Snowmobiling in Durango: Winter Tours Compared

Snowmobiling in Durango means a guided tour of 2 hours or more. The booking calendar at Snowmobile Adventures showed $253 for a single sled and $333 for a double sled on a 2-hour December weekday tour. A horse-drawn sleigh ride is cheaper: Bears Ranch charges $70 to $95 for 45 minutes. Dog sledding from Hesperus runs $395 to $495 per sled, and a scenic snowcat ride at Purgatory was $100 a person last winter. This guide compares every winter tour operator we could verify, with posted prices, minimum ages and drive times from downtown Durango.

What winter tours can you book near Durango?

Nine tours and programs cover the area. Snowmobile Adventures runs from the Purgatory base. Ice Pirates meets at Molas Pass. Bears Ranch is the main sleigh operator, and Durango Dog Ranch is the dog sledding outfit in La Plata County. Purgatory sells a scenic snowcat ride, and the San Juan Mountains Association guides snowshoe hikes at the Durango Nordic Center. Pagosa Springs operators fill the gaps just outside the county.

We computed the drive times from downtown Durango with a routing engine, assuming dry roads. Snow slows everything, so add 10 to 20 minutes after a storm, and leave earlier for the tours that start on Molas Pass.

What do the tours cost, and who can go?

These are the prices each operator posted in October 2026. "Not listed" means the website shows no price. Ratings come from Google data in our directory, which holds seven of these nine.

Purgatory's snowmobile page still shows last winter's "starting at" prices of $239 for 2 hours and $289 for 3 hours. The booking calendar shows higher numbers for the dates we checked, so budget from the calendar.

How much is each tour per hour?

A scenic snowcat ride and a dinner sleigh ride are the cheapest ways to spend an hour in the snow. Dividing each posted price by its length gives this ranking, per person.

Two things stand out. Riding double on a snowmobile drops the cost per person on a 3-hour tour from $105.65 to $66.07. And a longer tour is the better deal: the 3-hour single sled works out to $105.65 an hour, against $131.97 for the 2-hour one. The snowcat and dog sled figures count the full 2 hours, but riders spend only part of that moving. On the snowcat it is one hour in the cat. At the dog ranch the rest is a mushing lesson, harnessing and a fire.

Which tour fits your group?

A couple on a December date night and a family with a four-year-old should not book the same thing. Here is how we would split the options, using only the age limits and group rules that each operator posts.

What is a Durango snowmobile tour like?

Snowmobile Adventures gives you a Ski-Doo and a guide, then leads the group over groomed trail and open meadow. You do not need experience. The company says its terrain covers more than 35,000 acres and 75 miles of trail beyond the ski area. On the dates we checked, 2-hour tours left at 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The 3-hour tour left at 9:00 a.m.

• Gear: You must wear waterproof snow pants and a coat, snow boots, gloves and goggles. The company supplies a helmet, and it turns away guests without proper gear, with no refund.
• Weight and weather: Tours depend on weather and conditions. Its site lists a weight restriction without giving the number, so ask when you book.
• Cancellations: Its site lists a 72-hour window in one place and a 48-hour window in another. Ask which applies when you book.

Ice Pirates rides from the Molas Lake lot on US-550, about 50 minutes from downtown. It offers 2-hour, 3-hour, full-day and backcountry tours, plus a package that starts with a Purgatory pickup at 8 a.m. and returns by 11:45 a.m. In Pagosa Springs, Wolf Creek Snowmobile Tours runs guided 2-hour rides on Wolf Creek Pass and other areas. For Silverton's trail network, see our Silverton in winter guide.

Where can you take a sleigh ride near Durango?

Bears Ranch is the sleigh ride most people mean when they search for one near Durango. It is the closest operator, and its 964 Google reviews are the most of any tour in this guide. Here is what the ranch posts:

• The ride: draft horses pull the sleigh for about 45 minutes. Blankets and hot chocolate come with the Classic ride, and the trail has views of Engineer Mountain, the Needles and the Hermosa Cliffs.
• Getting there: about 20 miles up US-550, then a short turn onto the Haviland Lake road.
• No snow yet: the ranch swaps in a horse-drawn carriage on the same trail.
• VIP Tiki: leaves at 5 p.m., returns by torchlight, and each guest gets a souvenir scarf.

An older Visit Durango article lists Bears Ranch at $79 and $69 with a $89 VIP ride. Those figures do not match the ranch's booking page, which now shows $70 to $95 and $95 to $105. We used the booking page.

In Pagosa Springs, Buckaroos offers a one-hour public ride and a two-hour dinner sleigh ride with a three-course ranch meal. Its site posts every price. For the longer drive, see our Pagosa Springs day trip guide.

Is there dog sledding near Durango?

Yes, and it is a local outfit. Durango Dog Ranch keeps its dogs in Hesperus, in La Plata County, and this is its 28th year of tours. Nobody rides as cargo. Everyone drives.

San Juan Sled Dogs in Pagosa Springs runs a 2-hour tour with round-trip transport from town, and it does not post prices. It is the nearest other verified option, about 80 minutes away.

What about snowcat rides and guided snowshoe hikes?

Purgatory's scenic snowcat tour starts with a chairlift ride up Village Express to meet a snowcat at the top. You ride for an hour, stop for cocoa, and return by lift. The posted price was $100 per person for 2025/26, with departures at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and 8 seats per cat. The tour runs only if at least 4 guests book, and cancellations within 48 hours get no refund. The resort had not posted 2026/27 dates in October.

The Durango Nordic Center is adding guided snowshoe hikes with the San Juan Mountains Association. Educators teach how animals live in winter. Hikes run January 9 and February 12, 2027, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Three evening Full Moon Howler hikes are set for December 23, January 22 and February 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. Prices are not listed on the event pages. For the self-guided snowshoe pass, see our winter activities beyond skiing guide.

How do you stay safe on winter tours?

Check the avalanche forecast before any backcountry trip, even a guided one. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, avalanches have killed more people in Colorado than any other natural hazard since 1950. The center posts a forecast every day by 4:30 p.m. It says to read one when you plan the trip and again before you head out. All the snowmobile operators above run guided tours, and the guides choose the terrain.

Altitude is the other risk. The CDC says travel above 8,000 feet can bring altitude illness. Early signs are headache, tiredness, nausea and loss of appetite. It advises skipping alcohol and heavy exercise for the first 48 hours at that height. Purgatory's base and Molas Pass both sit above 8,000 feet. If you have heart or lung disease, talk to your doctor before the trip.

Dress the way the operators ask:

• Snowmobiles: waterproof pants and coat, snow boots, gloves and goggles.
• Dog sleds: layers you would wear to ski, warm waterproof boots, and goggles or sunglasses.
• Sleigh rides: blankets come with the ride at Bears Ranch, but wear a hat and boots.

Check Colorado Department of Transportation road conditions before you drive north on US-550 over Coal Bank and Molas passes.

Where can you go from here?

Tours pair well with a lift ticket or a night in the village:

• Gear for the slopes: ski rentals in Durango and the Purgatory lift ticket guide.
• Places to stay: the Purgatory lodging guide.
• Other winter ideas: Purgatory Resort, the Durango ski trip guide, the Polar Express and Christmas in Durango.
• More local operators: browse tours and outfitters.