2018 Fourth of July in Durango

Durango knows how to do holidays. Most of the time there’s costumes, and there’s almost always a parade — sometimes on Main Avenue, sometimes on the Animas River, sometimes both. But the Fourth of July in Durango involves the best of the best of all holidays: pancakes, parades, costumes, concerts, fireworks and a big, ol’ street dance (except no Santa and no trick-or-treating). So here’s your guide to having the best July 4 in Durango:

Breakfast and Fun Run

Eating and jogging? Don’t worry; there’s plenty of time to digest those pancakes (carb-loading, anyone?) before you set out on the 5k Fun Run/Walk. The All-American Gourmet Breakfast will be served from 7:30-10:30 a.m., and the free all-ages fun run starts at 9 a.m., both at Rotary Park. Arrive by 8:45 a.m. to register for the run. There will also be live music and a reading of historical documents at the park.

July 4 River Parade

Cool off on the Animas River during Mild to Wild Rafting’s 4th of July River Parade! This annual tradition is a parade of rafts filled with crazy-costumed rafters that flows through downtown Durango. The best part is there are five times to either get on the river or watch from the banks: 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Kids get a Fourth of July souvenir, and there’s even a prize for best costume, so be sure to wear your most patriotic getup!

Family Fun Picnic

Next up on the list of things to do for Fourth of FUN? The Family Fun Picnic! Activities kick off at noon at Buckley Park. There, you can listen to readings from our nation’s founding documents, enjoy live entertainment by Cannondolls and Pete Giuliani, and get your fill of killer food and drinks (all proceeds benefit Build Homes for Heroes). There will also be two free concerts at Rotary Park: Southwest Civic Winds’ Concert Band will play at 10:15 a.m. followed by a performance by the Southwest Civic Winds Jaxx Band at 11:30 a.m.

Stars and Stripes Parade

For July 4 in Durango, there’s one event that’s second only to the actual fireworks display to mark the occasion: the annual Stars and Stripes Parade along Main Avenue. The parade starts at 6 p.m. at College Drive and will end at 12th Street.

Street Dance

Immediately after the parade, head over to Main Avenue and 11th for the annual Durango Street Dance. Get you groove on or scoot your boot or whatever kind of dancing (within reason) you want to do during the street dance, which ends just after 9 p.m. Then it’s time for…

Fireworks!

It’s not the Fourth of July in Durango (or anywhere for that matter) without something exploding — preferably fireworks. The show starts at about 9:15 p.m., and you’ll find great views on any downtown cross street facing west.

IndependenTS Week

Not that you’re lacking for things to do in Durango for the Fourth of July, but there’s another type of celebration going on this week: a celebration of our independent businesses. Durango has an amazing community of locally owned businesses that make and sell it all: Breweries tapping their craft beer, artists selling paintings, sculptures and jewelry, chocolatiers selling artisanal chocolates, local wineries pouring their special blends — we could go on and on.

Durango Independents Week will run July 1-7 to celebrate Durango’s spirit of entrepreneurship and community. Local First, a nonprofit that serves local, independent businesses in La Plata County, is the organization behind the local Independents Week as part of the larger, nationwide movement to “recognize the importance of economic democracy and community self-determination.”

So how to you participate? Pick up a Local First Passport on Saturday, June 30, at Local First’s booth at the Durango Farmer’s Market, located in the parking lot of the First National Bank of Durango, or anytime between July 1-7 at Local First, Maria’s Bookshop, Smiley Cafe, ACE Kroegers Hardware, Sante, Wagon Wheel Liquor, Animas Trading Co., Urban Market, The Durango Welcome Center, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, Salt 360 Float Studio, The Soup Palette, the Spaaah Shop or the La Plata County Humane Society.

For every purchase you make, you get a stamp, and for every five stamps you collect, you’ll be entered to win one of the awesome prizes! Passports must be submitted by Monday, July 9, and winners will be chosen on Wednesday, July 11.

The week of July 4 is the perfect time to visit Durango. Clearly, we have a lot of fun stuff happening, plus all the usual great summer activities: tubing on the Animas, mountain biking, hiking, you name it.

Speaking of supporting local businesses, the Durango Econo Lodge Inn and Suites is under new, local ownership! If you’re looking at Durango hotels for your trip, stay with us! We’re consistently rated one of the best hotels in Durango, so book your room at the Econo Lodge Durango today!

2018 Animas River Days

Animasriverdays.com

In 1880, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad chose a site on the banks of the Animas River for its depot, and the rest, as they say, is history. The city grew up around the river and still hugs its shores today, so what could be more Durango than a festival celebrating it?

