Durango colorado

[robin]

Anybody know a good hotel in Durango and a nice scenic route to take from Frisco?

[Scott in Ok]

Anybody know a good hotel in Durango and a nice scenic route to take from Frisco?

You want the long way or the short way?

If it was me, I would take the following route(actually, I have...twice):

Go west on I-70 from Frisco, to Glenwood Springs. (beautiful stretch of interstate..seriously)
Go south on Hwy 82 to Carbondale
At Carbondale, take Hwy 133 South to Hotchkiss (beautiful from start to finish)
At Hotchkiss, take a left on Hwy 92 through Crawford down to Hwy 50. (amazing road)
Take a right on Hwy 50(west) to Montrose
At Montrose, take Hwy 550 (Million Dollar Highway) through Ouray, Silverton, and on to Durango. (there is no better!)

You will not be disappointed.  Along this route are some great things to see.

-Scott

[DeathWishBikerDude]

I'll give you a nice tip and save you a few hundred dollars.
Try to stay somewhere near Durango.
The pricing is worse than Ny city in Durango.

[Super Santa]

My current plans when leaving Frisco are:

Take I-70 west to exit 195, head south on 91 to Leadville where you pick up US-24.  Head south on 24 it will meet US-285 around Johnson Village, continue south on US-285 to US-50, right before Poncha Springs.  Turn right (west) on US-50 to Montrose then take US-550 south to about Ridgeway picking up SR-62 towards the southwest to SR-145 heading southerly.  Just past Dolores take SR-184 over to Mancos and spending the night there.  Mancos is about 20-30 miles west of Durango.  I have had the 'Enchanted Mesa Motel' recommended to me by a good biker friend.  He is hosting at an RV park just west of Mancos for the summer and I plan on visiting him while there.

Welcome to ride along if you wish.

[Jay]

Anybody know a good hotel in Durango and a nice scenic route to take from Frisco?

You want the long way or the short way?

If it was me, I would take the following route(actually, I have...twice):

Go west on I-70 from Frisco, to Glenwood Springs. (beautiful stretch of interstate..seriously)
Go south on Hwy 82 to Carbondale
At Carbondale, take Hwy 133 South to Hotchkiss (beautiful from start to finish)
At Hotchkiss, take a left on Hwy 92 through Crawford down to Hwy 50. (amazing road)
Take a right on Hwy 50(west) to Montrose
At Montrose, take Hwy 550 (Million Dollar Highway) through Ouray, Silverton, and on to Durango. (there is no better!)

You will not be disappointed.  Along this route are some great things to see.

-Scott

I agree, Scott.  That part of Hwy 92 takes you along the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, lots of twisties, and great views.  The route you recommended is most excellant!!!!

[VMODON]

I've stayed at the Caboosse Motel (spelling) 70. dollars, bike freindly...

[Scott in Ok]

I agree, Scott.  That part of Hwy 92 takes you along the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, lots of twisties, and great views.  The route you recommended is most excellant!!!!

From Carbondale down to Hwy 50 via that route is one of my favorite rides in Colorado!

-Scott

[Strider]

I agree with the Caboose Motel - we stayed there on our way to the first IZ in Colorado.  Very biker friendly.   Nice rooms....good price.

http://www.caboosemoteldurango.com/

[Kidd]

I  used to grow pot in Durango Co

[robin]

Thanks all hope to see ya'll in Colorado!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NCGhostrider]

Definately take 50 across and then the million dollar highway down to Durango.  It is a nice ride,  I did it a few years ago..coming up from Durango.  I haven't stayed in Durango, always stayed down in Cortez, Co... after day trips to Mesa Verde, which I also recommend if you like history.  I think I have pictures and trip report on my website (see profile). 

You are in for some good, no GREAT riding! 

Craig

NCGhostrider
99 I/S

[woefman]

I'll give you a nice tip and save you a few hundred dollars.
Try to stay somewhere near Durango.
The pricing is worse than Ny city in Durango.

Ditto that !!!!

Nice thing about Durango is there is a lot of hotels. However I think they conspire with one another.

They have some Train Gig (ride) I think it goes to Silverton . So they think Hotels/Motels are Gold Plated.

I too would stay away from Durango.

I only stopped there because it Dark and it was raining Cats and Dogs, and we already rode in the rain from Lake City Colorado over wolf creek pass to Durango.

[..]

There's always the good ole KOA

http://koa.com/where/co/06150/

[woefman]

Definately take 50 across and then the million dollar highway down to Durango.  It is a nice ride,  I did it a few years ago..coming up from Durango.  I haven't stayed in Durango, always stayed down in Cortez, Co... after day trips to Mesa Verde, which I also recommend if you like history.  I think I have pictures and trip report on my website (see profile).  

