Durango, Colorado

Durango is one of the bigger towns on this list and the easiest to reach, a college and railroad town with its own airport, which makes it the practical way into the San Juans. The paved Animas River Trail stretches more than seven miles through town along the river, and the historic main street has the breweries and restaurants a tiny mountain town can't support. Its classic day out is the narrow-gauge train to Silverton, in continuous operation between the two towns since 1882, and Purgatory Resort is the ski mountain up the highway to the north. Choose it when you want mountain access with fewer compromises on food, flights and lodging.