Purgatory Late Summer 2026: What Is Open and Closed

Purgatory Resort transitions to weekend-only summer operations on August 22, 2026. The Inferno Mountain Coaster, alpine slide, and scenic chairlift remain open Saturdays and Sundays plus Labor Day through October 4, 2026. The bike park closes midweek after August 16. Durango's September offers fall hiking, aspen colors, and smaller crowds at nearby attractions like Durango Hot Springs.

TL;DR

Purgatory Resort shifts from daily to weekend-only summer operations on August 22, 2026. The Inferno Mountain Coaster, alpine slide, and scenic chairlift keep running Saturdays and Sundays (plus Labor Day, September 7) through October 4. The bike park closes midweek after August 16 but continues Thursday through Sunday until that date. If you are visiting Purgatory in late August or September, you still get the flagship attractions, but you need to plan around the weekend schedule.

If you are mapping a late-summer Durango trip, the first question to answer is straightforward: what is actually open at Purgatory after mid-August? The resort runs full daily operations from June 20 through August 16, 2026, then pares back for a quieter but still active shoulder season that stretches through the first weekend of October. Here is the full breakdown of what stays open, what closes, and what to expect on the mountain in late summer.

What is still open at Purgatory after August 16, 2026?

Three core attractions stay open on weekends through October 4: the Inferno Mountain Coaster, the alpine slide, and the scenic chairlift. All three also run on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026.

The Inferno Mountain Coaster is the flagship draw, a 4,000-foot gravity-powered track winding through aspen groves and pine forest on the front of the mountain. You control your speed with a hand brake. Cars seat two (driver plus passenger) and climb 300 vertical feet before the descent. The coaster is one of the longest mountain coasters in Colorado, and the views from the climb are worth the ride alone. Riders must be 36 inches tall; children 9 and under ride as passengers with a driver 16 or older and at least 52 inches. A single ride costs $20, but the better deal is the 5 Activity Pack at $49 per adult or $39 per child, which works across coaster, slide, and chairlift rides and remains valid for the entire 2026 summer season.

The alpine slide runs two parallel tracks of roughly half a mile each. Riders take a chairlift to the top, sit in a wheeled sled, and control their speed down a concrete track. Minimum height is 36 inches with an adult or 48 inches to ride solo. Pricing matches the coaster: $20 single or included in the 5 Activity Pack. For a complete breakdown of the alpine slide experience including age rules, speed tips, and how it compares to the coaster, see our Purgatory alpine slide guide.

The scenic chairlift runs two lifts: Lift 1 (about 15 minutes round-trip, Thursday through Sunday) and Lift 4 (about 30 minutes round-trip, Monday through Wednesday). Both top out at roughly 10,000 feet with views of the Needle Range and the Animas Valley. The chairlift costs the same $20 single ticket and is included in the activity pack. Operating hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., one hour shorter than the coaster and slide which run until 5:00 p.m.

All three attractions operate weather-permitting, and the resort follows a strict inclement-weather protocol. If activities close due to weather, unused tickets are credited at 100 percent.

What closes at Purgatory after mid-August?

The biggest change is the bike park. Purgatory's lift-served downhill mountain biking runs Thursday through Sunday through August 16, 2026, then shuts down completely. No weekend bike park in September. If downhill mountain biking is on your must-do list, plan for a Thursday-through-Sunday visit before August 17. See our Purgatory Bike Park guide for the full trail breakdown.

The base-area activities (mini golf, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, and disc golf) also follow the daily-to-weekend transition and shut down for the season after October 4.

Twilight Lake, across from the resort entrance, stays accessible for stand-up paddleboarding and fishing year-round, but there are no rentals on-site after summer operations wind down. Bring your own gear if you visit after Labor Day.

What is the best weekend to visit Purgatory in late summer?

Labor Day weekend (September 5-7, 2026) is the last three-day window with full activity access. The mountain coaster, alpine slide, and scenic chairlift all run Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The Durango Farmers Market also runs that Saturday at TBK Bank parking lot, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., through October 31.

If you would rather avoid holiday crowds, the weekends of August 22-23 or August 29-30 offer identical activity access with lighter traffic on US 550 and shorter lift lines. The August 29-30 weekend is particularly good: the bike park runs its final Thursday-through-Sunday stretch that week (August 27-30), so you could catch both downhill riding on Thursday or Friday and the main attractions on Saturday and Sunday.

After Labor Day, the next four weekends (September 12-13, 19-20, 26-27, and October 3-4) all offer the coaster, slide, and chairlift. Late September is when the San Juan aspen groves start to turn, especially along the Hermosa Creek Trail and the Million Dollar Highway corridor north of Purgatory toward Silverton and Ouray.

