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Destination Guide
Copyright Telluride & Mountain
Village Services/Doug Berry
Looking for the perfect place to take your little cowboys and Indians? Look no farther than southwest Colorado and the incomparable San Juan Skyway.
This 236-mile route over high peaks -- and through old western towns, goldmines, and ancient cliff palaces -- will provide lasting memories (and Kodak moments) for your wild bunch.
Take Durango, for instance. Once a rail junction for the gold-rush town of Silverton, it still feels like a 19th-century movie set. (Don't look now, but there's a quick-fingered gunslinger right around the corner!)
Or how about Mesa Verde, just a half hour away? Your little ones will be wowed by the ancient cities clinging to the sides of 7,000-foot-high cliffs. The Native American tribes disappeared by 1300 AD, but their amazing dwellings remain.
You can start this National Scenic Byway tour at any point, and travel in either direction. But to make the most of your visit, we recommend the following weeklong route:
