Ask a local where to swim and the answer comes with a season attached. In July it is a river bank or the lake beach. The rest of the year it is one building, the Durango Community Recreation Center on Main Avenue, which holds the city's pool. Below are its hours and prices first, then the summer options at Lake Nighthorse and on the Animas River, with the safety notes the city and the local tourism office publish for each.
Where is the Durango swimming pool, and when is it open?
The city's pool is inside the Durango Community Recreation Center at 2700 Main Avenue, a few minutes north of downtown. You can reach the front desk at 970-375-7300. The building has a lap pool, a leisure pool, a hot tub, a water slide and an outdoor splash pad (City of Durango). The city does not post season dates for the splash pad, so call before you bring kids.
The pool closes 30 minutes before the building does. These are the posted pool hours:
| Day | Pool hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (open family swim) |
| Sunday | 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (open family swim) |
Those come from the city's aquatics page, which also lists pool toys and the water slide starting at 10 a.m. on weekdays. Two things change the schedule. Group swim lessons close the leisure pool to the public while they run, leaving only the current channel and the hot tub. The pool also closes for occasional swim meets and maintenance, so check the city's aquatics page before you go. The center is closed on New Year's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it closes at noon on New Year's Eve, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Christmas Eve.
How much does it cost to swim at the Recreation Center?
A day pass gets you into the whole building, not just the water. The city lists these prices on the Recreation Center page:
| Pass | Youth (4-17) | Ages 18-61 | Senior (62-89) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day pass | $6.50 | $8.00 | $7.00 |
| 20-punch pass | $100 | $140 | $115 |
| 3-month pass | $130 | $160 | $135 |
| 6-month pass | $190 | $250 | $195 |
| Annual pass | $295 | $415 | $300 |
Kids 3 and under swim free with a paying guest, and anyone 90 or older gets in free. Towel service adds $1 to a day pass. If you plan to swim a few times a week, the longer passes win quickly. Spread over 365 days, the $415 annual pass for ages 18 to 61 comes to about $1.14 a day. Family pricing exists only on the 3-month, 6-month and annual passes. The first person pays full price, each added person pays half, and the family counts at most two people aged 18 or older.
What is in the pools?
The city's aquatics page gives the details:
- Lap pool: 11 lanes, about 79 degrees, home of the Durango Swim Club, and 35 laps make a mile
- Leisure pool: about 89 degrees, with a current channel, geysers and inner tubes
- Hot tub: 102 degrees, room for 23 people, and a recommended stay of 10 minutes at most
A few rules trip people up:
- Play features in the leisure pool are for children 50 pounds and under
- Children 6 and younger must stay with a parent or guardian in the water
- You must be able to swim 25 yards to use the diving board
- One person at a time on the slide, with sharp metal and locker keys left behind
Where can you swim outdoors in Durango?
- Lake Nighthorse, about two miles from downtown, has a guarded swim beach. The city started the 2026 beach season on June 1, when the lake went to daily hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and entry is $10 per vehicle or $5 on foot or by bike. Beach rules bar pets, fishing, glass, alcohol and grilling. The Wibit Aqua Park, a floating obstacle course, is closed for the season, and the lake now runs reduced fall hours, so check the Lake Nighthorse page before driving out.
- The Animas River has several beaches and access points through town. The local tourism office's advice reads like guidance for people on their own: use the buddy system, keep children 12 and under supervised, stay off the river during high flows, and remember that cold water pulls heat from the body 25 times faster than air (Visit Durango).
Are swim lessons offered?
Yes, in blocks. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on the first Friday of the month before classes start. The city lists December 4 for January 2027 classes and January 8 for February classes. There are no group swim classes in December, March, April or May. Private lessons go through a request form on the aquatics page. If swimming gets you hooked on the outdoors, our guide to parks and trails covers where residents go next, and the recreation center answer covers the gym, classes and everything else under that roof.