Itinerary · 7 days
A week at the lake
Seven unhurried days, one easy anchor each — built for a big multi-gen group, with optional satellites when the crew wants to split by energy.
How this works: pick a day, then tune each stop — tap a chip to spotlight the blocks and tracks that fit your crew (with little kids, flat & easy, big miles, dog-friendly, a group of 8+, or a rainy day). Choices save and are shareable.
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Day 1: Pontoon day
9:00 am–3:00 pm
Everyone on the water
Water play? Heads-up on water play: there is NO designated swim beach and no lifeguard — it's an open, busy motorized reservoir, and the water stays snowmelt-cold well into summer (ease in; cold-water shock is real). Stay near shore, mind boat lanes, and keep flotation on kids.
Take it easy The whole family on a pontoon from the marina — shade, seats, and a cooler; toddlers to grandparents all fit. Reserve ahead: (970) 884-7000.
Standard Two boats — a pontoon for the crew, a fishing boat for the anglers.
Turn it up Anglers take a fishing boat at dawn; the pontoon joins mid-morning.
bench/seating: on the boat · shade: pontoon bimini
Kids: plan the midday reset for naps; keep flotation on at the water (no lifeguard).
Dogs welcome on pontoons (not paddle craft); leashed on the dock.
Wind/storms cancel the water — swap to carvings + Country Market.
Group of 8+: book multiple boats early; ask the marina about capacity and life jackets.
Day 2: Carvings day
10:00 am–2:00 pm
The 14 carvings, at your pace
Take it easy The full carvings loop, drive-to-drive, with a picnic in the middle. The easiest big-group, all-ages, all-weather day.
Standard Carvings + a short lakeside walk.
Turn it up Carvings in the morning, a trail or paddle in the afternoon.
shade: varies
Leashed dogs fine at the pull-offs.
Rain-proof from the car; Pondering Pines if you want indoors.
Regroup point: the carvings lot — the reunion spot all week.
Day 3: A taste of the Weminuche
7:30 am–1:00 pm
High-country day
Take it easy A lower, gentle trail or a lakeside stroll — no summit required.
Standard Lake Eileen #899 — 2.1 mi one-way, ~1,150 ft.
Turn it up Deeper into the Weminuche from the north-end trailheads (e.g., Vallecito Creek #529, ~10.5 mi / ~3,340 ft — mind the Oct 2025 washout). Go early; be below treeline by early afternoon. Distances + trailheads on the trail guide.
shade: yes
Leashed — moose and bear country.
Afternoon storms are the rule — turn around by 1 pm. Rainout: Stories hub.
Split by energy; everyone back at the carvings lot at 3:00 pm.
1:00–3:00 pm
Midday reset
Take it easy Naps, knees, regroup — back at the cabins.
Standard Rest + restock.
Turn it up Refuel, then out again.
restroom: at your lodging · bench/seating: n/a · shade: yes
The daily reset every generation of the group wants.
Day 4: Fishing morning + pier day
6:00 am–12:00 pm
Fish the calm, then the pier
Water play? Heads-up on water play: there is NO designated swim beach and no lifeguard — it's an open, busy motorized reservoir, and the water stays snowmelt-cold well into summer (ease in; cold-water shock is real). Stay near shore, mind boat lanes, and keep flotation on kids.
Take it easy Kids and grandparents fish the wheelchair-accessible pier — perch off the docks are the easy, all-day bite.
Standard Shore + pier in the morning; a boat if you want.
Turn it up Dawn on the water for kokanee/pike; guides listed on the fishing page. PRID permit + Colorado license first.
Kids: plan the midday reset for naps; keep flotation on at the water (no lifeguard).
Leashed on the pier.
Lightning clears the water — carvings or the market instead.
The pier is the great equalizer: toddlers to limited-mobility all fish it.
Day 5: Durango side-trip
9:30 am–6:00 pm
Down the hill to Durango
About 45 min / ~23 mi to Durango; check the exact drive from where you are staying.
Take it easy A relaxed town day — lunch, shops, the river walk; easy on knees and strollers.
Standard Add the historic downtown and a museum.
Turn it up The Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge railroad or a Durango-area ride, then back for sunset.
restroom: in town · bench/seating: in town · shade: in town
Leave dogs at the cabin for a long town day, or check dog-friendly patios in town.
A town day IS the rainy-day move for the week.
Group logistics: caravan or carpool; pick a Durango meet-point + time before you leave the lake.
Day 6: Stories / rain-flex day
10:00 am–3:00 pm
The valley's history (weatherproof)
Take it easy Read the stories and see the easy sites: the carvings, the Missionary Ridge fire + Alan Wyatt memorial, the October 2025 flood, Tuckerville. Mostly from a screen or a dry car.
Standard Pick two stories and walk their ground.
Turn it up Pair a story with a short hike to its site.
shade: varies
Leashed at story/roadside stops.
This is the flex day — slot it wherever the week's worst weather lands.
Handmade goods + a dry hour: Pondering Pines Maker's Market — (970) 398-5958.
Day 7: Lazy last day
8:00–11:00 am
Slow morning, easy goodbye
Water play? Heads-up on water play: there is NO designated swim beach and no lifeguard — it's an open, busy motorized reservoir, and the water stays snowmelt-cold well into summer (ease in; cold-water shock is real). Stay near shore, mind boat lanes, and keep flotation on kids.
Take it easy Coffee on the shore, a last flat lakeside walk, and pack up unhurried. Grab road snacks + hand-cut meats at the Country Market on the way out.
Standard A short paddle or one more carving you missed.
Turn it up A sunrise cast off the pier before the drive home.
restroom: at your lodging · shade: yes
Kids: plan the midday reset for naps; keep flotation on at the water (no lifeguard).
One last leashed lakeside break at Old Timers.
Rain just makes the goodbye easier — pack and roll.
Check-out logistics for a big group: stagger cars, and confirm the Country Market's hours (closed Tue–Wed) before you count on a resupply.
Dogs at Vallecito: Leashed (6 ft) in campgrounds and developed sites (36 CFR 261.16); under control — really leashed — on trails and in the Weminuche. This is moose and bear country and unleashed dogs are the #1 trigger for moose charges. Old Timers day-use (east shore) is an easy leashed lakeside break.