine locomotive. Free or not I am unsure. Placards along the trail to note the development of the city. Stop for lunch in one of the many options on Main St.

Beautiful trail. A must-see if visiting or living in Durango. This trail is long so we started at…read morethe main point where there is a park with swings and benches.

So a local told me this was the best view in town. At the top you get a view of Downtown Durango…read moreand the mountains. At four hundred steps you get some benches. Keep going to five hundred and you are near the end reaching the college. A nice way to keep off the freshman weight gain. On the way up an elderly woman was coming down. I saw her again towards the bottom to do it over again. I smiled and said, "Once is not enough?" She replied, "Not quite." There's hope for us all. There is another option to go on the dirt switchback path. The view going up isn't very exciting until you reach towards the top, but if your goal is exercise, get stepping.

Emelia is the best river guide ever!!! She took us down in the big 16' raft with 7 of us…read morepassengers and navigated the river like a pro. She's super funny (dry humor, great wit and some hilarious group shots!) and very river savvy. We were safe and it was so fun!! We rafted on a day later in the season with the Animas river running about 200cfs--perfect for a group of with children, novices adults and an active senior. We didn't get stuck once and made it through some tight fits without even touching the boulders. "All Net!" we told her :) The Mountain Waters Rafting crew were awesome. Loved the lead guide's safety presentation that was peppered with some great humour. Punctual; clean gear; loved all the writing in the bus. Great place. Can't wait to book more adventures with them!

Relaxing, Fun, and Perfect for the Whole Family!…read more Our family (kids ages 8 to 15) had an absolute blast rafting with Mountain Waters. It was the perfect mix of relaxing and fun--just enough adventure to keep everyone engaged without being intense. Sam, our guide, was fantastic. She made the whole trip a blast with her quick humor and steady stream of bad dad jokes (which I'll admit--I appreciated more than I should've). She kept the kids laughing and made the whole experience feel easy and memorable. The photos turned out amazing, and I'm just glad we all stayed safe during Beaver Shark season. Highly recommend for families looking for a fun, light adventure with a great guide.

This is the best park. Hands down. For real…read more As we first entered the city from the south, it greeted us and we instantly knew that we would love living in Durango. We even made a video about it. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/SaahtX7wBuY

This growing little town is ideally located between the mountains and the desert. Many good…read morerestaurants. But- The City Council cannot manage the homeless because they ignore the effective policies of Vail along I-70 and Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley. See the photo. Millions were spent expanding this park with big river rocks for rafts and kayaks AND a smelly sewage treatment plant. It could be fun if the smell of human feces doesn't bother you. I was unable (my bad) to upload photos of human waste and toilet paper. Disgusting. Given the number of off-leash dogs I saw, I expected better canine behavior. Instead I saw scary aggressive behavior and dog fights. Where is Animal Control? Safety laws are being broken. Please, as a dog owner, train your pooch or keep him on leash!

We had a great rafting trip with our tour guide, Riley! We did the 1/4 day Lower Animas River. We…read moreshowed up at 10:30 and got done around 12:30. It was a very good experience! Only one short spot was class 3, so it was more on the mild side. Would definitely go rafting again when we come back through Durango!

We went on the 1/4 day rafting trip this week with mild to wild- we had captain Sam and he did an…read moreincredible job guiding us and paying special attention to our kids to ensure they had the best experience. The 1/4 day was the perfect amount of time for our 9 and 7 year old- we got wetsuits because even though it is June the water was 47 degrees. The water was super high which made for a fun and fast trip- we did pull over and have the kids walk around the most intense rapids for their safety which I appreciated. We also had two guides that were just finishing guide school, Mike and Bailey, they were extremely helpful as well and will be great guides for future trips.

I'm originally from the area but moved away years ago. My son and I took my daughter in law on a…read moreJeep tour so she could experience the mountains for the first time. Tyler was our guide and he took us on the waterfall tour. It was absolutely fabulous!! We took my grandson and Tyler made sure he felt included the whole time as well. We learned a lot about the area and saw some of the most beautiful scenery. It was worth every penny and ended up being the highlight of the entire weeklong holiday. Don't pass this up if you visit and definitely buy a Tshirt!

The tour guide was AMAZING! The company was laid back and easy to work with. The water was so low…read moreour guide had to push us almost as much as we rafted. I do not recommend booking a whitewater rafting trip without checking the Animas River flow rates. We had 200 cu ft and it was NOT worth the cost. I wish I'd of waited till extra summer when the water is flowing. The guides did make it enjoyable with time playing in the water, however we wanted to experience whitewater rafting. So overall we were let down. But we did get a great photo.