How should I spend a late-summer Durango day around the weekend schedule?

If activities are weekend-only, structure your trip to use the weekdays for everything else Durango offers, then hit Purgatory Saturday and Sunday.

A practical two-day plan for a late-August or September weekend:

Saturday: Arrive at Purgatory by 10:00 a.m. Ride the Inferno Mountain Coaster twice (locals call the first ride the reconnaissance lap and the second the full-send lap). Grab a 5 Activity Pack and split the remaining rides between the alpine slide and scenic chairlift. By early afternoon, drive 25 minutes south on US 550 to Ska Brewing in Durango for a post-mountain beer. Ska's tasting room is open daily 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and their True Blonde took gold at the 2026 World Beer Cup.

Sunday: Hit Purgatory again in the morning for anything you missed the day before. In the afternoon, head south on US 550 for a soak at Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa, which has 32 mineral pools open daily 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended on weekends. For dinner, drive into downtown Durango and check out the food vendors or restaurants along Main Avenue.

If you have weekdays in your trip, use them for rafting on the Animas River with Mild to Wild Rafting, which runs trips through September, or for fly-fishing on the Animas with Duranglers Flies and Supplies, whose guides can put you on late-season trout in the San Juan National Forest stretches. For a full rafting-season breakdown, see our Animas River rafting guide.

What about Durango in September beyond Purgatory?

September is the quietest month of Durango's summer season. The weather is at its most reliable: daytime highs in the low 80s, nights in the 40s, and afternoon monsoon thunderstorms have largely passed. Here is what stays open and what changes.

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs its full schedule through October. September departures are less crowded than July, and the Cascade Canyon trip (five hours round-trip) is particularly good for fall-color photography. The train's open-air gondola car is the best seat for unobstructed views of the Animas River canyon.

Hiking trails in the San Juan National Forest are in peak late-summer condition. The Hermosa Creek Trail north of Durango runs through mixed aspen and pine forest and connects to the Colorado Trail. For a shorter family hike, the Animas River Trail is a paved, seven-mile path along the river starting just a short walk from downtown. For more fall hiking ideas, see our guide to Durango fall colors and our Million Dollar Highway summer drive.

Rafting season on the Animas River runs through September 30. Late-summer flows are lower and warmer than peak runoff in May and June, making the river more accessible for families and first-timers. Mild to Wild Rafting offers half-day trips from Durango that are appropriate for ages 4 and up. For a broader look at Durango's fall offerings, the Durango Fall Planning Guide covers ziplining, train rides, and seasonal events through October.

For a day trip, drive the Million Dollar Highway north from Purgatory through Silverton to Ouray. The 25-mile stretch between Silverton and Ouray crosses three mountain passes above 10,000 feet: Coal Bank (10,640 feet), Molas (10,970 feet), and Red Mountain (11,018 feet). By mid-to-late September, the aspen groves along this corridor turn gold, and the overlooks are worth every stop. See our fall colors guide for more leaf-peeping routes.

How late can I ride the mountain coaster and alpine slide?

The last operating day for the Inferno Mountain Coaster, alpine slide, and scenic chairlift in 2026 is Sunday, October 4. After that, Purgatory's summer season ends, and the resort shifts into winter preparation mode. Ski season typically opens around Thanksgiving weekend (late November).

Tickets purchased during the 2026 season remain valid through October 4. If weather closes activities on your weekend, the resort credits unused, never-scanned tickets at 100 percent.

Local's Take: The best weekend of the entire late-summer window is September 26-27. The aspen are near peak color, daytime temperatures are in the low 70s at the mountain base (around 8,800 feet), and the resort is genuinely quiet. You can ride the coaster three times without a wait, do the alpine slide once or twice, and still be off the mountain by early afternoon with time for a soak at Durango Hot Springs and dinner downtown. If you only have one shot at a Purgatory weekend this fall, pick that one.

What is the 5 Activity Pack and is it worth it in late summer?

The 5 Activity Pack is Purgatory's bundled ticket that gives you five rides across any combination of the mountain coaster, alpine slide, and scenic chairlift. It costs $49 per adult, $39 per child, and is valid for the entire 2026 summer season.

At the single-ticket price of $20 per ride, five separate rides would cost $100. The pack saves $51 per adult and $61 per child. For a family of four (two adults, two kids), buying two adult and two child 5-packs costs $176 total for 20 rides, compared to $400 a la carte, a savings of $224. Even if you use only three of the five rides, you still come out ahead versus single tickets.

One caveat: the 5 Activity Pack is only on sale during daily operations (through August 16). If you are planning a weekend-only visit in September and have not already bought your pack, call the ticket office at (970) 385-2168 to confirm availability before you drive up.