Durango
Exploring the city and surrounding area of Durango
MEXICO
Durango is a state located in northwestern Mexico. Its capital city, also named Durango, is one of its largest cities. The state is known for its rugged terrain, including mountains, canyons, and forests. It has a rich cultural heritage, with influences from indigenous peoples as well as Spanish colonialism.
The drive from Mazatlán to the city of Durango offers breathtaking views and diverse landscapes. It winds through mountainous regions, offering stunning vistas and picturesque scenery along the way.
The driving time from Mazatlán to Durango city is around 3 hours if you take the toll road, highway 40D. This highway between Mazatlán and Durango took 12 years of construction to complete. The highway has an astounding 115 bridges and 63 high altitude tunnels.
We spent three full days in Durango as it had lots to explore in the city and surrounding area.
With its central walking street called Corredor Constitución and is filled with shops, restaurants, squares, and historic buildings it was easy to have the day fly by.
The north end of Constitucion has the Templo de Santa Ana and the south area has the Cathedral Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción along side the Plaza De Armas Durango. It was beautiful to see it during the day but at night the lights really brought it to life!
Our first trip outside of Durango was to the Sierra de Organos National Park.
The driving time from Durango city to the national park was about an hour and fifteen minutes. When we arrived admission was 50 pesos per adult.
Sierra de Órganos National Park (Parque Nacional Sierra de Órganos) is a stunning natural area located in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. It's renowned for its unique rock formations, which resemble the pipes of an organ, hence the name "Sierra de Órganos," meaning "Organ Pipes."
This national park covers an area of about 192 square kilometers (74 square miles) and is characterized by its rugged terrain, towering cliffs, canyons, and spectacular rock formations sculpted by millions of years of erosion. The park's landscape offers opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and wildlife viewing.
We did two trails while we were in the park. The loop trail from Campamento 4 "La Copa" as well as the half of the Sendero "La Cueva del Toro" trail. We could only do half and make it an out and back trail instead of a loop as when we reached the lookout there is a sign warning you that you will require a guide and special gear from that point to complete the loop. There wasn't much additional information but we assumed there would be some rock climbing required along the "La Cueva del Toro" trail to complete it.
The next day we re-visited the plaza de Armas Durango and took the stairs down to the Paseo Tunnel de Mineria. The admission fee was 40 pesos per adult.
The Paseo Túnel Minería Durango (Durango Mining Tunnel Walk) is actually a show mine located below the Cathedral Basilica of Durango. The Cathedral Basilica of Durango was founded as the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the early colonial period. In 1621 the chapel became the cathedral, but in 1634 in burned down. It was rebuilt a full century later at the height of the city’s mining prosperity.
The mining tunnel below the cathedral was once mined for silver. Today it is used as a museum to showcase the 400 years of mining in the area. The tunnel has two entrances. We took the one on the Plaza de Armas in front of the Cathedral. It has a glass elevator and staircase located half way down Calle Lic. Benito Juárez, beneath the pavilion in the center of the park. The other entrance is similar and in-front of the arquidiócesis (archdiocese) building at Av 20 de Noviembre. It is located in the middle of a small triangular plaza in front of the building. The tunnel is reached by taking the elevator or stairs down.
The 280 m long tunnel contains machines, tools and minerals that were donated by mining companies in the region. There are hydraulic hammers, iron tubs, drain pumps, mine carts and other historic memorabilia.
The mineral exhibition contains typical local minerals like quartz, blue calcite, and hematite. Maps, historic photographs, technical sheets, and explanatory texts explain the exhibits and the history of local mining. Visitors have the option to be equipped with neon green vests and white helmets to give them the right miner feeling.
The old mining tunnel is said to have been used as a secret passage. We guess there must be a connection or entrance from the cathedral and a hidden exit. Whatever the secret it may remain a mystery!
Below are some of the views and features we found along the trails. There are several balancing rock features that are great to marvel at but also provide good shade to rest and have a snack.
The trails are well marked with many of the sections including a stone border on either side of the trial to ensure you were traveling in the right direction.
Our last stop before heading to our next destination of Torreón was to visit the Mirador de los Remedios which is at the top of the gondola and gives you panoramic views of the city and area. You can take the gondola up or drive up the hill where there was ample parking as we visited mid week.
In addition to the views the top also has a small playground, a church, and several food venders.
Another attraction we visited in Durango was the Paseo del Viejo Oeste. This is about 20 minutes north of the city and is a themed park that allows you to get the feeling of stepping back into the Wild West.
Durango Mexico is known as Mexico's Hollywood because of the countless movies that have been filmed in this state. This theme park was built from a film set by Billy Huges. It filmed about 150 national and international films, including "The bandits" starring Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. Now it is a tourist attraction and every weekend they show western-style shows with cowboys, Can-Can girls and Apache Indians.
Admission to the park was 70 pesos per adult and we spent a few hours taking in all the unique themed features and Aliya loved the horse kisses!
The city of Durango is an awesome stop. The historic center is well kept with its inviting shops and restaurants. As well the surrounding areas are unique to visit and explore. If you're travelling in the Durango area be sure to spend a few days in the city to take it all in. Happy exploring!
The route is also home to the Baluarte bridge which spans the Baluarte river that marks the border between Sinaloa and Durango states.This suspension bridge is nearly 1,300 feet from the riverbed and over 3,600 feet long and is listed as the highest in the world.
There are 4 toll booths on the journey, so make sure you carry some pesos to pay at each booth. You don't need exact change but we found cash is the easiest way to make the payment at each booth. The total toll fee when we travelled was $808 pesos one way. A couple of pictures below of the Baluarte bridge from a viewpoint.
