I’m lucky enough to be able to visit almost my entire immediate family outside of Durango, Colorado, several times a year. Since no one on the East Coast knows where that is, I always add ‘a small city in the southwest corner of Colorado’ as a refrain. But more people should know about Durango, and should consider the extra 45 minutes of flight time to head there for a vacation! I learned about Durango when we visited Mesa Verde a few times during my childhood, and briefly considered going to Fort Lewis College and learning to mountain bike. Instead, I went to Bowdoin, for which I also developed a refrain - ‘a small liberal arts school in Maine, trust me you’ve never heard to it’.

Since I go to Durango a lot, and my wonderful Yeti mountain bike lives at my mom’s house now, I’ve largely figured out the local mountain biking trails, which are incredible in variety and quality. I’ve mountain biked all over Colorado and in a few other parts of the country and Durango is probably my favorite place to mountain bike.

I hope you enjoy the guide and if there’s a system I haven’t mentioned, let me know and I’ll check it out next time!

In Town - Horse Gulch and Sale Barn

As much as I love to mountain bike, I equally love coffee, and I equally dislike long drives. A perfect morning is a stop at Horse Gulch to check out the newly built Mesa Junction directional trails, followed by coffee and a breakfast burrito at Lola’s Place or Backcountry Gourmet.

Horse Gulch has always been fun and convenient, but the new trails are phenomenal. Well designed, machine built, flowy fun. There is a much nicer climb in Mesa Junction now - you used to have to slog up a jeep road.

They’re continuing to enhance this system and connecting it with Sale Barn / Telegraph, which sits on top of a nearby mesa. You don’t really need to start out with much of a plan to ride here but now you can put together a 2-3 hour ride and barely repeat a trail… however, you might want to hit the new downhill trails more than once!

I would encourage a couple days of exploration at Horse Gulch especially if you’re within riding distance. There are a few routes on MTB Project and TrailForks, but when I was in town recently, none of the apps had the new trails, and I wouldn’t skip them.

Close Alpine Access Trails - Dry Fork, High Point, and Rudy’s Rest

Within a 20 minute drive from downtown Durango, you can be at the Dry Fork Trailhead. This is a popular spot for trail runners and mountain bikers and it’s not officially directional, but everybody rides it the same direction. You can climb from Dry Fork to the Colorado Trail Junction, turn right, ride to Gudy’s Rest for a beautiful lookout, turn right again, and complete a triangle with around 1,500 feet of climbing and some of the best descending I’ve ever done in a little over an hour.

But why stop there when you can continue your climb through a challenging creek bed-style trail, up to over 9,000 feet, to High Point? Well, because you. might be sane, but you shouldn’t be. High Point is, logically, the highest point of the trail before it descends 1,400 feet to a creek crossing. I cannot discourage you from continuing past High Point enough, unless you want to be out for a long time. This is officially part of the Colorado Trail, the trail that goes from Denver to Durango. It is more of a rugged back country hiking trail than a true mountain biking trail from this point. However, the ride up to High Point is lovely, until you hit 9,000 feet and can’t breathe. When I rode this on my last visit, I didn’t see another person until 90 minutes into my ride.

You’ll know you’re at High Point when you see a couple log benches, and the trail starts going downhill

This is pure bliss - quiet, peaceful Aspen trees swaying in a light breeze, wildflowers everywhere, deer. The ride is around 2 hours if you go to High Point and complete the loop, which you must do, to get the best descending in. Probably my favorite mountain bike ride ever.

Hermosa and Jones Creek

Slightly farther from downtown Durango, you can ride either a point-to-point or out and back on Hermosa or Jones Creek. They share a trailhead at a campground that you have to drive on a dirt road to reach. Even I can do this, it’s very smooth.

I’ve never done the Hermosa Creek shuttle but it’s commonly ridden. Be aware that even though it’s got a lot of really nice descending, there’s a reasonable amount of climbing, and you need someone to drop you off at the trailhead, which is around 45 minutes from Durango near Purgatory Ski Resort. I have ridden out and back and this is a pleasant, relatively smooth, alpine riding experience.

I did ride Jones Creek as an out and back on my last trip and while I hated my life choices for a few minutes, mainly because I had run that morning and it was very sunny, it was extremely beautiful, and the descent made it all worth it.

Jones Creek is a 4 mile, 1400 feet of climbing, experience, which tops out in a gorgeous meadow with cows grazing (cows aren’t guaranteed). As you may know, 1400 feet in 4 miles is a lot. Parts of it are really steep.

The descent is a LOT of fun. Just remember that the trail is always ridden out and back, and you don’t want to be a jerk and not abide mountain bike etiquette, so keep it under control, and don’t forget to take in the views.

Farther Afield and worth the drive - Phil’s World

How to describe Phil’s World…. mountain bike paradise? Directional, flowy wonderland? Those both work. Phil’s World is totally unique. It’s a giant complex of totally directional mountain bike trails about 45 minutes west of Durango, just outside of Cortez.

The best time to visit Phil’s World is when you’re totally cracked from climbing up to 9,000 feet multiple times and want to have fun, ride, and not go hypoxic. I rode around 26 miles in just under 3 hours and didn’t repeat any trails, and I didn’t get close to riding everything. Because it’s true high desert without a ton of tree cover, it does get hot and exposed. But it’s totally worth it.

Signs at every intersection! A happy bike!

I’ve gone to Phil’s World when the parking lot was completely full and when there were two other cars. Because the system is completely directional, it never feels crowded. I’d describe it as the most beginner friendly of every system I’ve ridden in the area - but there are technical features so more advanced riders won’t get bored. Rib Cage is a can’t miss trail, a swoopy, gradual descent that I’d ride at the end of your day. If you wanted to stay in Cortez, Mancos or even Dolores, you could ride here several times and not get bored.

Honorable Mention - Other Destination Rides

If you’re in town for longer than a week, and want some additional variety or care to explore, here are some other rides I’d consider.

Boggy Draw, Dolores - this is a fun little system, similar to Phil’s World in terrain, but way, way smaller. Dolores is a cute town with a nice campground so I’d only ride here if you were passing through, which you could do if you want to go to Telluride for a few days and be a fancy person.
Ridgway’s RATS System - I’ve only ridden here after a snowstorm so it was a bit muddy. But this is a fun, smooth system and I love Ridgway. It’s small and quiet and there’s a good place to get pizza. Also, the views are insane and it’s about 15 minutes from Ouray.
Pagosa Springs, Turkey Springs Loop - If you’re driving to Durango from Denver, this system is fun, quiet, and worth a stop.

I hope this Durango Ride Guide inspires you to plan a trip to one of my favorite places. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!

The Durango Mountain Bike Guide

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