An Open-Air Jeep Climbs La Plata Canyon Past Mining Cabins
A half-day climb up an old mining road into the San Juans, driven in an open-air Jeep by a Durango guide.
La Plata Canyon opens about twenty minutes from Durango, and the road into it was built to haul ore. It still behaves that way. The first stretch runs smooth enough to hold a conversation. About halfway up the surface turns to rubble and stays rough to the top. Mild to Wild drives the climb in a customized open-air Jeep, with a guide at the wheel who lives in Durango.
Most people look at this old mining route and leave their own vehicle in town. That is the practical case for riding with someone else at the wheel. The Jeep is built for the rough half, the guide picks the line through it, and the stops along the way are ones they already know.
Durango Half Day Jeep Tour - La Plata CanyonFour hours up La Plata Canyon in an open-air Jeep, with a Durango guide at the wheel.www.viator.comThe Road Turns to Rubble Halfway Up
The climb runs four hours door to door, and the operator's own page and the booking listing describe the same shape: a smooth start, then a rubbled mining road for the back half. The Jeep is open-air. Weather arrives with you. Guides carry blankets and ponchos, and the canyon draws afternoon rain showers. The operator asks travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health to skip this trip, and otherwise rates it suitable for all fitness levels. The second half is meant to rock you around.
What the Miners Left Behind
La Plata Canyon was worked hard for ore, and the route passes what that work left behind. The operator lists old mining cabins and remnants of a deserted ghost town among the sights on this climb, along with the geology of the La Plata peaks. Its own page calls the guides interpretive as well as knowledgeable. The talking happens between stops.
Two Seasons the Canyon Is Known For
The operator singles out two stretches of the year, and the booking listing gives the same dates. Wildflowers peak from late June to early August, and the aspen groves turn gold from late September to early October. Wildlife is the looser variable. Deer, marmot, fox and birds of prey are the routine sightings, with moose and bear listed as the lucky ones, and the operator's own page adds elk, juncos and bald eagles. None of it comes with a guarantee.
Ages, Car Seats, and What Rides Along
The booking form opens a youth seat at age four and an adult seat at twelve, and one reservation can carry up to fifteen travelers. Car seats are on you: the operator asks for one for every child nine and under, a year wider than the eight the booking listing prints, and it does not supply them. Water, blankets, ponchos and granola bars ride along, and the guides run a scavenger hunt for younger passengers. Gratuities are the only item the listing excludes.
Trips leave from the company office at 50 Animas View Drive in Durango. Mornings check in at 8:15 AM and return by 12:30 PM, afternoons run 1:15 PM to 5:30 PM, and a fall afternoon departure starts at 12:30 PM. Check in ten minutes before the time on your booking. The trip needs four paid seats to run, though the booking form will take a single traveler, and cancelling at least twenty-four hours ahead returns the full fare. Dress in layers and bring a rain jacket, because the open deck has no roof to hide under. The last stop is the top of the canyon, where the San Juans open out past the hood.