Durango Nordic Ski Club

I cross country skied at the Durango Nordic Center in early spring so the snow was patchy but since it's right across the street from Purgatory Ski Resort at over 10,000 feet, I'm sure the Nordic Center normally gets great snow because I know Purg does. From the "Spider" area, which is where the trails all converge, I took the "North Loop," which goes north through the woods. It's nice and quiet except you can hear the cars going by on the highway to the west. The view ahead of you when you're in the words of the snowcapped mountain peaks to the north is beautiful. Almost all the trails at this nordic center are rated "blue," meaning intermediate, but I found them pretty difficult and ended up falling a few times on the steep downhill sections. After that, I decided to take my skis off and walk down the steepest hills. I skied for just over 3 hours with one break to eat a snack and take in the serenity and was able to ski all the way to the north end of the park where the "North Star" and "North Pole" are marked with cute little handmade signs. The trails are not all marked though and there are quite a few forks in the trail as you go. As I headed back, I noticed some signs posted that read "Back Home" or "Back to Nordic center," which helped assure me I was in the right track. The other skiers I saw were all really advanced ski "skaters" out training. There was one other girl I saw on regular "fish scale" type narrow cross country skies like mine and she was doing the Aspen Loop, which is marked as "green" (easy) on the map. It's quite short though and since I wanted to cover more ground I chose the longer blue route. Next time, I'll bring my snowshoes because the hilly terrain of this park would be ideal for snowshoeing and that's allowed as well. The price for a senior to ski was $15. I think adults are $20.

To start, this Nordic Center charges $17/person. While that may seem a bit high...it isn't. They have over 10km of groomed trails for your skis with varying degrees of difficulty. The trails wind & loop through the trees with some amazing views of the Twilight Mountains. Inside the Community Center where you pay, hot drinks and light snacks are also available. Been a few times and we've always had a good time. This is a great alternative to resort skiing at Purgatory. And wow, what a full-body workout!!

Lovely views of Engineer Mountain and the Needles. Very helpful staff. Trail map is on Avenza and provided excellent guidance. Sadly the center closed for the 2026 season on March 1st.

We are from Utah and have done snowshoeing before. While on our 5th anniversary in Durango, we spent an afternoon at the Durango Nordic Center. What a beautiful park. We loved the trails, so well groomed and easy to follow. We will be back for sure!

Located across from Purgatory Ski resort, this ski center shouldn’t be overlooked! Lovely groomed trails will take you out to breathtaking views. Along with Nordic skiing (cross country) you can also snowshoe, which is amazing and both day passes are super cheap compared to Purgatory. Ps- the staff is amazing and check out their website for group activities with SJMA!