In a recent edition of the newsletter Bottomline, Patricia Schultz, the doyenne of American travel writing, named Durango one of seven “undiscovered” cities to “see before you die.”

Previously, Schultz, a travel writer for The New York Times, included Durango in her best-selling book, 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die.

Also on the list of seven were Moab, Utah; Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minn.; Bluegrass Country, Ky.; Brandywine Valley, Del./Pa.; Block Island, R.I.; and Grafton, Vt.

The other 993 places listed in 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die, did not make Shultz’s more-exclusive list, including the Grand Canyon.

Schultz writes that Durango is “an irresistible mix of history and activity” and dwells on the narrow gauge railroad with particular affection.

The encomium is timely. Outside magazine just named Durango’s winter festival Snowdown, one of the five best winter carnivals in North America, noting that with events such as its contest to see who can stuff the most people into an outhouse at one time, “Snowdown may be the only winter carnival in the country that scares more people away from a town than it attracts.”