Nearby Towns

Cortez is 10 miles from the Mesa Verde entrance station. The Colorado Welcome Center for southwest Colorado is located there, and offers a full array of maps and brochures for nearby services and activities. The town boasts over 160 acres in parks, all right off of Main Street, behind the Colorado Welcome Center. They include duck ponds, skateboard tracks, ball fields, and a swimming pool. The new $7.5 million recreation center has an indoor swimming pools with a water slide, gymnasium, racket ball courts, climbing wall, fitness area, and a hot tub as well as showers. Several chain and independent hotels and motels offer families lodging, and some have their own swimming pools. There are many restaurants to choose from, as well. Southwest Memorial Hospital is located in the southwest part of town, just off US Highway 160, and it offers a level IV trauma center as well as acute care beds, surgery, orthopedics, and obstetrics.

The Cortez Cultural Center is a museum offering interpretive displays about the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the area and the Ute people who live in the area today. Open year round, the Cortez Cultural Center has an art gallery displaying the work of local artists and a gift shop. Native American dances are held there during the summer time.  Visit www.mesaverdecountry.com or 800-253-1616 for more information.

Eight miles from Mesa Verde National Park’s entrance the town of Mancos lies between the Mancos River and Chicken Creek. With just over a thousand people, the community offers motels, restaurants, shops, outfitters, the Dog Hotel boarding kennel, a public library, and a pioneer museum.  Find more information at www.mancosvalley.com.

Thirty-six miles east of the Mesa Verde entrance gate on US Highway 160 is Durango, Colorado. This small city has at 839 acres of parks and open space. Many of the 32 parks have picnic tables, playgrounds, and restrooms, and several spots including Santa Rita Park, Rotary Park, and Schneider Park have fishing access. The hard-surfaced Animas River Bike Trail winds for five miles along the river through town, crossing five bridges in the process. Durango’s Community Recreation Center has a swimming pool and numerous other facilities. 

The historic downtown area, along Main Avenue, has boutiques, coffeehouses, and art galleries. The depot for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is downtown as well. Mercy Medical Center, at 375 East Park Avenue, is centrally located and has a level III trauma center and 83 acute care beds.

Lodging options include everything from new, chain hotels with complimentary breakfasts and indoor pools to the historic Strater Hotel on Main Avenue. The size of Durango and its tourist economy insure that there are several family friendly restaurants with decent menus.

The Children’s Museum of Durango is dedicated to providing educational and playful spaces where children of all ages can stimulate their imaginations and discover more about themselves and the world around them. It is located on the second floor of the Durango Arts Center, and is closed on Mondays.

See the City of Durango website at www.durangogov.org. The tourism and vacation website is www.durango.org. You can call for information at 800-525-8855.


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