Originally Posted by
LesterOfPuppets
I remember liking Cortez and Durango, but haven't been there since the '90s.
Durango I can see, but Cortez? In 2000 I had barely taken up residence in the campground at Mesa Verde N.P. with a woman I was seeing and some of her grad school classmates who were interning there when the park caught on fire. (I had ridden my there bike from Seattle.) We had to move down into town to the house where the other interns were staying. Wasn't enough room for everyone so we slept in a tent on the lawn. Other than the public pool, I don't remember anything fun or interesting about the town. Durango is a bit closer to the San Juan National Forest than Cortez and had much more of a vibe. Hear there is some great MTB-ing up there. On the flip side, it's easier to get to the Telluride area from Cortez. Just jump on CO 145 and climb for 75 miles.