Why Rent On Lake Purgatory

Lake Purgatory, also known as Columbine Lake, is a small, scenic lake north of Electra Lake in the Little Cascade Creek drainage of the San Juan Mountains, accessible from the area surrounding Purgatory Resort north of Durango. Originally part of the Tacoma hydro system and supported by a 13-foot dam constructed in 1906, the lake now carries a natural classification following a historic dam breach, though the remnants of its engineered past remain visible in the landscape. At approximately 17 acres with shallow depth and a San Juan Mountain setting of rare beauty, this is a lake for those who seek quiet history alongside natural scenery.

Purgatory and Durango Cabins as Your Base

Vacation rentals and cabin stays near Purgatory Resort and in the broader Durango area give families a comfortable home base for exploring Lake Purgatory and the surrounding San Juan Mountain landscape. A rental cabin with a full kitchen, multiple bedrooms, and forest views within the Purgatory community gives your group access to both the lake and the resort’s summer and winter activities from a single, well-positioned base. Durango, 25 miles south, adds the full amenities of one of Colorado’s finest mountain cities to any stay in the Purgatory area.

Explore the Hydro History, Hike the San Juans

The remnants of Lake Purgatory’s engineered past, including the historic dam foundation and the associated water infrastructure of the Tacoma hydro system, give the lake a layer of early 20th-century industrial history that is unusual in the context of Colorado’s alpine lakes. Hiking the surrounding San Juan terrain from the lake’s shore connects guests to the broader wilderness landscape of the Weminuche Wilderness just to the east. The Little Cascade Creek drainage is excellent for wildflower viewing in July, when the steep San Juan slopes above the lake fill with columbine, paintbrush, and lupine.

Purgatory Resort: Alpine Activities Year-Round

Purgatory Resort, adjacent to the Lake Purgatory drainage, provides skiing and snowboarding in winter and mountain biking, lift-served hiking, and summer activities from June through September. The combination of a small, historic alpine lake and a full-service mountain resort within the same drainage gives guests staying near Lake Purgatory a variety of daily activity options that most single-destination Colorado lake vacations cannot match. The Purgatory Village area at the resort base adds dining and retail to the immediate area.

Durango and the Million Dollar Highway

Durango’s connection to Silverton via the Million Dollar Highway, one of America’s most celebrated and most dramatic mountain drives, places any stay near Lake Purgatory at the center of one of Colorado’s finest scenic road corridors. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which follows the Animas River canyon between the two towns, provides a historic train journey that families consistently rate among the finest experiences of their Colorado trip. Lake Purgatory is a small, storied piece of the San Juan Mountains’ rich water heritage, and the surrounding resort and city infrastructure makes it far more accessible than its remote character might suggest.