Things to Do in Silverton, CO: What's Open in 2026/27

The best things to do in Silverton are the narrow gauge train, a walk down Greene and Blair Streets, the drive to the Animas Forks ghost town and the Old Hundred Gold Mine tour. The streets and the views work all year. The train, mine and mill do not. The mine and mill closed for the season on October 15, 2026, and the full train runs only through November 1. Silverton sits at 9,318 feet, per Britannica, and it is 49 miles by road from Durango.

One day is not enough. The town is a mining camp that outlived its mines, a dozen blocks of false fronts under 13,000-foot peaks. Most train riders get two hours and spend the ride home wishing they had booked a room.

What's open in Silverton in 2026/27, season by season?

Silverton runs on short seasons, and the 2027 summer dates are not posted yet. This table shows what each operator had posted in October 2026.

Kendall Mountain's own site still read "Closed for the 2025/26 Season" when we checked. Call before you plan a day around it.

How much time do you get in Silverton from Durango?

On the full steam train you get 2 hours 15 minutes between the posted arrival and departure, which the railroad calls a 2-hour layover. A bus-up combination can stretch that to 3 hours. Driving gives you as many hours as the daylight allows. This table works out each option from the railroad's 2026 schedule.

Fares include the 8 percent Historic Preservation Fee and come from the railroad's round trip page and Silverton Express page. The railroad had not posted 2027 summer times or fares on October 23, 2026. Our train ticket guide has every class and price.

The train is the better ride. A steam locomotive, oil-fired since 2024 by the railroad's account, pulls you 45 miles up the Animas canyon, past cliffs no road reaches. The drive is the better plan if you want to hike or reach a trailhead.

US-550, the Million Dollar Highway, crosses Coal Bank Pass at 10,640 feet and Molas Pass at 10,910 feet. Plan on about 1 hour 10 minutes of driving each way in dry weather, which is our estimate. Past Silverton the road climbs Red Mountain Pass (11,018 feet) toward Ouray. CDOT says the Ouray-to-Silverton stretch is the part that carries the Million Dollar name. Drive it in daylight and stop often. Our day trips from Durango guide covers the full loop.

What should you see in town?

Walk Greene Street first. It is the paved main drag, lined with restaurants, outfitters and gear shops, and you can cover it in fifteen minutes. Do not. Go slowly. The building fronts are the point.

Then walk Blair Street, one block over. It is unpaved, and in the mining days it was the rowdy side of town, all saloons and dance halls. It is quieter than Greene now, and best for photos early in the morning when the street is empty.

Two more stops are worth the walk:

• The County Jail Museum. The San Juan County Historical Society runs the 1902 County Jail Museum and the Mining Heritage Center. Hours and prices are not listed on the society's home page, so call ahead.
• Christ of the Mines Shrine. It sits on a hillside above town and gives the best free view of the valley.

Can you drive the Alpine Loop?

Yes, if you have the right vehicle. The Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway ties Silverton, Lake City and Ouray together with old mining roads. The BLM calls it a 4x4-only road that reaches 12,800 feet. Plan on high-clearance four-wheel drive or a rented side-by-side. A sedan will not cut it. The full loop is a long day, and our local sister site has a guide to Silverton jeep tours.

Animas Forks is the place to start. The railroad puts it 12 miles from Silverton. It is a ghost town at around 11,200 feet, with roofless cabins and one famous bay-windowed house, and the road in is the tamest piece of the loop. You will not be alone out there. Rental outfitters work out of town and guided tours run daily in season, so July can bring more off-road vehicles than cars. The passes close in winter, and the opening date shifts by weeks each year. Check with the BLM or the Forest Service before you commit.

Where should you hike?

This is why many visitors come back.

