Not Just a Place to Play
Choosing a park in Durango feels a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure story, today you might want to “touch grass” with friends at Buckley Park, but tomorrow might look more like a long stroll along the river while you listen to a podcast. The large network of parks ranging from pickleball courts to neighborhood hotspots make exploring Durango’s parks a blast for visitors looking to cool off in the shade and locals meeting up after work.
You might start your morning journaling along the Animas River as rafters drift by. By lunch, you could be stretched out on a blanket beneath a cottonwood tree, and that evening dance barefoot in the grass at a community concert.
Whatever your “vibe” and wherever you are in town, there is most likely a park just stroll, bike ride, or car drive away. Take yourself on a Durango park crawl by checking out what parks bring out Durango life and create spaces where all can play.
Riverfront Recreation: Parks Along the Animas
If the Animas River is the artery of Durango the Santa Rita Whitewater Park is the heart. On a summer afternoon, the park buzzes with the activity of kayakers, rafters, and surfers all looking to get a piece of the splish-splashy action in the rapids. The sounds of rushing water mixes with laughter from the playground and thump of volleyballs on the sand courts.
Kids can scramble around the three-story playground while adults relax beneath the cottonwoods or gather for celebrations at the riverside pavilions.
After you get queasy from your umpteenth lap on the swirly side head up the river trail to Schneider Park. The steady pop of pickleballs, skateboard wheels rattling, and cyclists cruising past create a lively atmosphere that is basically an “adult” playground.
As you walk alongside the river on your Durango park crawl to Memorial Park you will be met with a quieter experience that tempts you to lay out in the grass, soak up that vitamin D, and catch a breeze in your hair from the nearby Animas River.
Downtown Gathering Spaces
If Durango has a community living room, it’s Buckley Park. On weekend days and nights Buckley Park fills up with festivals, concerts, markets, and public events. You can eat lunch in the shade, meet friends for an afterwork chill sesh, or simply enjoy the energy of downtown.
Every Thursday night from June 25th to August 6th the Concert Hall at the Park event fills with guitar strums and symphonic sounds that make you want to get up and get down.
As Durango looks to the future, community members are encouraged to participate in the ongoing public workshops aimed to help shape the future of the Buckley Park. If you want to see additions made to the park like a playground, outdoor concert venue, and more, the next workshop on August 19th is a great way to make your opinion heard and have a say in what the city does with the space.
Making your way along the Animas River Trail during your Durango park crawl, you can stop off at Rotary Park and relax by the river, read a book from a little free library, or enjoy a picnic under the pavilion. Keep an eye out for local festivals and kid-centered events that make this park come to life in the summer and fall.
Parks for the Little Ones and the Neighborhood
Now the real meat and park-tatoes of the blog. Which open space has the best playground?
Well, families will find that nearly every corner of Durango has a park waiting to be discovered. Folsom Park near Chapman Hill has a modern playground with a very twisty slide, sports, fields, and picnic shelters. It’s the kind of place where birthday parties, soccer games, and family reunions often overlap on sunny weekends.
A “must stop-by" on your Durango park crawl is Fanto Park near Park Elementary School. You might find yourself having a Sound of Music frolicking moment in the open field that abuts a playground with swirly, jungle gym play structures that can make kids and adults feel like a ninja
At smaller neighborhood parks, like Fassbinder Park, you can sit beneath shaded trees, watch your little one play on the slide, and walk or ride your bike home.
For young explorers, Durango’s Junior Ranger Program takes learning a makes it fun through interactive programs and scavenger-hunt like activities. By completing challenges throughout the community, kids can spot mule deer gazing by river, experience trails they haven't seen before, and practice stewardship like Leave No Trace.
Sports, Recreation, and Four-Legged Friends
Even though the afternoon sun can get you a little sweaty, Durango’s parks are prime for early-morning and evening pick-up and intramural games at public access fields like the Smith Sports Complex.
If you prefer to get your heartbeat pumping on the tennis court, the Mason Center Park near downtown Durango has reservation-only courts that stay shaded from the desert sun morning and evening.
For those four-legged athletes that are fun to bring along, the Durango Off-Leash Dog Park provides plenty of room for owners and their dogs to explore the river below the park and the Smelter Mountain Trail above it (on leash).
The Many Faces of Durango’s Green Spaces
The best part about parks is that they are free for everyone. This means that it’s everyone's job to keep these spaces welcoming by following posted rules, cleaning up after pets, staying on designated paths, and respecting other park users.
Larger gatherings, organized events, and pavilion reservations require permits through the City of Durango. It would be a major bummer to go through all the of work of organizing your birthday at the Lion’s Den pavilion only to realize when you get there that the spot overlooking town is booked already. Little things like getting the right permits and following city guidelines help ensure parks remain accessible for everyone.
At the end of your Durango park crawl you might be left with a yearning to cool down with some ice cream, and, hopefully, a newfound love for the special places in Durango that welcome visitors and locals alike. Lace up those tennis shoes, grab a water bottle (or two if it’s hot), park yourself on a bench at a nearby green space, and watch daily life in Durango unfold.