Animas River Days takes place Saturday, June 2, and celebrates the river and Durango’s love of it. It all began when local paddling legend Nancy Wiley put on the first whitewater rodeo in Durango in 1983. Over the years, Animas River Days has drawn world-class paddlers and water pros from all around the world. The city’s famed whitewater park opened in 2014 and in four short years has hosted national competitions, including the U.S. National team trials for freestyle, slalom, and wild water events as well as the U.S. National Championships in slalom and open canoe slalom.

The festival takes place at Santa Rita Park, where the city’s whitewater park makes for perfect kayaking, canoeing, rafting, surfing and paddleboarding competitions as well as an inflatable floatie rodeo and — everyone’s favorite — a river parade.

River-lovers and fun-seekers can enjoy food and vendor booths, a beer garden and kids’ activities all day long.

Thursday, May 31

The 35th annual Animas River Days kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 31, with the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at Animas City Theater. Tickets are $15 and available at 4Corners Riversports and the film festival includes free prizes, food and drink!

Saturday, June 2

The main event takes place Saturday, June 2, at Santa Rita Park on the banks of the Animas River at 2700 Main Ave.

• 8:30-10:30 a.m. — Kayak and Canoe Slalom, Sponsored by Durango Whitewater
• 10:30-11:15 a.m. — Expert SURF/SUP Competition (Wave TBD), Sponsored by Badfish
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — Smelter Smackdown Raft Slalom, Sponsored by the Animas Amazons
• Noon — Ska Beer Garden and Toast Mobile Lounge Open, No outside alcohol allowed, no dogs allowed
• 12:45-1:30 p.m. — Junior Freestyle Kayak
• 1-1:30 p.m. — Inflatable Rodeo, Sponsored by 4Corners Riversports
• 1:45-2:45 p.m. — Boatercross, Sponsored by Ska Brewing
• 2:45-3:30 p.m. — Pro Surf/SUP Competition (Wave TBD), Sponsored by Badfish  *Prelims Friday Night*
• 3-4 p.m. — Expert Freestyle Kayak
• 4-5:30 p.m. — Pro Freestyle Kayak Finals, Sponsored by The Greenery *Prelims Friday Night*
• 6-7:30 p.m. — Parade Viewing Party with ​Posh Josh doing a riverside DJ set
• 10 p.m. — Late Night Party at El Rancho Tavern featuring the jams of J-Calvin’s Funk Express. Get your groove on!

Park your kayak and put your feet up at the Durango Econo Lodge Inn & Suites. Our Durango hotel is 2 miles north of Santa Rita Park, and we love a good river parade! Book your room at the Econo Lodge Durango today!

 

Durango Whitewater Rafting

Springtime means birds and bees, budding trees and allergies — dang, we’re poets over here at the Durango Econo Lodge Inn and Suites. But spring is also the season for Durango whitewater rafting.

As the snow melts off, the rivers rise — and that means it’s time to go rafting on the Animas River.

The Animas River is one of the prime rafting rivers in Colorado. Visitors of all ages and abilities can go whitewater rafting on the Animas because the river offers a wide range of rapids, from family-friendly to technical and somewhat terrifying. (OK, “terrifying” is a subjective term.)

The Lower Animas is better for easy floats because that stretch is less intense than rapids found on the Upper Animas. Depending on water levels and time of year, the Lower Animas is usually rated Class 2 to Class 3 rapids. Rafters will float along some nice, calm stretches while still getting to bounce through some exciting (but not terrifying) whitewater, such as the Pinball, Smelter and Santa Rita rapids.

Newbies may want to think about their options before taking on the Upper Animas River. This 12-mile stretch of river ranges from Class 3 to Class 5 rapids as it winds through the narrows of Animas Canyon, past several of the San Juan Mountains’ 13,000-foot peaks. When the water is running high, the Upper Animas ranks as one of the nation’s most advanced stretches of commercial river. Adrenaline-pumping rapids on the Upper Animas include sections called “Dinner Gorge” and “Lunch Box.” Yikes.

Durango is the perfect home base for your whitewater rafting trip. Water levels are usually highest in May and June, but now is a good time to start planning your Durango rafting trip because floats do fill up. There are simply too many Durango rafting companies to list, so we won’t try, but there are some darn good ones to choose from. It’s kind of impossible to go wrong.

While you’re in Durango for your whitewater rafting trip or your summer vacation, you should stay with us at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites Durango! We’re one of the best Durango hotels and getting even better under new ownership. We’re located on Main Avenue, just a short drive or quick trolley ride north of downtown Durango and only 30 minutes south of Purgatory Resort. So book your room with the Durango Econo Lodge today!