Durango has a reputation and fame that far exceeds its size and is renowned for its magnificent setting, its many tourist attractions, and, in particular, its spectacular outdoor activities. Mountain biking is probably the most famous, and Durango is known as the venue for the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, which took place in 1990.
Over the course of a month here in 2021, I got familiar with the area and had a blast ripping around the miles of single track in the area. What I’ll share with you comes from own insight & experience and should help you get on the some good stuff. Unfortunately, I didn't do a ton of riding with the Go Pro around Durango, so some of the videos and pictures may be of others.
First few quick points you should know...
About The ‘Area’: The Durango area is relatively large with a few small trail systems near town and then high country riding to the north near Silverton. It takes about 45 min to get to the high country stuff from town.
The Colorado Trail: a beautiful section of the Colorado Trail runs from Silverton and ends in Durango. Lots of people talk about mountain biking it. I have ridden it, but I didn't find it to be noteworthy riding so I do not cover it on this page. While the trail itself had amazing beautiful views, its not a well laid out mountain bike trail and it is loaded with hikers, so you never really get a chance to rip it. That's in addition to the fact that basically no matter how you access it, you are in for a long haul. A more fun, long backcountry ride that lets you rip it is my route 'Rico's Backdoor'.
A word on lightning: lightning is a very REAL threat as you head into the high country near Silverton. During the summer months I found it best to plan to do my rides early, because as afternoon rolls in, lightning storms can happen at any time.
Main image source: "Biking in Colorado" by perlick22 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
[Epic Route] Rico’s Backdoor
When you want a long ride of ripping with no traffic.
I’ll start off with what is my favorite ride in the area. It fits the bill of an aggressive XC style ride with about 35 miles, 5,000’ of climbing and 2 wicked descents. There's only one small section of paved road riding that has very little traffic and the trails will probably have no one else on them.
The ride starts behind the purgatory ski area, climbs up a mountain range to where you cross The Colorado Trail, and then descends Salt Creek Trail to the town of Rico. Salt Creek starts off pedally but drops fast and gave a me a few miles of butt-puckering as a my bike soaked up rugged terrain below me. It was fun.
This is my video on the Salt Creek Descent of the ride!
From there’s its back up a fire to the top of the ridgeline where you’d again cross the Colorado Trail and drop down toward Purgatory. I take a trail called Corral Creek Down, which has mixed reviews. It’s a chewed up moto trails that descends 2,500’ over 5 miles. I like the wide chewed up trails as they are a bit dicier then a packed single track. But if you want a smoother single track ride down, that shortens your distance and prerequisite climb, you can catch the trail of StageCoach. Either way will be great.
About water: The 'return climb' up the Scotch Creek fire road runs along Scotch creek, which seems like it has good water in it all year, so you're pretty solid with a water filter.
[Trail] Engineer Mountain
About 3,600' of descent | Trail Forks
Descending from Coal Bank Pass towards Durango Engineer Mountain Trail is one of the main staples of mountain biking around Durango. The most fun starts starts at about 4 miles in -- where the consistent descent starts after the junction with Pass Creek Trail. The Trail starts above the treeline where it's pretty smooth and offering views in all directions with good stop points for photos of the mountain behind you. Once you get into the trees it gets a bit more technical with rocks and roots. It is rated a black diamond but I would say it is on the mild side of black diamond ratings.
How to link it up: When riding solo the best options is to park at the bottom of the Engineer Mountain trail and climb up the road until you can catch the Pass Creek Trail. If you've got the legs and want a big day, you can keep pedaling further up and catch the Colorado trail and ride that through Molas pass (you're in for a solid 45+ miles). When shuttling, you'll still park at the bottom of the Engineer Mountain Trail and shuttle up to either Pass Creek Trail or Colorado Trail. There is quite a bit of parking at all of the trailheads around here, so while the parking lots had many cars, I never had a problem finding a spot.
There's always quite a few hikers on this trail so don't plan on ripping it for Strava.
[Trail] Engine Creek
More back country than Engineer Mountain Trail. Trail Forks.
This one is in the same area as Engineer Mountain, but it's a little further out there, a little harder to access, and bit more technical, and a bit more awesome if you've got the lungs for it. Unlike Engineer Mountain where you have a constant fear of coming up on hikers, there's hardly anyone on this trail. Actually, I didn't see a single person the 4 times I made my way out here. Keep in mind this is a high elevation trail, with not a lot of traffic so it may not be clear and rideable until July.
[Trail] Deer Creek
Easy access high country ripping. Trailforks.
Most of the high country trails like Engineer Mountain, or Engine creek are semi hard to access and require a good bit of effort if riding solo. Deer Creek on the other hand is pretty easy to access and ride. Its a good recovery ride day, or casual ride with aa group.
And this one is real ripper. I'm not sure whether or not it was laid out of mountain biking or not, but it is a great ride. Trailforks does have this a 'red trail' as a red, but it seemed like a solid black -- nothing to be intimated by if you regularly ride black diamond trails.
You'll park high up at Coal Bank Pass, and take the Pass Creek trail out. Pass Creek Trail will have a lot of foot traffic, but once you get on Deer Creek you're clear to run wide-open. I've never seen anyone on foot on this trail.
If you still have energy you can ride the adjacent trail of Coal Creek which is a little more timid. Or you could start with Coal Creek.
[Trail] Halflin Creek
My favorite spice near town. Trailforks.
Yes, another Nate Hills video.
All of the trails I've covered this far are a bit of drive outside of Durango. And most of the riding close to Durango doesn't have that 'big mountain' feel. With 3,000' descent over 4 miles, this is the closest ride to town where you get a big and steep descent. The descent here tips the scale on technical side rather than the flow side, so be on your A-game. Lot of steepness, exposure and ruts. Be cautious riding this trail for the first time as there are generally always trees down.
[Trail System] Horse Gulch
The Horse Gulch Trail System (TrailForks) is located on the south side of Durango. It's a network of trails that offer a variety of options for riders of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced riders. The trail system consists of over 30 miles of singletrack trails that wind through high desert terrain and the hills and valleys of the Horse Gulch area. The trails vary in difficulty, with some being relatively easy and suitable for beginners, while others are more challenging and require advanced skills. Just take a look at the map, and pick some trails to link up.
[Trail System] Twin Buttes
I had a lot of on these little trails. There's a few trails that you can link up to climb to the top of the 'Ed & Flo Trail'. From there you'll get a really sweet casual flow trail ride down. All-in-all as a loop, you'll get about 8 miles and 800 feet of climbing. Nothing steep. Nothing crazy, just a well laid out trail with an easy up climb making it a great pick for various levels to ride together.