Breaking down Day 5 in our Southwest USA Screensaver Family Road Trip through Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. So, what did it look like exploring Silverton, Colorado?
Much like the town where I live, Silverton, Colorado was put on the map by the route of a train line. But, that train line was a by-product of the mining that was happening in the hills and valleys of the San Juan Mountain region. Prospectors first entered the area in the 1860s but returned in greater force in the 1870s following the Civil War. Against the protest of the Ute Nation, these mountains were drilled and mined for gold and silver.
Silverton great in popularity as the center of many towns that only lay as ghost towns if you visit these days. But, the famed “Blair Street” where many women of ill repute could be found also gave the town a hard reputation and drew a large crowd of trouble for local lawmakers.
Today the main draw of the town is the end of the line for the Durango Silverton train ride that runs daily bringing visitors for shopping, exploring, and dining. But, as we discovered on our trip, there is probably a way more fun way to see and explore Silverton.
How to spend a day in Silverton, Colorado
Our exploring Silverton would probably look a lot different now that we have been there, and if we were traveling just the two of us or with older kids. I’ll share what we did and then some extra fun suggestions for things we learned along the way.
Rather than ride the full way to Silverton and back via train, we decided to take the short train ride, a 2-hour loop through Cascade Canyon and then we drove up to Silverton on our own. With a toddler, we knew it could make for a long day of leaving around 8 on the first train and then getting back at 5 on the first returning train. Grumpy husbands also make a great reason to have a little more control over your ride and where all you will spend your day.
- be in downtown Durango by 8:30 am to get in a spot along the tracks and take pictures or video of the big steam train leaving the station. If this is your only day around the train, its fun to see it leave the station with the big puff and billow of smoke. Also, we knew we would not be on the main train, so this was our big chance for a family photo with the steam train. There are many spots in downtown to get a great shot, just pay attention to what is going to be the background of your image as the train comes by. (there are ways to avoid the golden arches or odd perspectives of buildings if you get to the right crossing.
- After the train, grab coffee and pastries at Jean Pierre Bakery or another coffee spot downtown. Enjoy the quiet cool morning and some restful time before you head north.
- Leave for the train station at Rockwood. Give yourself about 30 min to get there or extra if you plan to stop at Pinkerington Hot Spring on your way up.
- arrive a little early for pictures and exploring before boarding the train. This gives you a chance for a potty break and to find your seat without rushing.
- Ride the train through Cascade Canyon and take in all the views. If you are the one on the outside, by the window, take or use sunscreen before you go. The sun was hot on that window and I did have it with me to spray and share with my friends around me. Those inside the train were ok, but you can never be too cautious with the sun.
- While they did end up having a few snacks and some beverages in a cooler, we brought our own sack lunch and it was nice to have something to eat during the ride. Plus with a toddler, you never know what kind of entertainment you will need and snacks always win the day.
- after the train ride, we got settled back in the car and got our maps out for the San Juan Byway. If this is your first trek north, plan to pull off on the Molas Pass Summit and a few other fun spots we loved along the way. If you’ve driven the route before, go slow and head north along 550.
- When we arrived in town, we stopped at the Visitor Center which is close to the Train Depot. This could also be a great place to stop and take some train pictures with your kids if they love trains and you missed them in Durango.
- Take a drive through town on Main and Blair Streets. Get your bearings and see all the stores and places to explore.
- Go north to Eureka and explore side roads as you feel comfortable. This section is full of old mining towns that are now just ghost areas of buildings and mountainside shacks that give you an idea of what the communities might have been like. Look high and look around. Depending on the time of year and recent weather you can see lots of waterfalls coming out of the mountain.
- Head back to Silverton and shop or grab something to eat. We used Trip Advisor alot on this vacation to get our meal recommendations and we elected for Bear Creek Cafe and it did not disappoint. If we had been there for more meals, I would also recommend Thee Pitts BBQ, but apparently, Guy Fieri likes it too.
- we strolled back to the car after a swing through the Harmony Park and then grabbed ice cream and drove back to Durango.
This day was exactly what our trip was made for – wandering, exploring and making it up as we go.
So, what would we do differently in exploring Silverton?
Well, we would have skipped the train and gone straight north, rented off-road vehicles and explored all day. Obviously, that was not something we could do with Little Man, but once we were there, we thought it would be fun to arrive, rent some ATVs and take to the trails. The side roads were awesome and the views were incredible, but they were just not accessible with a regular 4 wheel drive vehicle. (Don’t worry, we tried one road and our marriage did not need us to try more!) I think it would be super fun to wake up here, play all day, spend the night and then move along the next day. A drive along the Animas River and exploring the gulches that formed this area would be super fun.
I’m going to add a few bonus points here. If you came here from Pinterest looking for ideas, thanks for reading. I hope I reinforced some things you’ve read in other places and helped you make better decisions for your vacation.
Silverton was kinda meh to me. But I think it’s because of the way we explored it and I would do it differently if we could.
If you have only one day to drive, I would say skip Silverton and go on to Ouray. Way more “our kind” of things to do and explore. But, isn’t that the best part of planning a vacation? Over time you learn “how” you vacation and then you just plan accordingly.
What about you? Have you learned about your family vacations in a certain way? I think we are still discovering, but we know we like to find the “off the beaten path” stuff and adventure to the fullest, but there are also times we know we need to head to the beach to an all-inclusive and just be there without technology, a schedule or any planning.
Southwest USA Screensaver Epic Family Road Trip Itinerary
If you missed any of the previous posts from this epic family road trip with a toddler, check out the full itinerary below:
