Boating at McPhee Reservoir
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Dolores
City Profile
Elevation:6,936'
Population: 857
Average Midsummer Temperature: 87 / 54 degrees
You will be charmed by this little town,
located in the beautiful Dolores River Valley. The full Spanish name of the Dolores River was Rio de Nuestra Senor de los Dolores, "River of Our Lady of Sorrows," conferred by Fathers Escalante and Dominguez on their historic expedition in 1776. The river winds through the narrow Dolores Valley and then empties into McPhee Reservoir, the second-largest lake in Colorado. McPhee is an ideal site for fishing, camping and boating, and the river itself offers fishing, rafting and kayaking. The valley was once home to the Ancestral Puebolans, and more than 1,380 archaeological sites were identified in the Dolores Project area prior to the construction of the reservoir.
Dolores Chamber of Commerce:
(970) 882-4018
 Galloping Goose, Motor No.5
The Goose (named for its loud honking and waddling motion) carried mail and sometimes nervous passengers over a narrow-gauge track through the San Juan Mountains for almost 20 years until 1952. Visit the goose at the Grande Southern Railroad Museum on Railroad Avenue.
 Special Events
June 4 – River Festival. Games booths, fly fishing clinics and demonstrations, raft rides, food and fun at Joe Rowell Park
June 4-5 – Dolores Art Festival with booths of local crafts at
Flanders Park
June 25 – Logger's Rodeo at Joe Rowell Park. The event will include several areas of logger competitions such as the Axe Throw, Jack and Jill Bucking, Plunge Cut, Time Wood Chop and more. Other activities include door prizes, crafts,
furniture makers, woodcarvings, food vendors, historical photos and displays, children's games and prizes, an appearance by Smokey Bear and more.
Aug. 13-15 – Escalante Days.
A two-day festival in Dolores
featuring Galloping Goose rides,
a rubber-duck race on the river, and a mountain bike race. There will be games, arts, crafts and a barbecue.
Anasazi Heritage Center
See stunning rugs like the one shown above July 4-Sept. 10 in the exhibit "Trees in a Circle: Navajo Weaving from Teec Nos Pos" at the Anasazi Heritage Center. The museum features exhibits on archaeology, history and regional Native American cultures, and it is the headquarters for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The museum and archaeological sites are three miles west of Dolores on Highway 184. Call 882-5600 or visit: www.co.blm gov/ahc.
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// Web Durango / Special Sections / Summer Guide 2004 /
Durango