You are in for some good, no GREAT riding!  

Craig

NCGhostrider
99 I/S

See my Colorado Pictures (september) for million dollar highway.

I got great shots from atop Red Mountain if look close can see the twisties, what a dream ride.

Some switchbacks say posted speed 15mph  but the wing would fall over at that speed LOL.



More here
http://picasaweb.google.com/azpicts/ColoradoSeptember2008#

and here
http://picasaweb.google.com/azpicts?SID=12175258&FromRedirect=1

[DIGGER]

Been to Durango several times.    This Sept me, my wife, and 3 other couples have rented a 7 bedroom 6500 sqft houase in the mountains around Durango......works out to about $150 per night per couple, not much more than a hotel room.      Staying 6 nights.   Gonna ride the train, go to 4 corners, drive the million dollar hyway, and if time permits go over to Cortez area and see the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.   Looking forward to the trip.

[MP]

Scott:
Maybe I missed it, but how long a ride is that?
MP

[F6CTrider]

Rides to Durango from Frisco are all really great, like..... is it better to have dark chocolate licked off your body or milk chocolate?    You can't go wrong.  In general I much prefer to avoid the interstate although the stretch from Vail out to Glenwood might be worth the exception.  If you are doing a round trip loop, take different routes.  If you are adventurous, don't be tied to the highways.  Seek out the county roads.  If you can handle the occasional stretch of improved dirt, there is some breathtaking parts of Colorado that few get to see.  I did encounter some road improvement work on Guaneela Pass(above Georgetown) that I would not recommend but the Valk went through just fine.  The road was little more than a Jeep trail.  And yes it was a handful.

[MITCH]

Its been some years now but the Iron Horse Inn was neat two story rooms—get the ones in the back they over looked a meadow with the mountains in the back ground. While your there ride the train to Silverton it is beautiful winding in the mountains; you will get to Silverton before lunch. There are some good spots there. Ride the bus back to Durango. Ride you bike over to Pagosa Springs fun little town its about 65 miles east of Durango. There are hot springs there you can lounge in for a fee, there is a hotel there if you stay with them that gives you free passes to the springs. Drop south out of Pagosa and ride to Chama N.M. it is a small town (the ride from Pagosa to Chama is the calendar stuff)Chama also has a narrow gauge rail road. Its all good wish I was going again. Have a good Time there’s a lot to do in the area.

[F6Dave]

I've stayed at the Caboose and agree it is a great little place at a reasonable price.  Its a little old fashioned mom and pop kind of motel.

As for the road, you have some of the best in Colorado for the trip from Frisco to Durango.  I've lived here for over 40 years and ridden each one dozens of times.  Here are the best of the best:

Go from Frisco to Leadville via US-24, not CO-91.  24 has some breathtaking heights and dropoffs.  91 has an ugly open pit mine.

From Leadville (over 10,000' -- highest city in the US) go to Aspen via Independence Pass (CO-82).  The pass is spectacular and has a ghost town, ice caves, and an actual rain forest on the west side.

Aspen is beautiful but crowded.  From there, ride to Carbondale and take CO-133 over McClure Pass to Hotchkiss.  You'll pass through Redstone with it's gorgeous castle, and Marble, which supplied much of the marble for the monuments in Washington DC (there's still lots of the stuff scattered around the town, including chunks the size of houses).

From Hotchkiss, take CO-92 to Crawford.  This is where Joe Cocker lives, and where his wife Pam (who rides) catered two VOA Valkyrie rallies a decade ago.  Joe handed out door prizes at the one I attended.

From Crawford to the Blue Mesa Dam is probably the finest motorcycle road in Colorado.  Miles and miles of curves along the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

From the Blue Mesa Dam take US-50 to Montrose, then head south on US-550 through Ouray and Silverton to Durango.  The road south of Ouray is called the million dollar highway, so named for the gold tailings in the rock when it was built.  This is another spectacular road.  There are places with 1000' plus dropoffs just inches from the pavement's edge.

I guarantee you'll love this route!

[Scott in Ok]

Scott:
Maybe I missed it, but how long a ride is that?
MP

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 miles.

-Scott

[Kendall]

I agree with the Caboose Motel - we stayed there on our way to the first IZ in Colorado.  Very biker friendly.   Nice rooms....good price.

http://www.caboosemoteldurango.com/

Isnt that the motel that when we got there she came out and told us if we threw cig butts down she was gonna kick our butts??  Great Motel, her hubby rides. She let us all park under the awning where ya pull in, and said her and her dogs would make sure the bikes were safe. Nice place.

[..]

Hwy 149 south from Hwy 50 west of Gunnison is one of the most scenic motorcycle roads in the lower 48. IMHO.