This tale will be told in three parts and reflects the experience we had in the shop and with their…read moreguide Rob C. Background: Son takes dad on a fishing trip to celebrate his retirement. Part the first - Booking our float trip on the San Juan river was simple. Called up Duranglers, spoke with Spencer, got some preliminary instructions, gave payment for half. Took 10 minutes. Received subsequent emails, phone calls from Tom, the owner, about NM fishing licenses with relevant links and day of driving directions to the meeting location. Made navigating an unfamiliar territory seamless. Act II - Shop experience. I "needed" a new fly line. I walked out with much more! Prices were reasonable, shop guys were more than happy to shoot the breeze, and their selection was top notch. Great shop! Part three - The Rob Effect: Im a beginner fly fisherman, my dad was a first timer. I have had 10 or so guides over the last 3 years since taking this hobby up. Rob C. is tied with one other in N. CO as my favorite. He was patient, funny, and a wealth of knowledge about almost any topic. He is an unbelievably technical fisherman, his skill set and command of the rod is unparalleled. His respect for the river and the fish it contained was refreshing. I cannot recommend him highly enough! He made our trip the success it was. You will not be dissatisfied with any aspect of Duranglers!

First time visiting Durango & stopped in to get some flies & info about bank fishing a local river…read more The staff was knowledgeable about the river, patterns & colors. The store had a great selection & well laid out. I had all the time needed to wander, ask questions & even some small talk. I will definitely return next time I'm in town. Thank you.

We randomly picked a group to go white water rafting with and we're so glad we picked this one! Our…read moreguide Charlie was amazing. I was extremely nervous as I am not much of a thrill seeker but he was patient and made the experience so enjoyable. I highly recommend this group. We randomly picked a group to go white water rafting with and we're so glad we picked this one! Our guide Charlie was amazing. I was extremely nervous as I am not much of a thrill seeker but he was patient and made the experience so enjoyable. I highly recommend this group. We came back 5 years later and wanted to go again, this time with our kids. Our guide Casey was excellent. We are now 2/2 with positive experiences!

We have used these guys before and they were great then and great the second time. River was pretty…read moremild this trip but the guide, Jacob was a blast. His partner Sean (SP?) was also funny. Their interactions back and forth had us rolling. "What do you call a cow with two legs?" great trip guys and we look forward to using these guys again next year. Maybe the 4hr tour will be in store for us this time.

I have mixed feelings about this company as a Shuttle/A1 Taxi service. While my drivers were…read morefriendly and efficient, the fare was VERY expensive for what it is. For myself and partner to get a pick up from DUR airport to Pagosa Springs, it was $135-one way. We booked it weeks in advance in anticipation of Ubers being scarce. I knew it would be pricey but this seemed like the reliable option. The unfortunate part was two days before our flight into CO, Wilderness Journeys called to let us know there would be a surprise added fee of $15+ (each way) to get to where we were staying. I'm not sure why because it was a Pagosa Springs address--about 5 miles (6min drive) from town center, so I'm guessing they prefer to only drop off at the main hotels, though that wasn't mentioned when I booked the service. This increased our fare to $150 each way. If Wilderness Journeys has other passengers potentially going to the airport at the same time and you're willing to be picked up "up to 45min later," they offer to give you 20% off your fare. I opted for that to save some dough. Unfortunately the day before our trip to the airport, they told us we would have to be picked up earlier (not later) because they were picking up 3 more people. This meant we got to the airport much, much earlier than requested/planned. Another upsetting part is they only gave the 20% discount for part of our trip, not our full fare. It offset part of the hidden fee, I guess--but I still ended up paying nearly $300 for the RT shuttle service for 2. :( * Tip: Ubers from Durango to Pagosa are less than half the price and readily available, per the locals. In hindsight, I recommend ubering from Durango to Pagosa. I'd use that money saved I saved to booked the shuttle due to availability on the way from Pagosa to Durango, as it appears to be harder to reliably get an uber from PS to DUR. I would also not opt to save the $20 to share the shuttle.

We used Wilderness Journeys Pagosa Springs for a shuttle from the Durango airport to Pagosa Springs…read moreand then a second leg to a retreat center outside of Pagosa Springs. We did a return trip back to Pagosa and the airport a week later. The booking process was pretty easy and the drivers were on time and got us to and from our destinations safely. Given the length of the drive and the fact that we were going on very rough Forest Service roads for a portion of the drive, the cost seemed reasonable (especially for 4 or more people) and I was thankful to have this option. Thanks Wilderness Journeys!