durango koa

[rode2nowhere]

Thinking about a road trip without camper in june at the koa in Durango Colorado, anyone have input or suggest a better place, we were going to stay in a cabin there?

[sourdough]

Is Durango the destination of choice due to? Durango is pretty but since the legalization of dope it's a rat's nest of druggies, and the city likes it apparently. If you like going downtown with the kids while dope heads lay passed out on the benches, puke all over the sidewalk and fumble through the pedestrians etc., then by all means go there. The parks are even better; blankets laid out, passed out losers etc. Even though the river is beautiful, as well as the town, the town's blessing of that kind of activity totally destroys its beauty to us. I never stay there any more. I do have to travel thru it to get to places I like; Silverton, Ouray, Telluride; but I do so with a gun on my hip and one in the console. If you just want to experience "beautiful" southern Colorado I would suggest Pagosa Springs or South Fork (there's not much in SF). Durango has been destroyed by the progressives that run the city (and I've been going there for 50 years); just my 2 cents. BTW, Pagosa has TONS of places to stay.

[rode2nowhere]

will check it out,,,,,wife is wanting there to spread her dads ashes in river who died recently,,,,,,,,,,i had no idea Durango was that bad

[Jim & DJ]

Thanks for the info on Durango. We have stopped in Lake City, Co..
Kinda nice....Maybe still is....

[gearhead]

Look at Sportsmans ,up in the hills north of Pagosa Springs:
http://sportsmanscampground.com/

[sourdough]

Does the wife want to spread the ashes in the Animas specifically? If that is the case, you might want to stay in Pagosa and just drive to Durango - it's about an hour. You could try your luck and stay in Durango and you might not encounter anything too bad, but, be aware that the pro dope group runs the place. In one of our visits a year or two ago (to Pagosa) we picked up the Durango newspaper and the front page was all about a local celebration that ran late into the night. The reporter talked of the windows broken, personal property damage, how the dopers were just having a good time and the "sweet aroma of marijuana filling the nighttime air"...........on the front page!! It was literally an advertisement for how cool it was to get ripped on dope and let it all hang out at everyone else's expense. I just won't deal with it.

You could consider the Animas north or south of Durango. In many cases you can take a pullout or side roads and gain river access. If you just want a beautiful river in southern Colorado the San Juan and Piedras are prettier in my opinion. I wish you the best for such a solemn moment. If I can be of assistance you can PM me.

For the other poster; Lake City is still a nice place to go albeit somewhat remote. 80% of CO still has that "old CO" feel. I steer clear of the "front range" , high profile ski destinations and Durango. For now that seems to work for us.

I forgot to mention the Gold King Mine spill. The EPA released millions of gallons of contaminated mine water with heavy metals and arsenic into the Animas at the end of last summer. It REALLY messed up the river and it was running yellow for a long time. You might want to do a check to see what the conditions are. I don't know that I would use the EPA postings; I just read them and it's pretty much like they think it was nothing and the information I read was pretty much useless.

[rode2nowhere]

Does the wife want to spread the ashes in the Animas specifically? If that is the case, you might want to stay in Pagosa and just drive to Durango - it's about an hour. You could try your luck and stay in Durango and you might not encounter anything too bad, but, be aware that the pro dope group runs the place. In one of our visits a year or two ago (to Pagosa) we picked up the Durango newspaper and the front page was all about a local celebration that ran late into the night. The reporter talked of the windows broken, personal property damage, how the dopers were just having a good time and the "sweet aroma of marijuana filling the nighttime air"...........on the front page!! It was literally an advertisement for how cool it was to get ripped on dope and let it all hang out at everyone else's expense. I just won't deal with it.

You could consider the Animas north or south of Durango. In many cases you can take a pullout or side roads and gain river access. If you just want a beautiful river in southern Colorado the San Juan and Piedras are prettier in my opinion. I wish you the best for such a solemn moment. If I can be of assistance you can PM me.

For the other poster; Lake City is still a nice place to go albeit somewhat remote. 80% of CO still has that "old CO" feel. I steer clear of the "front range" , high profile ski destinations and Durango. For now that seems to work for us.

I forgot to mention the Gold King Mine spill. The EPA released millions of gallons of contaminated mine water with heavy metals and arsenic into the Animas at the end of last summer. It REALLY messed up the river and it was running yellow for a long time. You might want to do a check to see what the conditions are. I don't know that I would use the EPA postings; I just read them and it's pretty much like they think it was nothing and the information I read was pretty much useless.

The KOA in Durango was his favorite spot and the animas river, but been quite some time since he was there......

[sourdough]

The KOA in Durango was his favorite spot and the animas river, but been quite some time since he was there......

If that's the situation I would stay in Durango at the KOA. For the purpose of your trip I would think that would be the way to go. Be aware of how it can be, keep your eyes open and avoid the nutjobs when you see them. Depending on how long you want to stay, and where you want to be, you can have an uneventful trip hopefully. Durango is still a pretty place, lots of interesting places and good places to eat and I wish you luck. I've not been to the KOA there but if it was his favorite place that's where I'd be.

