Discover Durango, the Southwest’s Best-Kept Secret with Realtor Eric Roark
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If you’re looking to purchase real estate somewhere that combines Colorado’s stunning natural beauty with a vibrant community, look to the southwest corner of the state for Durango — a still relatively untapped market for real estate located near renowned ski resorts.
“As a transplant from Dallas to Durango, I can see such enormous untapped potential here for second homes,” says Eric Roark, Colorado- and Texas-licensed real estate agent with the Wells Group Real Estate. “Durango could be the most affordable alternative to Aspen, and the market is just starting to get hot.”
It’s certainly getting hot for tourism. Durango was ranked the number one tourist destination for the second year in a row, according to the Tourism Sentiment Index, which gauges social media conversations and online publications to rank locations on their favorability. That’s probably why you’ll already see plenty of Texans flocking to the ski destination.
Dallas to Durango
Let’s talk about the location. Durango sits in the southwestern part of Colorado in the Animas River Valley, surrounded by the rugged San Juan Mountains. It’s about 200 miles from the state capital, Denver, and just 70 miles from the Four Corners Monument, where Colorado meets Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Durango is where you’ll find the skier-favorite Purgatory Resort. The resort is named for the Purgatory Creek that runs down the mountain — though developers in the 1960s and 1970s did have some fun with thematically naming the trails, “El Diablo,” “Upper and Lower Hades,” and Divine Comedy terrain park.
Getting to Durango is pretty easy, actually. There’s a small airport right in town, so if you’re flying in, you can catch a direct flight from DFW or a connecting flight from Denver or Phoenix. If you’re driving, the town is located right off of the main highway that runs through southwestern Colorado, so it’s pretty direct by car, too.
Activities for Every Season
You may not know this if you’re from Texas like me, but other states actually experience four seasons in a canonical year: winter, spring, summer, and fall. (All you have to do is call, a wise man once said.)
Fall in Durango brings a veritable Bob Ross painting of golden Aspen leaves and happy little trees. You can watch the landscape slowly pass by on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It’s an old mine train with different classes of box cars that take you through remote wilderness, high mountain landscapes, and the historic mining town of Silverton. My guide Roark tells me the train has an all-window box car and in my mind, I’ve already booked a ticket.
Spring in Colorado brings the lesser-known spring skiing season. Warmer temperatures and sunny days help soften the snow, making it more forgiving for new learners. Plus kids don’t have as much to complain about when their faces are sun-touched and warmer than they’d be on a winter’s day on the trail.
When the spring months run into summer, residents in and around Durango enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and rafting. Actually, the Animas River runs right through town, providing plenty of opportunities for fly fishing, kayaking, and losing your sunglasses or keys.
When winter rolls in, of course, skiing and snowboarding at Purgatory are must-dos. But come January 5 or so, you can try something a little bit different at Ski Hesperus, which offers the largest night skiing area in the Southwest. Hesperus also has a snow tubing hill for squealing kids.
Hesperus Ski Area is a popular hill for Durango locals to go to after the workday. The summit at Hesperus Ski Area is 8,880 feet above sea level and 80 percent of the skiable terrain is lighted for night skiing.
You Gotta Eat, Right?
The town is home to a number of great restaurants and bars, making it a hub for foodies looking for a good meal. When I ask Roark to name his favorite places to eat, he replies quickly with a place that doesn’t sound quite family-friendly.
“Ore House,” he says. Whisper it aloud to yourself and see who turns their head. The Ore House Restaurant in Durango is a steakhouse with craft cocktails just as mouth-watering.
Speaking of cocktails, El Moro Tavern is the site of an old saloon with a sinister past. In 1906, the La Plata County Sheriff was shot dead when the raid of an illegal poker game turned violent. It seems in the 1900s, Durango really was the Wild West. Now, you can enjoy a Colorado Mule while you hear this tale of murder.
A few more of Roark’s recommendations include Kennebec Cafe, a scenic little Mediterranean restaurant that focuses on locally-grown produce and meat, and the Durango Diner, a breakfast and lunch staple where Roark promises me a bowl of green chili.
You Can Always Go Downtown
But it’s not just the natural beauty that makes Durango such a great place to live. The community here is friendly and welcoming, with a thriving downtown scene that offers something for everyone, Roark says.
You’ll find plenty of locally owned shops and restaurants, as well as a thriving arts scene. Durango is home to the Durango Arts Center, which offers art classes and hosts exhibitions, performances, and events throughout the year. The city also has a number of music festivals and events, including the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, the Music in the Mountains classical music festival, and Snowdown, a winter festival that features a parade, costume contest, and a chili cook-off.
But one of the biggest events in Durango is certainly the Iron Horse Bike Classic, an annual Memorial Day cycling event that takes riders through the challenging San Juan Mountains — all in a quest to beat a train. The race was born of a 1970s bet of brother against brother.
Older brother Jim Mayer worked as a brakeman on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, which operated the steam-powered line between Durango and Silverton. Younger brother Tom Mayer was a young bicycling enthusiast who enjoyed riding alongside the railroad tracks. One day in 1971, Tom challenged his older brother to a race to Silverton. Steam engine versus bicycle. They wagered a candy bar on the results.
Now, riders travel to the Iron Horse from every state and several foreign countries to take that same challenge. Each year, thousands of riders experience the thrill of descending into Silverton with hopes of beating the train.
P.S. Younger brother Tom won the race.
Durango Real Estate
Roark is bullish on Southwestern Colorado real estate. Sure, there are practical factors like a low crime rate, good schools, and a high standard of living — with a reasonable cost of living.
But Roark believes the Durango area is the Southwest’s best-kept secret.
“You don’t really understand how special this area is until you see it,” Roark says. “For example, I have a 175-acre property for sale called Wildflower Ranch and the images just don’t do it justice to grasp the beauty and enormity of the property.”
Wildflower Ranch — all 175 acres of it — is listed for $29.5 million. Don’t have $30 mill? Roark has plenty of other Southwest Colorado listings with a few less acres to mow.
You can give Roark a call at 214-725-7893 or email him at ericroark@wellsgroupdurango.com. If you’re not used to dealing with Realtors, they’re not shy about giving away their own cell phone number. And Roark’s not shy anyway. He’s a former SMU football coach and now volunteers to coach the Durango High School football team, so he can talk to anybody. But don’t spoil any good football stories for me. I want to hear and write about them myself.
