Durango's Winter Calendar Is Still Aimed at One Friday. Here's What's Scheduled Through Noel Night.

After the flooding of the last two weeks, what is still on the calendar? Two of Durango's biggest winter operators have each named the same date. Purgatory Resort is scheduled to open for the 2026–27 season on Friday, November 20, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad says it is "fully on track" to restart The Polar Express and its Cascade Canyon trains that same day after repairing flood damage.

Everything on the calendar around that Friday, from a gear swap on Main to Noel Night on December 4, hangs off that date. For anyone in town who has spent the past week checking road lists instead of event listings, that one date is a good place to start planning.

What is set to start on Friday, November 20

Purgatory's scheduled opening day runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Purgatory Village Express Lift. The resort says the mountain "has already been blanketed with its first few coverings of snow" and calls this its "El Nino winter." Opening dates at any ski area depend on snow, so the resort lists this one as scheduled.

The railroad restarts two separate trains that day, and the table below compares them.

The Cascade Canyon calendar has gaps. In November it runs the 20th through the 25th and again the 27th through the 29th. In December it runs the 5th and 6th, the 11th through the 13th, the 18th through the 24th, and the 26th through the 31st. Those fares include the railroad's 8% Historic Preservation Fee, and children under four ride free on a lap. If you're hosting family over Thanksgiving, note that the train runs on the 27th, the day after the holiday.

Gear is the first thing on the calendar

The run-up to November 20 is mostly about gear, and the flood has already moved part of it. The Hesperus Ski Patrol's 63rd annual Ski Swap was planned for Saturday, November 7, at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. The patrol canceled it because the Fairgrounds became an evacuation center. On its ski swap page, the patrol says it is looking for a chance to reschedule and asks people to keep checking the site.

The Nordic side has its own swap downtown. Durango Nordic lists its Nordic Night Ski Swap at Pine Needle Mountaineering, 835 Main Avenue, on Thursday, November 12, from 5 to about 7 p.m. Pine Needle and Durango Outdoor Exchange are adding new, last-season gear to the used gear from community members. The listing sets gear drop-off at Pine Needle during business hours from Monday, November 9, through Wednesday, November 11. The swap takes classic, skate, snowshoe and Nordic touring gear, plus rollerskis, waxing tools, accessories and apparel. Durango Nordic will also sell passes and merchandise, take program registrations and run a laser biathlon rifle demo. Coke, Zuberfizz, Star Liquors and Ska Brewing are providing drinks.

The swap is the easiest place to buy a pass in person. For the 2026–27 season, the Durango Nordic Center across from Purgatory, at 49786 Hwy 550 N, prices an adult season pass at $185, a senior or veteran pass at $140 and a child pass at $110. An adult day pass is $22. Skiing more than eight days at the day rate costs more than the season pass. The Center's opening date is listed as TBD and depends on snow and weather.

The other pre-season date has a local connection. The Durango Herald reported that a group of La Plata County veterans brewed Boots on the Ground Brown Ale at Steamworks on October 14. The beer was set for a Veterans Day release on November 11, on tap at Steamworks, Ska Brewing Co., Anarchy Brewing Co. and Carver Brewing Co. The group brewed 11 barrels. Ska committed $1 from every pint sold on release day to Veterans for Veterans Archuleta County and Home Front Military Network, and Steamworks agreed to match it. Cody Knowles, Steamworks' head of house management and a Marine Corps veteran, told the Herald, "Maybe, we can make this an annual thing."

The Fairgrounds is serving as a shelter

As of La Plata County's November 2 update at 6:30 p.m., the Durango emergency shelter at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Avenue, remained open. The Red Cross was supporting it and Manna was providing meals. The Downtown Durango winter events page still lists the Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival there for December 4 through 6.

That same update said county evacuation orders remained in effect. The county page also reports that evacuations inside Durango city limits have been lifted. The Animas River is closed to all recreational and commercial watercraft until further notice by order of Sheriff Sean Smith. The county page warns that floodwater may carry sewage and other contaminants. Some roads are still closed or down to one lane. Check lpcgov.org/flood or ReadyLaPlata.org before you drive anywhere outside town, and call 970-385-8700 with questions.

The same goes for every upcoming date in this post. Each one was on the schedule in early November, so check the link before you go.

From Thanksgiving weekend to Noel Night

Once the trains and lifts are running, downtown events pick up quickly over two weekends:

1. Friday, November 27: Reindeer Scavenger Hunt. Pick up clue cards at the Durango Welcome Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2. Friday, November 27: Singing with Santa and the community tree lighting at Buckley Park. Gathering starts at 5:30 p.m., and the event page lists free cocoa, cookies, carols and photos with Santa through 7:15 p.m. Bring your own camera. The City says Buckley Park stays open during the fiber work happening there.
3. Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday. Downtown businesses are promoting both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday offers.
4. Friday, December 4: Noel Night. It runs downtown from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Local First is adding the new Miracle on 10th Street market this year, with local businesses, makers, artists and nonprofits set up outdoors on 10th Street between Narrow Gauge and Main.
5. December 4 through 6: Festival of Trees and the Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival. Festival of Trees is listed at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, and the crafts festival at the Fairgrounds.

Noel Night also starts the Downtown Durango Business Improvement District's Holiday Rewards program on December 4. The tiers are $25 back on $250 of eligible purchases, $50 on $400 and $100 on $650, while rewards last. That works out to 10% at the first tier, 12.5% at the second and a little over 15% at the top. If your gift list is going to land between $400 and $650 anyway, the higher tiers return more per dollar.

One project to look for on your Main Avenue walks is the former Olde Tymer's Cafe building at 1000 Main. The Durango Herald reported in October that owner Sean Dugan is fully renovating it for a new restaurant. He confirmed it will not reopen as Olde Tymer's, said completion was likely by the end of the year, and said he will be a partial owner of the restaurant. FCI Constructors and SEH are doing the remodel.

The next big date after that is Snowdown, January 22 through 31, 2027. The BID's winter events page lists Durango's Parade of Lights as part of it.

Where help is going right now

For neighbors who want to help before the calendar picks back up, these channels are in place:

• La Plata Community Emergency Relief Fund. The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado opened this fund for flood recovery. Give online through the fund's donation page, or mail a check to the Community Foundation, memo "2026 La Plata Flood," P.O. Box 1673, Durango, CO 81302. The Foundation says the money goes to community-based organizations as needs come up, not as direct payments to individuals.
• Crisis Cleanup. It connects households with volunteers who can help clear debris, trees and fences. Affected residents can register at 970-283-7325.
• Colorado Responds. It has a volunteer signup form. Agencies, residents or companies offering help can also email [email protected].

The county asks that no debris be brought to the Fairgrounds while it develops a debris management plan. Check lpcgov.org/flood for updates.

Jeremiah Aukerman works out of Durango and Bayfield, and this is his calendar too. If you're planning a move around ski season or the new year, a free home valuation is a no-pressure way to see where your place stands before the calendar fills up.