[bsmith0404]

If it were me, I'd spend a day or two at the KOA in Durango for sentimental purposes and then sepnd some additional time at Sportsman's in Pagosa Springs to start creating new memories. It is a very beautiful place with wonderful views and a lot of wildlife in the area. It turned into one of our favorite spots the instant we arrived.

[koko]

We stay at the Durango KOA every spring and fall on our way to Santa Fe. It's a very nice campground - peaceful and located on the outskirts of town. Have never had a problem there.

[SADLY]

We stay at the Durango KOA every spring and fall on our way to Santa Fe. It's a very nice campground - peaceful and located on the outskirts of town. Have never had a problem there.

No druggies puking everywhere?

[theeyres]

We go to Durango every year and never felt or seen the picture described. We plan to go again this summer for a month. Don't let one person who evidently doesn't like what he sees color your trip. We don't stay at the KOA so can't comment about that but we love Durango and just don't have the negative feelings about the area.

[BOWWOW]

There is a very nice KOA just north of Ouray, as well as some other nice cabins. Also there are nice peaceful areas up stream from Silverton at the Animas Forks past the old Eureka mine site / back way to Lake City and Engineer pass.

[rode2nowhere]

Durango it is, koa

[Barbell]

In the thirty plus years we have been traveling to and through Colorado, including recently, we have never seen anything even remotely similar to Sourdough's description. We have camped in Silverton, Durango, Meeker, Montrose, Ouray and Colorado Springs with never a problem. The only area we avoid is Eastbound on I-70 on a Sunday into Denver when everyone is going home from a weekend in the mountains. Maybe some people just take their attitude with them where ever they go.

[koko]

Ditto!!! We love Colorado, and our son lives in Denver.

[sourdough]

I guess I do have attitudes.

I've been going to CO/Durango for 50 years. It IS my favorite state (even though they are turning in a direction I don't like). My issue is walking main street in downtown (old) Durango and having stumbling, glassy eyed, incoherent druggies bump into my grandgirls, daughter and wife. Trying to park and watching one of them roll over on the park bench, on main street, and puke on the sidewalk etc.

We love the park (puppy for sure) on the Animas right after you turn off 160 and head to Silverton. That's where we find them passed out on blankets or stumbling to the restroom (at the N? end of the park by the bridge going into Durango).

As one poster noted; I was trying to paint things a certain way and didn't like what I saw. Yes, I don't like seeing that. And no, I'm not trying to paint anything...just relating facts so the OP would know what to look for; if it happens (especially if you are taking little ones and have a solemn purpose for the trip). We don't go and "pass thru" like some indicate. We stay 2-3 months at a time (now in Pagosa) so we 'see" stuff; and it's usually on a weekend. The newspaper article I alluded to was from the Durango Herald and was referring to the Mexican holiday celebrating the Day of the Dead if I recall (year before last?).

My last post advised the OP to make the trip, stay at the KOA and have fun. The purpose of the trip seems to warrant doing that and the things I've mentioned happen at "times". They definitely don't happen every day but they do happen and with increasing regularity.

As a sidenote relevant to this; my physical therapist told me 4 days ago that he was from Durango and he and his family made the decision to leave there 2 years ago due to this exact issue. He moved to W TX :)

[rode2nowhere]

regardless of what we get, wife is determined to go there, june 3rd

[sourdough]

I wish you the very best. If you've never been there I think you will have a good time....it IS a pretty place and has a ton of stuff to do all around it.

I don't know if you have a place in mind to spread the ashes but you could look at the park I mentioned right on the Silverton hwy. (on the right). You could also stop at the Forest Service office and get a NFS map to find locations where you can access the river. You can probably find that info on the internet as well. It would probably be beneficial to have those things ironed out up front to save time. The cliff dwellings are only an hour or so away so you might want to try to work that in as well.

Regardless of my previous posts, be sure and make time to stroll downtown and take in some of the shops and food. Chances are your visit will be uneventful. Wishing you good luck and success in accomplishing your mission.

[rode2nowhere]

thanks, my mother in law has been there years ago,,,,,she has a spot in mind, we will see

[bartbill]

Sourdoughs description is not as far off as you would like to think. Been in Colorado 60 years and it breaks my heart what is happening to my state. I'll just leave at that.

[hdrolling]

Me and the wife tented at the Durango KOA in 2013 and it seemed very nice and clean, we stayed two nights. The "Durango train" is a must do, at least one way!

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_193379_0_91cb5d9d809101d14d362c7f881c63d8.jpg

[bartbill]

yep, pretty country. Brother-in-law was born at the Tacoma Power plant. Its on the railroad about half-way between Durango and Silverton.

[rode2nowhere]

adventure coming I guess:)

[koko]

Don't fret...it will be what you need it to be!