• Ice Lake Basin. It is a hard, steady climb to an alpine lake with unreal color. Start early in summer, because it draws a crowd. Part of the area burned in the October 2020 Ice Fire, and the Forest Service warns of snags and loose material. Check trail status before you drive out.
• Molas Pass and Little Molas Lake. You step right onto the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. Walk as far as you like, then turn around.
• Kendall Mountain. It towers about 13,000 feet over town. The summit route is a Silverton rite of passage, and it is steep: close to 3,800 feet of gain from a 9,300-foot start.

Afternoon storms build fast in late July and August. Start early and be off the ridgelines by lunchtime.

What can you do indoors, or underground?

Two tours run from May to mid-October. Both are closed now.

The mine tour is the better pick for kids, who get a mine train ride and free panning for silver, copper and sometimes gold with their ticket, says the operator. The mill is a National Historic Landmark. The San Juan County Historical Society says it closed in 1991 and was later donated to the society. The mill's own site says visitors get over 10 percent off if they also visit the mine or the Mining Heritage Center.

Both reopen next May. The 2027 dates are not posted, so confirm them before you plan a day around either one.

What does a Silverton day cost?

Less than you might think if you drive, and a lot more if four people ride the train. Here is the math from the posted prices for two people age 15 or over and two kids age 5 to 11.

Add lunch, which no operator posts a price for, and gas for 98 miles. The train and the drive are not rivals. Many families ride up one summer and drive back the next.

What's Silverton like in winter?

Quiet. Most Silverton coverage stops at Labor Day. That is a mistake if you like peace.

The town shrinks to its year-round population. The railroad's Cascade Canyon Winter Train leaves Durango at 9:15 a.m. on select dates from November 20 to April 30, spends an hour at the canyon and gets back at 2:30 p.m. It does not reach Silverton. Red Mountain Pass can close for avalanche control, so check CDOT before driving from Ouray.

You still have skiing and a weekend of spectacle:

• Kendall Mountain runs a small community hill at the edge of town when natural snow allows.
• Silverton Mountain is the opposite extreme: expert-only, ungroomed terrain. Guided days start at $249. The unguided season runs March 17 to April 11, 2027, and you must carry a beacon, shovel and probe. Read our Silverton Mountain guide before you book.
• Skijoring takes over Blair Street on February 13 and 14, 2027, with a horse and rider towing a skier through gates and over jumps.
• Ice climbing is a short drive north at Ouray. See the Ouray Ice Park guide.

For guided snowmobiling, sleigh rides and dog sledding based near Durango, see Durango winter tours. Our Silverton in winter guide covers the highway, the quiet months and what stays open. For the wider picture, see Durango in winter.

Where should you stay?

Two hours is the layover. A night is the trip. Stay over and you get Silverton after the last train leaves: empty streets, an easy dinner and a sunrise start at an Alpine Loop trailhead.

Lodging is a short list of small, independent places, mostly within a few blocks of Greene Street. On a July weekend the good rooms go first. We compare three motels by pets, parking and season in where to stay in Silverton, and the Silverton Mountain guide lists seven properties in alphabetical order. Disclosure: Travel Durango is run by Animas Marketing; the Prospector Motel, Triangle Motel and Kendall Mountain Lodge are Animas Marketing clients. We rank none of them here. Basing down valley? Try the stay listings and our Durango lodging guide.

What should you know before you go?

• Altitude. You will sleep higher here than almost anywhere else. Take the first day easy, and do not plan your hardest hike for the morning after you arrive.
• The season is short. Late June through early September is when everything is open. September brings aspen gold and thinner crowds; see our fall colors guide.
• Cell service is patchy. The railroad says there is no cell service or Wi-Fi in the Animas Canyon, so download directions and bookings before you leave Durango.
• Dress in layers. A 75-degree afternoon and a 40-degree night is normal in July.
• Eat early. A full train arrives hungry at once, and the line at lunch is long.

Silverton rewards people who slow down. Ride up, walk the two streets, drive high enough to see what the miners chased and stay the night. For more, see the full list of things to do and our best things to do in Durango roundup.