El Rio de las Animas Perdidas: The River of Lost Souls
The Animas River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the entire western
United States. The route along the Animas, which begins high in the San Juan
Mountains and ends in a confluence with the San Juan River in New Mexico, boasts
some of Colorado's most striking canyon scenery, exciting boating, and world-class
fishing.
The Animas is an enchanting river whose character changes swiftly and dramatically
depending upon runoff and location. The Upper Animas provides extreme waters
and challenging rapids for the expert boater, and the Lower Animas is the perfect
adventure for all ages and abilities. Throughout the season, the river will
rise from around 400 c.f.s (cubic feet per second) in April, to over 6,000
c.f.s at peak snowmelt runoff in June, and will mellow out again through the
end of rafting season in September.
The Animas is also known for a two-mile stretch of Gold Medal Waters that
run through town, with the highest quality of fishing for large trout. Lures
and flies only on this stretch of water.
Animas River Fact: Spanish explorers named the river "El
Rio de las Animas Perdidas", or "The River of Lost Souls", in 1776 after several
explorers traveled on the river and were lost. Their bodies were never found
and the others believed that the souls of the lost men would therefore be relegated
to Purgatory. From this legend was also born the original name of our ski area,
Purgatory Resort, which opened in 1965. The resort has since been renamed "Durango
Mountain Resort". Don't let the names fool you, both the river and the mountain
are family friendly
