Neighborhoods

West Durango

Highway 160 west, and County Road 141 up Wildcat Canyon. Outside the city limits.

West Durango, for this guide, is the county ground off Highway 160 and up Wildcat Canyon, County Road 141. Crestview and Twin Buttes are left off this page on purpose. Both are inside the city limits, so they sit with in-town Durango.

Two roads organize the rest. Highway 160 is Durango West and, past it, Durango Ridge Ranch. County Road 141 is Rafter J, then The Peaks, Shenandoah, Trappers Crossing, and Long Hollow. Lake Nighthorse is the nearby water. Water, roads, and whether anyone plows them are different in every filing.

Durango Ridge Ranch

Durango Ridge Ranch is the gated subdivision on the north side of Highway 160, past Durango West 2. The lots are ranch-scale, mostly about 35 acres and up, and some run past 100. The ground is a valley of ponderosa and Gambel oak, with views back toward Twin Buttes and out to the La Plata Mountains. The elevation sits around 7,640 feet. The association maintains the gravel roads and plows them. Water is a private well. Sewer is septic. Heat is propane. Electric is La Plata Electric. The ranch borders state wildlife land, including access toward Perins Peak State Wildlife Area, and large animals are allowed. Listing sheets do not agree on the annual dues, so get the current assessment from the association.

Rafter J

Rafter J is southwest of town off Wildcat Canyon, under the pines, with Lake Nighthorse nearby. The Brown family used to run cattle on the land in a bygone era. From the old ranch adjacent filings such as Tomahawk and La Plata Vista came first. The last piece, about 660 acres, was developed by Mel Reddy starting in the early 1970s and finished in the late 1990s. The neighborhood sits around 7,500 feet. Lots are mostly three to six acres with a few past 10 acres. There are roughly 179 lots and about 165 homes. The association maintains and plows about 7.5 miles of private paved road. Domestic water comes from the Lake Durango Water Authority, waste water is handled via septic system on each property. Published dues for 2026 are $1,800 for the year. The association can be reached at (970) 375-1400.

King Mountain

King Mountain Estates is one of the later sections inside Rafter J, not a separate ranch down the highway. King Mountain Road is one of the private roads the association maintains. The lots are the larger, pine-covered ones in that country, about ten minutes from downtown.

La Plata Vista Estates

La Plata Vista Estates is a subdivision inside Rafter J.

Tomahawk Estates

Tomahawk Estates is a subdivision inside Rafter J.

The Peaks

The Peaks is a gated subdivision up Wildcat Canyon. The turn is Peak Trail, on the left as you drive County Road 141 out of town. Homesites border public land giving a much larger feel to the properties.

Shenandoah Estates

Shenandoah Estates is up Wildcat Canyon, in on D&RG Road, slightly farther west than Shenandoah Highlands. The two communities share that entrance. A 2022 wildfire assessment counted 28 lot owners in the Estates, lots averaging about three and a half acres, and about 24 homes, mostly built since 2000 and run a wide range of sizes from 2,700 square feet to over 7,000. Roads are paved and about 24 feet wide, with turnarounds sized for fire equipment. The wider Shenandoah community, Highlands included, is the one that sits about 800 feet above town, with meadows, horse pasture, ponderosa, oak, and aspen.

Trappers Crossing

Trappers Crossing is farther out County Road 141, toward Hesperus. Listings here often carry a Hesperus address. Lots are large, commonly from about 10 acres into the 30s, and a community greenbelt runs through the subdivision. Horses are allowed, and the number depends on the size of the lot. Many of the homes look north and northwest toward the La Plata Mountains, and Lake Nighthorse is just a short drive. Domestic water is Lake Durango Water Authority while waste water is septic. Natural gas is available on some lots while others utilize propane. The association maintains the roads and plows them.

Long Hollow

Long Hollow is the high-desert filing southwest of town, about 20 minutes out Wildcat Canyon, County Road 141, near Lake Nighthorse. Lists spell it Long Hollow or Longhollow. It was platted as three filings, Long Hollow 1, 2, and 3. The ground is piñon, juniper, and sage, with the La Plata Mountains in the view, and it sits on the drive between Durango and the New Mexico line. There is an association. It is not a metro district. Horses are allowed, and so are manufactured homes. That combination is unusual this close to the lake.

Durango West 1

Durango West 1 is on the south side of Highway 160, about seven miles west of downtown, across the highway from Durango West 2. The entrance is Trailwood Drive. There is no homeowners association here. Durango West Metropolitan District No. 1 does the following services for the subdivision: water, sewer, roads, commons, and snow removal. The district office is at 119 Holly Hock Trail and can be reached at (970) 259-4267. Meeting notices are posted at durangowest.org. Covenants are on the deeds.

Durango West 2

Durango West 2 is on the north side of Highway 160, in ponderosa, aspen, and oak. Durango West Metropolitan District No. 2 is a local government, not a homeowners association. It provides water, sewer, road maintenance, and about five miles of trails. Water comes from four wells in Sheep Springs Gulch, supplemented by Lake Durango Water Authority when the wells drop. The district co-owns the wastewater plant with Durango West 1 and operates it. The Durango West District No. 2 can be reached by phone at (970) 259-3946 and via mail to P.O. Box 1092, Durango, CO 81302.