Event Site & Region

  • Event Site & Region

    All adventures and quests have a starting point, and weave their way towards a hoped for destination.  For those of you on a quest to the the Good Medicine Confluence and the surrounding San Juan Mountains, your trip may involve a long interstate drive or a plane flight to Albuquerque, but inevitably it will turn into a winding two lane road following rocky creeks or the lovely Animas River through the passes leading to the outdoorsy town of Durango.  

    From there, you will take the steep drive to a virtual Hogwarts at the top of the mountain, where nests the intimate tree covered Ft. Lewis campus landscaped entirely with native southwestern foliage.  Deer graze unafraid on the campus grounds and trails ring the school, offering great views of the Animas river far below. The region is home to uncountable wildflower-lined paths leading out into the dense conifer forests, perfect for plant walks – sometimes blessed with afternoon monsoon rain showers that glaze the mountains with a faery glimmer.  Even if there were no Confluence to attend, this is one place you would almost certainly want to visit and take some time to fully experience.

  • The Place

    Every direction from Durango are places of not only great beauty but great cultural and historical significance.  To the Northwest sits the incredibly moving Mesa Verde Anasazi ruins, known for their ceremonial history and feel, and directly west are the famous Canyonlands.  You can experience high desert blooms and gather high elevation alpine herbs all in the course of a single day.  Nearby attractions include the amazing Grand Canyon just a little ways S.W. of town, and the Dinosaur National Monument to the north, along with hundreds of other spots to spiritually connect with or just to explore with your family.

    You can take a scenic ride on an antique steam train from Durango to the Old West mining town of Silverton, book a horseback ride on the great nearby trails, rent a Jeep to explore the backroads of the San Juans, drop over to see the wonderful little arts town of Telluride, swim in the Anima River, and soak in the many developed and undeveloped hot Springs including Trimble in Durango, Weisbaden in Ouray, Orvis in Ridgway, Pagosa Springs, and Dunton Hot Springs.  There are medicinal herb shops as well as legal cannabis dispensaries, massage therapists, and famed regional eateries serving everything from Mongolian cuisine to seafood and authentic Mexican dishes.

  • Getting There

    If you are taking a plane, it will be most affordable to fly into Albuquerque, although you can alternatively land in Denver or Phoenix.  You can also pay more and land at the small Durango airport instead, and be only a few miles from the event site!

    Those of you driving would be kind to offer rides to other plant healers seeking a way to the event on the Good Medicine RideShare Forum.  The Forum will be available on the Discord platform for you to post on beginning in early January by clicking on:

    Rideshare & Roomshare

Directions

  • Driving to Durango from Denver is a beautiful, six and a half hour drive. Take US Hwy 285 south from Denver for approximately 173 miles. Turn right on CO State Hwy 112 W for 13 miles until you reach Del Norte. In Del Norte, turn right onto US Hwy 160 W. Follow US Hwy 160 W for 118 miles. For a longer, more scenic drive, take I-70 West from Denver to Grand Junction, then take US Hwy 50 E toward Montrose. US Hwy 50 merges into US Hwy 550 S; follow US Hwy 550 S through Ouray and Silverton to Durango. Note: this route takes you on part of the scenic "San Juan Skyway," and adds approximately an hour to your drive time.

  • The San Juan Skyway is a 233-mile National Scenic and Historic Byway that offers access to Durango as well as to high elevation recreation, dramatic views of 14,000-foot peaks in the San Juan Mountains, quaint Victorian mining towns, and Mesa Verde National Park. The San Juan Skyway is one of the most scenic drives in America, spanning elevations from 6,200 feet outside of Durango to just over 11,000 feet at Red Mountain Pass. The entire loop takes about 7 hours to drive, and makes for a fabulous 2-3 day road trip through southwest Colorado. Durango is located at the southeast corner of the Skyway, at the intersection of US Hwy 160 (east/west), and US Hwy 550 (north/south). 

  • If you are driving from the East on I-40 you will be entering and then heading north from Albuquerque. From there, simply take US Hwy 550 north approximately 215 miles to Durango, a 3.5 hour journey through beautiful high deserts and native reservation lands.

  • If you are coming from the West Coast, you may want to follow I-17 N/US Hwy 60 W through Phoenix, then take US Hwy 89 N for approximately 62 miles. Take US Hwy 160 E for 154 miles to Durango. If arriving in Durango from other areas to the west, you will also enter Durango via US Hwy 160 E, passing through Cortez, Mancos, and past Mesa Verde National Park on the way.