Top Durango Art & Culture

See the towering mountains and vibrant woods of La Plata County with the kind of thrills and adventure that you just can’t experience staying on the ground. Take to the air on a wild zipline course that runs across the treetops of the La Plata woods. Choose how you finish your tour, as well – get beautiful photos from the Full Blast Adventure Center’s rooftop patio, or strap in for an exhilarating 40-foot freefall from the center’s giant tower.

See the UNESCO World Heritage–listed sites of Mesa Verde National Park on a tour of the park's Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. A guide provides insight into the history, architecture, and spiritual features of these ancient homes and how they were lived in hundreds of years ago. Please note, this tour starts inside the park; you must already be in the park after paying your own national park entrance fee.

Not all rafting trips have to take up your entire day—this tour from Durango gets you on the water and back out with time to enjoy another adventure before the sun goes down. You'll spend one hour on the Animas River navigating the Class II and Class III rapids with a rafting guide.

Float down the Lower Animas River on this family-friendly rafting trip in Durango. As you glide over the rapids with a guide, you can enjoy views of Durango from the water and take in the natural beauty south of town. Stop on the riverside for a snack, and listen to stories about the history and traditions of the region. This is a mild rafting option for ages 4 years and up. Select a morning or afternoon departure time when booking.

With its 5,000 archaeological sites situated in a striking desert environment, Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors a combination of natural and cultural attractions unfound anywhere else in the country. Explore the UNESCO-listed archaeological preserve and national park with a pro on this guided tour, which takes you to the park's must-see attractions, including the Cliff Palace. This tour includes all entrance fees, lunch, and round-trip transportation from Durango.

We all love Mesa Verde National Park: it represents the "tip of the iceberg" of the Ancestral Pueblo culture in Southwest Colorado. Increase the depth of your knowledge by visiting Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) with an experienced guide from SCCA (Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance)! CANM was dedicated by Presidential decree in 2000 to protect the estimated 30,000 cultural sites and spectacular scenery within its 176,000-acre boundary. This region is the ancestral homeland of today’s Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo people in New Mexico and Arizona. Your guide will share little-known places within the Monument and a deep understanding the landscape and cultures that lived here. Group sizes are limited to 14, so your guide will be able to address any questions you have about the history, geology, plant and animal life, and archaeology of the region. As the Friends of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, SCCA guides know ALL the best places!

Spend some time high in the rarified air of the La Plata Mountains on this guided, 4-hour, small-group 4x4 tour. Choose from a morning or afternoon departure, then this open-vehicle excursion winds up and through La Plata Canyon for 14 rugged miles, reaching breathtaking views from Kennebec Pass at more than 12,000 feet. Along the way, learn about the canyon’s mining history, its native Ute people, the geology and the flora and fauna of the San Juan Mountains. Snacks are included on the trip.